Handling of -source packages for kernel modules

[Cesare Tirabassi]

On Tuesday 13 November 2007 14:29:13 Tollef Fog Heen wrote:

> We seem to have a bunch of packages building kernel modules, such as
> gspca-source.

Don't know about gspca, but the rtxxxxx (rt2400, rt2500, rt2570 etc.) related 
modules are the legacy modules which are in most if not all cases the only 
ones that allow an usable wireless with ralink chipsets. See for instance:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/%2Bsource/linux-ubuntu-modules-2.6.22/%2Bbug/134660

> At least some of those are included in the Ubuntu kernel and therefore
> serves very little or no purpose. 

I don't agree, several packages are updated more frequently than the kernel 
modules package. For instance the rt2x00 packages right now provides version 
2.0.12 against the one in the kernel (which, IIRC, dates from last summer).

> Should we blacklist those so we don't get them from Debian?

No. What for? Are we short of archive space? They give the users a freedom of 
choice which could be dangerous for their mental health?

Cesare