[Buildroot] [PATCH] Add package raspberrypi-firmware.

[Thomas Petazzoni]

Dear Yann E. MORIN,

On Mon, 17 Sep 2012 23:50:27 +0200, Yann E. MORIN wrote:

> What would be the interest to install the GPU boot files, but not install
> the VideoCore libraries? Or the other way around, what would be the intrest
> to install the VidoeCore library without the GPU boot files?

The GPU boot files are needed to actually boot the ARM processor. So
technically speaking, they are some kind of first-stage bootloader for
the ARM processor, even if they get executed on the GPU.

So, if you want to use the RasberryPi, you *must* install those GPU
boot files. However, if you're not using the RasberryPi for a 3D
graphical application, you don't necessarily need the VideoCore library
files. So I think it makes sense to be able to install the GPU boot
files separately from the VideoCore library.

The underlying problem here is a fundamental weakness in Buildroot
design: the absence of separation between source packages and binary
packages. We have the same situation quite often for other things. For
example the "curl" package. It provides both a library "libcurl", and a
program "curl" that relies on that library. Should this package be
under "Libraries -> Networking" or under "Networking applications" ?
Ditto for many, many of our packages.

Thomas
-- 
Thomas Petazzoni, Free Electrons
Kernel, drivers, real-time and embedded Linux
development, consulting, training and support.
http://free-electrons.com