Potential nonfree code in Linux-libre

[Alexandre Oliva]

On Aug 19, 2021, Legimet <legimet.calc at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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

firmware is unfortunately an overloaded term.

It's often been used to refer to programs, whatever the CPU they run on.

It's often also been used to refer to pure configuration data.

That it's referred to as firmware doesn't make a case that it's
software.  Even calling it a patch doesn't, since there have been
patches to configuration data, and this is what this one looks like to
me.

Now, I could be wrong in that assessment.  If someone makes a case that
it is indeed executable code for some specific CPU, I could easily be
convinced.  This one is definitely borderline.


Thanks,

-- 
Alexandre Oliva, happy hacker                https://FSFLA.org/blogs/lxo/
   Free Software Activist                       GNU Toolchain Engineer
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