Restricted modules installed for everyone? (Was: Re: kernel^W linux upgrade via apt)

[Matt Zimmerman]

On Thu, Jan 06, 2005 at 10:14:18PM -0800, Daniel Robitaille wrote:

> Anyone can do a guess-estimate of the percentage of Ubuntu users actually
> needing these modules to have a working computer? (is it a majority or a
> minority?)

It's difficult to say; we have no real data.

> While I can guess that from a technical point of view it's probably the
> easier way of doing it, I find that from a more ideological point of view
> it is a bit disturbing (maybe disturbing is a too strong of a word...)
> that these non-free modules are installed by default for everyone on some
> architectures.  Is there a way to install them (maybe via a install-time
> setting/question) only for the users actually needing them to try to
> minimize the number of non-free packages on a typical default ubuntu
> installation?

Our compromise with regard to driver licensing has been described from the
very beginning here:

http://www.ubuntulinux.org/ubuntu/licensing/

The reason why these modules are installed by default is that if they are
not, it is very difficult to obtain them.  For example, if you require one
of these drivers in order to access your local network in order to reach the
Internet, then you don't have the option of downloading the drivers later.

-- 
 - mdz