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#1 2016-08-25 13:44:10

DerekTBrown
Member
Registered: 2015-06-29
Posts: 10

Add Broadcom-wl to ArchISO

Hey Guys!

I am somewhat of an Arch Linux evangelist- convincing other people to give Arch a try after they have become fed up with Ubuntu.  However, in helping lots of people install Arch on their system, the most common complaint I receive is that it is hard to install on systems with Broadcom wireless cards, as BCMA and B43 often don't work, and they need the broadcom-wl driver, which is something I have experienced quite a bit with my Dell laptop without Ethernet.

Given the wide usage of these cards, I think it would be worth considering the addition of the broadcom-wl driver to the ArchISO, so that users can install without having to use an alternate internet connection (Ethernet, Android Tethering, etc).

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#2 2016-08-25 14:22:13

Lone_Wolf
Member
From: Netherlands, Europe
Registered: 2005-10-04
Posts: 11,868

Re: Add Broadcom-wl to ArchISO

Broadcom-wl uses a binary kernel module created by broadcom .
Would the license allow distributing it?

license.txt wrote:

2.3.    Restriction on Distribution.  Licensee shall only distribute the Software (a) under the terms of this Agreement and a copy of this Agreement accompanies such distribution, and (b) agrees to defend and indemnify Broadcom and its licensors from and against any damages, costs, liabilities, settlement amounts and/or expenses (including attorneys' fees) incurred in connection with any claim, lawsuit or action by any third party that arises or results from the use or distribution of any and all Software by the Licensee except as contemplated herein.

IANAL but that smells like trouble for Arch Linux if we were to distribute broadcom-wl in an iso (or through repos) .


Disliking systemd intensely, but not satisfied with alternatives so focusing on taming systemd.


(A works at time B)  && (time C > time B ) ≠  (A works at time C)

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#3 2016-08-25 14:35:05

DerekTBrown
Member
Registered: 2015-06-29
Posts: 10

Re: Add Broadcom-wl to ArchISO

I am not sure where you got that license from, but I don't think that is the case.

The broadcom-wl package pulls from two separate packages hosted on Broadcom's website:

Hybrid 32bit
Hybrid 64bit

Both of these packages contain the same license.txt file, which explicitly allows reproduction without modification:

2.1.    License Grants.  Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Broadcom hereby grants to Licensee a non-exclusive, non-transferable, royalty-free license (i) to use and integrate the Software in conjunction with any other software; and (ii) to reproduce and distribute the Software complete, unmodified and only for use with a Broadcom Product.

As far as I am aware, we meet all of the standards specified in their license.  This package should definitely be considered as part of the official repositories.

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#4 2016-08-25 14:58:24

Trilby
Inspector Parrot
Registered: 2011-11-29
Posts: 29,449
Website

Re: Add Broadcom-wl to ArchISO

DerekTBrown wrote:

I am not sure where you got that license from, but I don't think that is the case.

WTF, it's the exact same file you are referring to.  He even included the paragraph number.  I'm not sure about the interpretation of the license, but frankly, if you haven't even read it to recognize a section quoted directly from it with a reference paragraph number, that is a little disturbing - especially when it is 2 sentences away from the part you quoted.


"UNIX is simple and coherent..." - Dennis Ritchie, "GNU's Not UNIX" -  Richard Stallman

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#5 2016-08-25 15:00:42

Lone_Wolf
Member
From: Netherlands, Europe
Registered: 2005-10-04
Posts: 11,868

Re: Add Broadcom-wl to ArchISO

We both used the same license file, i just copied section 2.3 and you copied section 2.1 .

I'vere-read the license and it seems that if we comply with 2.1 we don't have to worry about 2.3 .

to reproduce and distribute the Software complete, unmodified

That's the tricky part. 

The aur package  applies 3 patches and patching is definitely modifying.
Compiling is also very often considered modifying.

To make sure we distribute the complete software, we'd have to put those downloadable files on the iso.


Disliking systemd intensely, but not satisfied with alternatives so focusing on taming systemd.


(A works at time B)  && (time C > time B ) ≠  (A works at time C)

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#6 2016-08-25 15:04:42

Trilby
Inspector Parrot
Registered: 2011-11-29
Posts: 29,449
Website

Re: Add Broadcom-wl to ArchISO

On point here, I think before this can even be considered for inclusion in the iso, it would have to be added to the repos.  So perhaps you should first learn what it would take to get this added to the repos and advocate for that first.


"UNIX is simple and coherent..." - Dennis Ritchie, "GNU's Not UNIX" -  Richard Stallman

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