Potential nonfree code in Linux-libre

[Legimet]

I noticed that there are some files which are included in Linux-libre,
but stripped from Debian's kernel: 

arch/powerpc/platforms/8xx/micropatch.c
drivers/media/i2c/vs6624.c
drivers/video/fbdev/nvidia
drivers/video/fbdev/riva

The first file, micropatch.c, contains Motorola microcode patches
without any source code. There are references to this file in
deblob-check, but the file was moved.

The second file contains a blob called vs6624_p1 consisting of data to
be written to some registers. The registers are not referred to
numerically, not by names, so it seems unlikely that this is the
preferred form for modification. Again, there are references to this
file in deblob-check but the file was moved.

The nvidia and riva drivers contain obfuscated source code, according to
the Debian dfsg patches:

> These drivers contain register programming code provided by the
> hardware vendor that appears to have been deliberately obfuscated.
> This is arguably not the preferred form for modification.
>
> These drivers are also largely redundant with nouveau.  The RIVA 128
> (NV3) is not supported by nouveau but is about 15 years old and
> probably discontinued 10 years ago.

There is a discussion about this from 2006:
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=383465

Legimet