Re: [H-source-users] Advice on listing a ZTE MF730M 3G dongle

[Michał Masłowski]

> The logic of FSF RYF (Respects Your Freedom) hardware certification
> criteria are that non-free blobs are allowed but only if they're not
> changeable by the user i.e. fixed in ROM.  This is clear and rational.

Not true: https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/criteria has an
exception which applies to chips "within which software installation is
not intended after the user obtains the product".  When Lenovo offers
nonfree updates for such firmware, while Gluglug doesn't and does not
mention them being available, then it's ok.  Do you know if every chip
in a laptop has no support for firmware updates when its builtin
firmware is working?

> h-node is listing hardware which works with blob free versions of
> Torvald's kernel.  I'm trying to find out if there's a already
> rationale distinguishing between 'blobs loaded by the user's kernel'
> and 'blobs loaded by other means to the device.'

For h-node.org the requirement is that the hardware works with a "fully
free operating system", like an FSDG-compliant GNU/Linux distribution.
If the firmware is shipped in chips and not with the driver or operating
system, then the device can be listed.

> In this case it maintains itself over the air at the user's
> discretion.  If that somehow affects people's judgement on the issue. 

It has an interface for firmware updates which most users would know
about and use?

> To give related examples - how would h-node list iPhones as
> peripherals if they like Android did tethered RNDIS 3/4G?  Are any
> distinctions made between Openmoko/Replicant/Cyanogenmod phones used
> for this purpose vs locked Androids you can't load libre firmware on?

Consider them "computers" (for our poorly named "notebooks, netbooks,
tablet PC" category?), not 3G cards?

> If the criteria are simply 'if it works' then fine, but logically even
> if we do in this situation there should at least be a caveat somewhere
> in the listing. 

Warn in this specific entry if you believe that it won't mislead users
into believing that no other device has this issue.

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