A "Large Hardware Vendor" Wants A EULA Displayed For Firmware Updates On Linux

The open-source Fwupd firmware updating utility paired with LVFS as the Linux Vendor Firmware Service has seen explosive growth for vastly improving the BIOS/firmware updating experience on Linux. Many major hardware vendors distribute their firmware updates on LVFS for consumption by Fwupd and more than 17 million firmware files have been served. Now though there is a new "large hardware vendor" willing to distribute their firmware updates this way but they want a end-user license agreement (EULA) added.

Fwupd/LVFS lead developer Richard Hughes of Red Hat noted today that "A large hardware vendor wants to join the LVFS, but only on the agreement that every user has to agree to a English-only EULA text when deploying their firmware updates. This is the first vendor that's required this condition, and breaks all kinds of automated deployment."

No other hardware vendor has required such an EULA so he's unsure at this point how to proceed. Thus he's taken to Twitter for advice on whether to add the EULA screen, turn down the vendor, or basically undecided.

A large hardware vendor wants to join the LVFS, but only on the agreement that every user has to agree to a English-only EULA text when deploying their firmware updates. This is the first vendor that's required this condition, and breaks all kinds of automated deployment. Do we:

— Richard Hughes (@hughsient) August 10, 2020

At the moment around 70% of the respondents are saying "no thanks" to the support.

It will be interesting to see what is decided and ultimately finding out who is this large hardware vendor wanting an EULA before performing firmware updates.