General Resolution: non-free firmware

General Resolution: non-free firmware
Skip Quicknav
Blog
Micronews
Planet
Wiki
Debian Voting Information
2022
General Resolution: non-free firmware
Home Vote Page
How To
Submit a Proposal
Amend a Proposal
Follow a Proposal
Decided
Debian Project Leader Elections 2026
Debian Project Leader Elections 2025
Debian Project Leader Elections 2024
General Resolution: Statement about the EU Legislation "Cyber Resilience Act and Product Liability Directive"
Debian Project Leader Elections 2023
General Resolution: non-free firmware
Debian Project Leader Elections 2022
General Resolution: Voting secrecy
General Resolution: Change the resolution process
General Resolution: Statement regarding Richard Stallman's readmission to the FSF board
Debian Project Leader Elections 2021
Debian Project Leader Elections 2020
General Resolution: Init systems and systemd
Debian Project Leader Elections 2019
Debian Project Leader Elections 2018
Debian Project Leader Elections 2017
General Resolution: Declassifying debian-private
General Resolution: Replace "Chairman" with "Chair" throughout the Debian Constitution
General Resolution: Declassifying debian-private
Debian Project Leader Elections 2016
General Resolution: Update Standard Resolution Procedure
Debian Project Leader Elections 2015
General Resolution: Limiting the term of the technical committee members
General Resolution: init system coupling
General Resolution: code of conduct
Debian Project Leader Elections 2014
Debian Project Leader Elections 2013
General Resolution: Diversity statement
Debian Project Leader Elections 2012
Debian Project Leader Elections 2011
General Resolution: Debian project members
Debian Project Leader Elections 2010
Debian Project Leader Elections 2009
General Resolution: Lenny and resolving DFSG violations
General Resolution: Project membership procedures
Debian Project Leader Elections 2008
Constitutional amendment: reduce the length of DPL election process
General Resolution: Endorse the concept of Debian Maintainers
General Resolution: Altering package upload rules
Debian Project Leader Elections 2007
General Resolution: Handling source-less firmware in the Linux kernel
General Resolution: Re-affirm support to the Debian Project Leader
General Resolution: Recall the project leader
General Resolution: Position statement clarifying DFSG #2
Constitutional Amendment General Resolution: Handling assets for the project
Debian Project Leader Elections 2006
General Resolution: Why the GNU Free Documentation License is not suitable for Debian main
General Resolution: Declassification of debian-private list archives
Debian Project Leader Elections 2005
General Resolution: Sarge Release Schedule in view of GR 2004-003
General Resolution: Editorial amendments to the social contract
General Resolution: Status of the non-free section
Debian Project Leader Elections 2004
Constitutional Amendment: Disambiguation of Section 4.1.5
Constitutional Amendment: Condorcet/Clone Proof SSD Voting Method
Debian Project Leader Elections 2003
Debian Project Leader Elections 2002
Leader Elections 2001
Leader Elections 2000
Swap Logos
New Logo
Logo License
Leader Elections 1999
Constitution
Withdrawn
General Resolution: Interpretation of DFSG on Artificial Intelligence (AI) Models
General Resolution: tag2upload
General Resolution: Update Standard Resolution Procedure
General Resolution: Sponsorship requirements for General Resolutions
General Resolution: Force AMD64 architecture into Sarge
IRC as a Debian communication channel
Other
Superseded: Constitutional amendment: Smith/Condorcet vote tallying
Superseded: Constitutional amendment: alternate disambiguation of 4.1.5
Superseded: Constitutional amendment: disambiguation of 4.1.5
Superseded: Non-free Archive Removal
General Resolution: non-free firmware
Time Line
Proposal A Proposer
Proposal A Seconds
Proposal A
Proposal B Proposer
Proposal B Seconds
Proposal B
Proposal C Proposer
Proposal C Seconds
Proposal C
Proposal D Proposer
Proposal D Seconds
Proposal D
Proposal E Proposer
Proposal E Seconds
Proposal E
Proposal F Proposer
Proposal F Seconds
Proposal F
Quorum
Data and Statistics
Majority Requirement
Outcome
Time Line
Discussion Period:
2022-08-18
2022-09-15
Voting period:
Sunday 2022-09-18 00:00:00 UTC
Saturday 2022-10-01 23:59:59 UTC
The discussion period has been extended with 7 days by the Debian Project Leader.
mail
Proposal A Proposer
Steve McIntyre [
93sam@debian.org
text of proposal
amendment
Proposal A Seconds
Tobias Frost [
tobi@debian.org
] [
mail
Luca Boccassi [
bluca@debian.org
] [
mail
Ansgar [
ansgar@debian.org
] [
mail
Louis-Philippe Véronneau [
pollo@debian.org
] [
mail
Sebastian Ramacher [
sramacher@debian.org
] [
mail
Samuel Henrique [
samueloph@debian.org
] [
mail
Timo Röhling [
roehling@debian.org
] [
mail
Philip Hands [
philh@debian.org
] [
mail
Joerg Jaspert [
joerg@debian.org
] [
mail
Cyril Brulebois [
kibi@debian.org
] [
mail
Iain Lane [
laney@debian.org
] [
mail
Holger Levsen [
holger@debian.org
] [
mail
Philipp Kern [
pkern@debian.org
] [
mail
Anton Gladky [
gladk@debian.org
] [
mail
Moritz Mühlenhoff [
jmm@debian.org
] [
mail
Gunnar Wolf [
gwolf@debian.org
] [
mail
Proposal A
Choice 1: Only one installer, including non-free firmware
We will include non-free firmware packages from the
"non-free-firmware" section of the Debian archive on our official
media (installer images and live images). The included firmware
binaries will
normally
be enabled by default where the system
determines that they are required, but where possible we will include
ways for users to disable this at boot (boot menu option, kernel
command line etc.).
When the installer/live system is running we will provide information
to the user about what firmware has been loaded (both free and
non-free), and we will also store that information on the target
system such that users will be able to find it later.
Where non-free firmware is found to be necessary, the target system
will
also
be configured to use the non-free-firmware component by
default in the apt sources.list file.
Our users should
receive security updates and important fixes to firmware binaries just
like any other installed software.
We will publish these images as official Debian media, replacing the
current media sets that do not include non-free firmware packages.
Proposal B Proposer
Gunnar Wolf [
gwolf@debian.org
text of proposal
amendment
Proposal B Seconds
Tobias Frost [
tobi@debian.org
] [
mail
Holger Levsen [
holger@debian.org
] [
mail
Sean Whitton [
spwhitton@debian.org
] [
mail
Steve McIntyre [
93sam@debian.org
] [
mail
Mathias Behrle [
mbehrle@debian.org
] [
mail
Tiago Bortoletto Vaz [
tiago@debian.org
] [
mail
Laura Arjona Reina [
larjona@debian.org
] [
mail
Jonathan Carter [
jcc@debian.org
] [
mail
Philipp Kern [
pkern@debian.org
] [
mail
Proposal B
Choice 2: Recommend installer containing non-free firmware
We will include non-free firmware packages from the
"non-free-firmware" section of the Debian archive on our official
media (installer images and live images). The included firmware
binaries will
normally
be enabled by default where the system
determines that they are required, but where possible we will include
ways for users to disable this at boot (boot menu option, kernel
command line etc.).
When the installer/live system is running we will provide information
to the user about what firmware has been loaded (both free and
non-free), and we will also store that information on the target
system such that users will be able to find it later.
Where non-free firmware is found to be necessary, the target system
will
also
be configured to use the non-free-firmware component by
default in the apt sources.list file.
Our users should
receive security updates and important fixes to firmware binaries just
like any other installed software.
While we will publish these images as official Debian media, they will
not
replace the current media sets that do not include non-free
firmware packages, but offered alongside. Images that do include
non-free firmware will be presented more prominently, so that
newcomers will find them more easily; fully-free images will not be
hidden away; they will be linked from the same project pages, but with
less visual priority.
Proposal C Proposer
Bart Martens [
bartm@debian.org
text of proposal
amendment
Proposal C Seconds
Stefano Zacchiroli [
zack@debian.org
] [
mail
Laura Arjona Reina [
larjona@debian.org
] [
mail
Holger Levsen [
holger@debian.org
] [
mail
Steve McIntyre [
93sam@debian.org
] [
mail
Philip Rinn [
rinni@debian.org
] [
mail
Jonas Smedegaard [
js@debian.org
] [
mail
Paul Wise [
pabs@debian.org
] [
mail
Simon Josefsson [
jas@debian.org
] [
mail
Proposal C
Choice 3: Allow presenting non-free installers alongside the free one
The Debian project is permitted to make distribution media (installer images
and live images) containing non-free software from the Debian archive available
for download alongside with the free media in a way that the user is informed
before downloading which media are the free ones.
Proposal D Proposer
Simon Josefsson [
jas@debian.org
text of proposal
Proposal D Seconds
Jonas Smedegaard [
js@debian.org
] [
mail
Holger Levsen [
holger@debian.org
] [
mail
Hubert Chathi [
uhoreg@debian.org
] [
mail
Guilhem Moulin [
guilhem@debian.org
] [
mail
Santiago Ruano Rincón [
santiago@debian.org
] [
mail
Shengjing Zhu [
zhsj@debian.org
] [
mail
Proposal D
Choice 4: Installer with non-free software is not part of Debian
We continue to stand by the spirit of the Debian Social Contract §1
which says:
Debian will remain 100% free

We provide the guidelines that we use to determine if a work is
"free" in the document entitled "The Debian Free Software
Guidelines". We promise that the Debian system and all its components
will be free according to these guidelines. We will support people
who create or use both free and non-free works on Debian. We will
never make the system require the use of a non-free component.
Therefore we will not include any non-free software in Debian, nor in the
main archive or installer/live/cloud or other official images, and will
not enable anything from non-free or contrib by default.
We also continue to stand by the spirit of the Debian Social Contract §5
which says:
Works that do not meet our free software standards

We acknowledge that some of our users require the use of works that
do not conform to the Debian Free Software Guidelines. We have
created "contrib" and "non-free" areas in our archive for these
works. The packages in these areas are not part of the Debian system,
although they have been configured for use with Debian. We encourage
CD manufacturers to read the licenses of the packages in these areas
and determine if they can distribute the packages on their CDs. Thus,
although non-free works are not a part of Debian, we support their
use and provide infrastructure for non-free packages (such as our bug
tracking system and mailing lists).
Thereby reinforcing the interpretation that any installer or image with
non-free software on it is not part of the Debian system, but that we
support their use and welcome others to distribute such work.
Proposal E Proposer
Russ Allbery [
rra@debian.org
] [
text of proposal
Proposal E Seconds
Richard Laager [
rlaager@debian.org
] [
mail
Ansgar [
ansgar@debian.org
] [
mail
Simon Richter [
sjr@debian.org
] [
mail
Kunal Mehta [
legoktm@debian.org
] [
mail
Tobias Frost [
tobi@debian.org
] [
mail
Steve McIntyre [
93sam@debian.org
] [
mail
Holger Levsen [
holger@debian.org
] [
mail
Proposal E
Choice 5: Change SC for non-free firmware in installer, one installer
This ballot option supersedes the Debian Social Contract (a foundation document) under point 4.1.5 of the constitution and thus requires a 3:1 majority.
The Debian Social Contract is replaced with a new version that is
identical to the current version in all respects except that it adds the
following sentence to the end of point 5:
The Debian official media may include firmware that is otherwise not
part of the Debian system to enable use of Debian with hardware that
requires such firmware.
The Debian Project also makes the following statement on an issue of the day:
We will include non-free firmware packages from the "non-free-firmware"
section of the Debian archive on our official media (installer images and
live images). The included firmware binaries will normally be enabled by
default where the system determines that they are required, but where
possible we will include ways for users to disable this at boot (boot menu
option, kernel command line etc.).
When the installer/live system is running we will provide information to
the user about what firmware has been loaded (both free and non-free), and
we will also store that information on the target system such that users
will be able to find it later. Where non-free firmware is found to be
necessary, the target system will also be configured to use the
non-free-firmware component by default in the apt sources.list file. Our
users should receive security updates and important fixes to firmware
binaries just like any other installed software.
We will publish these images as official Debian media, replacing the
current media sets that do not include non-free firmware packages.
Proposal F Proposer
Holger Levsen [
holger@debian.org
] [
text of proposal
Proposal F Seconds
Steve McIntyre [
93sam@debian.org
] [
mail
Timo Röhling [
roehling@debian.org
] [
mail
Tiago Bortoletto Vaz [
tiago@debian.org
] [
mail
Étienne Mollier [
emollier@debian.org
] [
mail
Judit Foglszinger [
urbec@debian.org
] [
mail
David Prévot [
taffit@debian.org
] [
mail
Tobias Frost [
tobi@debian.org
] [
mail
Gunnar Wolf [
gwolf@debian.org
] [
mail
Didier Raboud [
odyx@debian.org
] [
mail
Proposal F
Choice 6: Change SC for non-free firmware in installer, keep both installers
This ballot option supersedes the Debian Social Contract (a foundation document) under point 4.1.5 of the constitution and thus requires a 3:1 majority.
The Debian Social Contract is replaced with a new version that is identical to the current version in all respects except that it adds the following sentence to the end of point 5:
The Debian official media may include firmware that is otherwise not
part of the Debian system to enable use of Debian with hardware that
requires such firmware.
The Debian Project also makes the following statement on an issue of the day:
We will include non-free firmware packages from the "non-free-firmware" section of the Debian archive on our official media (installer images and live images).
The included firmware binaries will normally be enabled by default where the system determines that they are required, but where possible we will include ways for users to disable this at boot (boot menu option, kernel command line etc.).
When the installer/live system is running we will provide information to the user about what firmware has been loaded (both free and non-free), and we will also store that information on the target system such that users will be able to find it later. Where non-free firmware is found to be necessary, the target system will also be configured to use the non-free-firmware component by default in the apt sources.list file. Our users should receive security updates and important fixes to firmware binaries just like any other installed software.
We will publish these images as official Debian media, alongside the current media sets that do not include non-free firmware packages.
Quorum
With the current list of
voting
developers
, we have:
Current Developer Count = 991
Q ( sqrt(#devel) / 2 ) = 15.7400762386972
K min(5, Q ) = 5
Quorum (3 x Q ) = 47.2202287160916
Quorum
Option 1 Reached quorum: 264 > 47.2202287160916
Option 2 Reached quorum: 291 > 47.2202287160916
Option 3 Reached quorum: 306 > 47.2202287160916
Option 4 Reached quorum: 135 > 47.2202287160916
Option 5 Reached quorum: 289 > 47.2202287160916
Option 6 Reached quorum: 311 > 47.2202287160916
Data and Statistics
For this GR, like always,
statistics
will be gathered about ballots received and
acknowledgements sent periodically during the voting
period.
Additionally, the list of
voters
will be
recorded. Also, the
tally
sheet
will also be made available to be viewed.
Majority Requirement
Proposal 5 and 6 need a 3:1 super majority
Majority
Option 1 passes Majority.
2.901 (264/91) > 1
Option 2 passes Majority.
4.619 (291/63) > 1
Option 3 passes Majority.
6.000 (306/51) > 1
Dropping Option 4 because of Majority. 0.685 (135/197) <= 1
Option 5 passes Majority.
4.587 (289/63) >= 3
Option 6 passes Majority.
7.405 (311/42) >= 3
Outcome
In the graph above, any pink colored nodes imply that
the option did not pass majority, the Blue is the
winner. The Octagon is used for the options that did
not beat the default.
Option 1 "Only one installer, including non-free firmware"
Option 2 "Recommend installer containing non-free firmware"
Option 3 "Allow presenting non-free installers alongside the free one"
Option 4 "Installer with non-free software is not part of Debian"
Option 5 "Change SC for non-free firmware in installer, one installer"
Option 6 "Change SC for non-free firmware in installer, keep both installers"
Option 7 "None of the above"
In the following table, tally[row x][col y] represents
the votes that option x received over option y. A
more
detailed explanation of the beat matrix
may help in
understanding the table. For understanding the Condorcet method, the
Wikipedia
entry
is fairly informative.
The Beat Matrix
Option
Option 1
158
206
270
72
129
264
Option 2
170
235
286
121
75
291
Option 3
144
99
294
127
84
306
Option 4
80
64
53
74
55
135
Option 5
229
219
229
279
169
289
Option 6
216
253
266
298
163
311
Option 7
91
63
51
197
63
42
Looking at row 2, column 1, Recommend installer containing non-free firmware
received 170 votes over Only one installer, including non-free firmware
Looking at row 1, column 2, Only one installer, including non-free firmware
received 158 votes over Recommend installer containing non-free firmware.
Pair-wise defeats
Option 2 defeats Option 1 by ( 170 - 158) = 12 votes.
Option 1 defeats Option 3 by ( 206 - 144) = 62 votes.
Option 5 defeats Option 1 by ( 229 - 72) = 157 votes.
Option 6 defeats Option 1 by ( 216 - 129) = 87 votes.
Option 1 defeats Option 7 by ( 264 - 91) = 173 votes.
Option 2 defeats Option 3 by ( 235 - 99) = 136 votes.
Option 5 defeats Option 2 by ( 219 - 121) = 98 votes.
Option 6 defeats Option 2 by ( 253 - 75) = 178 votes.
Option 2 defeats Option 7 by ( 291 - 63) = 228 votes.
Option 5 defeats Option 3 by ( 229 - 127) = 102 votes.
Option 6 defeats Option 3 by ( 266 - 84) = 182 votes.
Option 3 defeats Option 7 by ( 306 - 51) = 255 votes.
Option 5 defeats Option 6 by ( 169 - 163) = 6 votes.
Option 5 defeats Option 7 by ( 289 - 63) = 226 votes.
Option 6 defeats Option 7 by ( 311 - 42) = 269 votes.
The Schwartz Set contains
Option 5 "Change SC for non-free firmware in installer, one installer"
The winners
Option 5 "Change SC for non-free firmware in installer, one installer"
Debian uses the Condorcet method for voting.
Simplistically, plain Condorcets method
can be stated like so :
Consider all possible two-way races between candidates.
The Condorcet winner, if there is one, is the one
candidate who can beat each other candidate in a two-way
race with that candidate.
The problem is that in complex elections, there may well
be a circular relationship in which A beats B, B beats C,
and C beats A. Most of the variations on Condorcet use
various means of resolving the tie. See
Cloneproof Schwartz Sequential Dropping
for details. Debian's variation is spelled out in the
constitution
specifically, A.6.
Debian Project Secretary
Back to the
Debian Project homepage
This page is also available in the following languages:
How to set
the default document language
About
Social Contract
Code of Conduct
Free Software
Legal Info
Help Debian
Getting Debian
Network install
CD/USB ISO images
Pure Blends
Debian Packages
Developers' Corner
News
Project News
Events
Documentation
Release Info
Debian Wiki
Support
Debian International
Security Information
Bug reports
Mailing Lists
The Debian Blog
Debian Micronews
Debian Planet
See our
contact page
to get in touch. Web site source code is
available
Last Modified: Fri, Mar 7 23:49:43 UTC 2025