Just curious, but noticed the latest upgrades to Bookworm shows the following:
Get:1 http://archive.raspberrypi.com/debian bookworm/main arm64 firmware-atheros all 1:20240709-2~bpo12+1+rpt2 [34.2 MB]
Get:2 http://archive.raspberrypi.com/debian bookworm/main arm64 firmware-brcm80211 all 1:20240709-2~bpo12+1+rpt2 [13.0 MB]
Get:3 http://archive.raspberrypi.com/debian bookworm/main arm64 firmware-misc-nonfree all 1:20240709-2~bpo12+1+rpt2 [5,633 kB]
Get:4 http://archive.raspberrypi.com/debian bookworm/main arm64 firmware-intel-graphics all 1:20240709-2~bpo12+1+rpt2 [12.5 MB]
Get:5 http://archive.raspberrypi.com/debian bookworm/main arm64 firmware-intel-misc all 1:20240709-2~bpo12+1+rpt2 [866 kB]
Get:6 http://archive.raspberrypi.com/debian bookworm/main arm64 firmware-libertas all 1:20240709-2~bpo12+1+rpt2 [8,055 kB]
Get:7 http://archive.raspberrypi.com/debian bookworm/main arm64 firmware-marvell-prestera all 1:20240709-2~bpo12+1+rpt2 [61.5 MB]
Get:8 http://archive.raspberrypi.com/debian bookworm/main arm64 firmware-mediatek all 1:20240709-2~bpo12+1+rpt2 [12.2 MB]
Get:9 http://archive.raspberrypi.com/debian bookworm/main arm64 firmware-nvidia-graphics all 1:20240709-2~bpo12+1+rpt2 [43.9 MB]
Get:10 http://archive.raspberrypi.com/debian bookworm/main arm64 firmware-realtek all 1:20240709-2~bpo12+1+rpt2 [5,866 kB]
Get:11 http://archive.raspberrypi.com/debian bookworm/main arm64 rpi-eeprom all 27.5-1 [3,333 kB]
This is an upgrade to a lite version of Debian (no desktop). Why are there upgrades to intel-graphics, nvidia-graphics, etc ?
pi@raspi-4:~ $ uname -a
Linux raspi-4 6.6.74+rpt-rpi-v8 #1 SMP PREEMPT Debian 1:6.6.74-1+rpt1 (2025-01-27) aarch64 GNU/Linux
pi@raspi-4:~ $ lsb_release -a
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Debian
Description: Debian GNU/Linux 12 (bookworm)
Release: 12
Codename: bookworm
pi@raspi-4:~ $ sudo apt update
... ... ...
17 packages can be upgraded. Run 'apt list --upgradable' to see them.
pi@raspi-4:~ $ apt list --upgradable
Listing... Done
firmware-atheros/stable,stable 1:20240709-2~bpo12+1+rpt2 all [upgradable from: 1:20230625-2+rpt3]
firmware-brcm80211/stable,stable 1:20240709-2~bpo12+1+rpt2 all [upgradable from: 1:20230625-2+rpt3]
firmware-libertas/stable,stable 1:20240709-2~bpo12+1+rpt2 all [upgradable from: 1:20230625-2+rpt3]
firmware-misc-nonfree/stable,stable 1:20240709-2~bpo12+1+rpt2 all [upgradable from: 1:20230625-2+rpt3]
firmware-realtek/stable,stable 1:20240709-2~bpo12+1+rpt2 all [upgradable from: 1:20230625-2+rpt3]
libcamera-ipa/stable 0.4.0+rpt20250213-1 arm64 [upgradable from: 0.4.0+rpt20250127-3]
libcamera0.4/stable 0.4.0+rpt20250213-1 arm64 [upgradable from: 0.4.0+rpt20250127-3]
libgnutls30/stable-security 3.7.9-2+deb12u4 arm64 [upgradable from: 3.7.9-2+deb12u3]
libtasn1-6/stable-security 4.19.0-2+deb12u1 arm64 [upgradable from: 4.19.0-2]
openssh-client/stable-security 1:9.2p1-2+deb12u5 arm64 [upgradable from: 1:9.2p1-2+deb12u4]
openssh-server/stable-security 1:9.2p1-2+deb12u5 arm64 [upgradable from: 1:9.2p1-2+deb12u4]
openssh-sftp-server/stable-security 1:9.2p1-2+deb12u5 arm64 [upgradable from: 1:9.2p1-2+deb12u4]
raspi-config/stable,stable 20250210 all [upgradable from: 20250203]
raspi-firmware/stable,stable 1:1.20250305-1 all [upgradable from: 1:1.20241126-1]
rbfeeder/unknown 1:1.0.11+bookworm arm64 [upgradable from: 1:1.0.10+bookworm]
rpi-eeprom/stable,stable 27.5-1 all [upgradable from: 27.0-1]
ssh/stable-security,stable-security 1:9.2p1-2+deb12u5 all [upgradable from: 1:9.2p1-2+deb12u4]
Interesting, I get the same response to uname -a and lsb_release -a that you have however we get different lists for upgrades. Some of your upgrades are things I have already upgraded on my RPi. But you don’t get the graphics packages upgrades. If you do the upgrades, maybe the next time you do sudo apt update, the additional packages will be listed.
Depending on which firmware meta packages you have installed can dictate what firmware is offered up for installation. There can be a cascading set of dependencies. The package firmware-linux is dependent on firmware-linux-nonfree which in turn is dependent on firmware-misc-nonfree which shows up in your update list so obviously you have that one already installed. The graphics stuff resides there and are only recommended (see here).
Your choice if you just want to leave it as is (no harm is being done) or carefully remove those packages you can confirm you have no need for.
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In order to see if previous package installs had anything to do with recommended packages in an upgrade, I burned a new SD card with Raspberry Pi lite, 64 bit Bookworm. Then did an update and upgrade. The upgrade had all of the packages shown in my first post above. So I’m not sure why this is being done by apt.
firmware-misc-nonfree is part of the Pi lite image (the .info file at this link). Are the graphics packages present before you do a sudo update? Or are they first offered up when sudo apt update is performed? The former says they are installed as part of the image, the latter that apt is configured to automatically install recommended packages which is the default apt configuration. Maybe this thread helps you tweak the config to your liking.
I stopped using a Pi and its OS a while back, so any intracacies involving both are a bit out of my comfort zone. Other Pi users may have a better answer for you.
I’m not sure if the graphics packages were there before I did the update. Unfortunately I can’t go back and look since it was one-off test on a RPi 4 that I normally use for PiHole. And I have put the SD card with PiHole back in the RPi.
I’ll take a look at the links you posted, but I’ll probably leave well enough alone, Thanks.
Edit to add: I know you can add α keyboard and monitor to a lite version οf Bookworm for use as terminal. Would that require intel-graphics or nvidia-graphics packages?
Debian used to be hardcore on only offering free firmware in the distro. If you needed non-free/proprietary firmware you were on your own to get that which made installation challenging at times. My first attempts with Debian a decade or so ago resulted in abject failure.
With Bookworm there is a new repository bit called non-free firmware which is added to the sources.list. Intent is for the project to have a more realistic view towards firmware and to make for a better user install experience.
A side effect is, yes, some firmware you don’t really need will be in the blob installed on your system. I have a pure Debian OS (ssh server flavor) installed on the thin clients I use and even there I get amd graphics firmware installed. I assume because it auto-detected my AMD CPU with Radeon graphics. No need for it in my scenario, but for others repurposing a similar thin client not as a server will have working graphics without any fuss.
