Potential nonfree code in Linux-libre

[Legimet]

Just to add to this, it seems that the array in vs6624.c is probably
firmware:
https://www.mail-archive.com/linux-media@vger.kernel.org/msg46932.html

On Wed, 18 Aug 2021 18:04:15 -0400
Legimet <legimet.calc at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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