Advice needed Broadcom wireless packages

[Nicolas Viéville]

Hello list,

The context:

I actually maintain the broadcom-wl and the wl-kmod packages.

Since kernel 3.8.x, I had to face some impossible to solve issues (rfbz
#2721 for example). To be more precise, the problems seem to be located
in the binary part (blob) of the Broadcom STA wireless driver.

I also posted Review Requests against RPMFusion for Broadcom wireless
driver for bcm43142 device
(https://bugzilla.rpmfusion.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2550 and
https://bugzilla.rpmfusion.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2549).

While trying to solve rfbz #2721, I found on an Ubuntu PPA repository a
new non-official Broadcom STA wireless driver that seems to be
compatible with Broadcom wireless devices. There is already one version
of this driver (6.20.155.1) available for the last releases Ubuntu, but
this one that I've packaged for myself and for Fedora doesn't work with
my bcm4313 device under F-18. So I packaged and gave a try to the
non-official one (6.30.223.30). This one seems to work with my wireless
device (2 days and a kernel upgrade keep it working) and seems to work
with bcm4312 ones too on 3.8.x and 3.9.x kernels (see
https://bugzilla.rpmfusion.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2721 last comments).

To be complete on the new version of this driver, as nothing about it
could be found on the Web, I contacted the Ubuntu packager of this one,
and he told me that this version (6.30.223.30) was provided to some
Ubuntu developers by Braodcom in the goal to test it, but it's not
actually an official supported driver. He didn't published this version
of this driver officially in Ubuntu because in certain circumstances it
doesn't work with some devices (for example his one was hard locked with
it). He also doesn't know when the official driver will be published,
and what are the Broadcom plans about this. He also mentioned that users
who would accept to try this driver would certainly be
"adventurous" (actually and of my knowledge we are 3 adventurous pleased
to use this unofficial driver).

My questions:

Do you think it should be possible to create a new version of the
broadcom-wl and wl-kmod packages for this "beta" version of this driver?

Should this one kept in update-testing repository (if yes how?) or
pushed to "normal" repository but with naming or version precautions?

In case it will be possible, what are your suggestions to proceed with
the naming, the packaging directives, etc. for these new packages?
For example: keep the actual packages (for users that devices are Ok
with them) and create new ones with a new name for the "beta" one (beta
or wl-6xx or something else). Or, move the actual packages to a new name
(legacy or wl-5xx or something else for users that want to keep to use
the old one) and bump the actual Broadcom packages with their actual
names to the "beta" version.

Should I have to close the actual review request for the bcm43142
device, and open new ones for the new "beta" driver or the actual ones
or both depending of your previous responses?

I thank you in advance for the detailed responses or suggestions you
would make about my questions. I can provide more details if needed
about this.

Cordially,


-- 
NVieville