Ubuntu just made out of broadcom-sta wl.ko module a firmware. As I know Nvidia has asked Linus about that to manage with some required kernel changes, which he rejected. Has Ubuntu changed the linux kernel to achieve just this?
Ubuntu linux-firmware-nonfree changelog.gz is: linux-firmware-nonfree (1.13) quantal; urgency=low
* Add Modaliases: package header, so that ubuntu-drivers-common, PackageKit,
and aptdaemon can pick up this package automatically when a covered piece
of hardware is installed:
- Add debian/gen-modaliases: Generate a dh_modalias input file covering
all modaliases from all modules from the currently running kernel which
need any firmware shipped by this package.
- debian/rules: Add debian/linux-firmware-nonfree.modaliases target, which
calls gen-modaliases. This should be called whenever new firmware
gets added to this package, and occasionally for new kernels. It uses
the system installed modules, though; fixing this to work on buildds
would be highly welcome.
- Add debian/linux-firmware-nonfree.modaliases: Result for current
Ubuntu Quantal kernel 3.4.0-2-generic, generated by the rule above.
- debian/control, debian/rules: Call dh_modaliases to insert the
modaliases into the package header. Add dh-modaliases build dependency.
-- Martin Pitt <martin> Tue, 22 May 2012 18:17:56 +0200
linux-firmware-nonfree (1.11) oneiric; urgency=low
* Get _all_ of the b43 firmware files.
http://linuxwireless.org/en/users/Drivers/b43#devicefirmware
wget http://www.lwfinger.com/b43-firmware/broadcom-wl-5.100.138.tar.bz2
tar xjf broadcom-wl-5.100.138.tar.bz2
b43-fwcutter -w . broadcom-wl-5.100.138/linux/wl_apsta.o
-- Tim Gardner <tim> Fri, 16 Sep 2011
see this:
"b43-fwcutter -w . broadcom-wl-5.100.138"
Version of Debian: broadcom-sta-5.100.82.112