@Suiseiseki The only way that source code distribution could be required is if software licenses can apply, so why do you think that would apply to Linux in mask ROM but not Intel microcode?
@mjg59 You do not need a license to operate hardware.
The user does deserve the source code to the hardware microcode, alas Intel does not provide it.
The user does deserve the source code to the hardware microcode, alas Intel does not provide it.
@Suiseiseki But microcode is copyrightable software, as established in decades-old case law.
@mjg59 I don't really care about what bizarre conclusion a court arrived at decades ago, as the conclusion is not applicable to operating hardware.
@Suiseiseki Your claims are simply wrong. Microcode doesn't change state simply because it's embodied in ROM - its copyrightability isn't related to the physical layout of gates, it's related to be functionality they embody (ie, if I were to encode the same microcode in a different physical layout, it would still be a copyright violation). It's software, it can (for good or bad) be bound by software licenses. In the US, first sale doctrine likely still applies, but other restrictions may exist.