Re: [GIT *] Allow request_firmware() to be satisfied from in-kernel,use it in more drivers.

From: Jeff Garzik
Date: Mon Jul 14 2008 - 21:55:05 EST


Arjan van de Ven wrote:
On Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:41:19 -0700
Andrew Morton <akpm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:23:26 -0700
David Woodhouse <dwmw2@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Linus, please pull from the for-2.6.27 branch of:
git://git.infradead.org/users/dwmw2/firmware-2.6.git
for-2.6.27
The firmware flamewars seem to have subsided lately. Is everyone
happy with this now?


this seems to have left the contentious pieces out....

Correction: It seems to have completely ignored contentious issues, which is not the same thing.

It -removes- the ability to build firmware into the kernel module -- a currently deployed, highly reliable configuration.

I'm not surprised that fact was snipped in David's submission -- wouldn't want to mention that you are unconditionally replacing a reliable method of firmware loading with a less reliable one.

Building the firmware into the kernel is far less useful than it appears: often users lack the ability to maintain their own vmlinuz kernel image build, but do build updated drivers. e.g. driver disks for Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

IMO the newly added /inability/ to build firmware into kernel modules is a clear regression.

Jeff




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