GNU Linux-libre 6.9 Released: More Deblobbing, Fixes Intel Graphics On GuC-Less Systems

[jrkb]

So beautiful penguins!

I'll give it a shot just because of the drawings.

[Noitatsidem]

disappointed with the text going off screen on the artwork for this release.

[Blademasterz]

I might use it when a zombie apocalypse comes 😂

[kurkosdr]

Is anybody actually using this troll project?
Michael reports on it so often, you'd think it has the userbase of Ubuntu

Rumor has it both users are actually ecstatic about this release.

Joking aside, what Joe2021 said, fleet in being.

Personally, I am surprised Linux-libre is not more popular. SInce the place most people run GNU/Linux run today is servers, EC2 instances, and VMs, it makes you wonder about the usefulness of having non-peer-reviewable binary blobs for random desktop and laptop hardware in the kernel. I am talking about server-oriented distros, like the ones you'd get in an AWS AMI.

Also, one question I always had: How do the Linux-libre people find the binary blobs? Are they clearly marked in the source code, do they have a way to detect them, or do they read the whole thing?

[NotMine999]

I look upon these Libre releases as little more than a "Potemkin village". It poses as something much better than it's surroundings but in reality it is not any better, and definitely not a fiction.

If I wanted to use more volatile words: It is "performance art" or "virtue signalling" in the Linux world.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potemkin_village

[phoron]

I do use linux-libre whenever I can choose my software and hardware. Like right now sending this. I haven't tried the latest version yet, though.

Personally, I am surprised Linux-libre is not more popular. SInce the place most people run GNU/Linux run today is servers, EC2 instances, and VMs, it makes you wonder about the usefulness of having non-peer-reviewable binary blobs for random desktop and laptop hardware in the kernel. I am talking about server-oriented distros, like the ones you'd get in an AWS AMI.

Not sure. Maybe they use vendor certified stuff or something, so lack of corporate backing would be the reason ? I don't really know.

Also, one question I always had: How do the Linux-libre people find the binary blobs? Are they clearly marked in the source code, do they have a way to detect them, or do they read the whole thing?

I'm not in the project, but from what I saw, there are a few scripts with built in heuristics, and manual labour following the changes in the kernel. With some occasional tips and reports from outside it keeps chugging along.

I don't think the upstream labeling is something the project could trust. Different goals, different interests.

Just to add: Thanks again to the linux-libre team.

[blackiwid]

If I wanted to use more volatile words: It is "performance art" or "virtue signalling" in the Linux world.

You can think of it as bad, never succeeding enough etc, but I don't see how virtue signaling would fit, virtue Signaling would be pretending to do something good but in reality just want applauding of themself for in reality doing intentionally something not so good or even bad.

Like pretending to want to save the world because of climate change with offering planting trees for the co2 you use with your service, but then somehow take that money and invest it in coal mining.

Something like that, pretend to do X but in reality don't really do X.

And I see more the intention in it, not try to do X and not fully success with X as much as fast as you wish or maybe never. You could claim Don Quixote like attempts but not virtue signaling.

And even that would be false because there are people using this code, and machines that can run this code, you could basically say the same about Coreboot, yes they are less ideological and are ok with their users not have full freedom and control over the hardware they believe they own but clearly don't fully own, despite have paid the full price for it, but even their limited more freedom attempts have at best similar if not worse results in market share on hardware that can or do use it.

It's very common that certain solutions sit around forever as some sort of plan B, and eventually people realize that it's worth the gain of the costs, also drivers go into the direction of more freedom constantly it's a competition if you are the most unfree hardware vendor usually sells less hardware because of it, it's true with Mediatek, every geek will go out of it's way to never buy a smartphone with such a chip, even with Nvidia that is otherwise totally domaninating the desktop market sells less gpus to linux users than AMD.

And they given partially up now with their free kernel driver, and free modules, yes it's a bit a scam because of a huge firmware blob but still more free than before.

Why do people even think about using amd for A.I.? Because of the free system, if they wolud also have a fully proprietary system like Nvidia literally AMD could not sell 1 chip / gpu for this at all.

So when Nvidia, AMD and Intel offers now "free" kernel space drivers what is the incentive to still ignore nvidia and buy AMD? Maybe they get into pressure to make their stuff more open or it's Intel because they can't get into the market with they products that come to late and are to buggy especially under linux battlemage, maybe they go the extra mile.

So giving this option shows ways, but whatever you don't have to believe that and can be a full cynic and believe that all that will never happen, yet that still doesn't make them virtue signaling, heck I don't even see their names promoted a lot.

Also if you become vegetarian for health reasons, maybe you are wrong but again that is then still not (at least always) virtue signaling.

[blackiwid]

I mean sure you can also virtue signaling doing something really good, but only do it to get applauded for it, not because you care about the stuff, I doubt it to make so much work and I believe in free software as the ideal we should try to get closer at least on low levels on kernels / OS / Firmware, we don't necessary need 100% free software in games as example.

But where the computer is more than a toy it should as our central worktool be free like a hammer is 100% free software there is no blackbox in the hammer that sometimes refuse or behaves strange and you can't fix it.

I just see no evidence that they don't believe in free software and just pretend to care about it.