[sane-devel] where to put firmware files?

[Till Kamppeter]

Henning Meier-Geinitz wrote:
> 
> The main problem is that I haven't found any way to extract the files.
> I tried unzip, cabextract, and i6comp but nothing was able to extract

What is "i6comp"? Where can I find it?

> the firmware from the windows binaries. These aren't simple
> self-extracting zip files but a complete installation program with the
> twain drivers, firmware, documentation in one single file.
> 

So every manufacturer re-invents the wheel with a new 
compressing/packaging format? Or do they even encrypt there stuff to 
ensure that the user has Windows running on his box?

> Maybe this firmware-download on-demand is an idea for the
> distributions' scanner tools.
> 

It should be in the program which sets up the scanner. The firmware 
should not be taken from the internet/CD whenever one starts "xsane" or 
"(x)scanimage". Therefore we also need a standardized place where to put 
the extracted firmware files.

> It would be easier if we could place the firmware files on a webserver
> somewhere. Or if someone writes a GPLed frimware :-)
> 

When the manufacturers allow us to re-distribute them. Then we could 
even put them onto the CDs of the distros.

    Till