Free Software Foundation Endorses Arch-based Hyperbola GNU/Linux

[alqm]

The lack of consideration towards these initiatives we see in these forums is staggering. If you don't choose sides, someone will choose for you. The activism around free software is just as important as any other social movement fighting against how the rich and powerful think the world should be.

[Cape]

Although the work that these distros are doing is mostly disregarded by the users, their importance is critical for everyone. The issues they encounter to beam up a working OS gives you the measure of how much fragile the FLOSS ecosystem actually is (at least on the x86 architecture) and at the same time how much work has been put into liberating everyone's computer.

So thanks hyperbola and thanks FSF.
PS: it's FSF membership renewal time!! Remember to join if you care about FLOSS!

https://my.fsf.org/join?pk_campaign=fall18&pk_kwd=mwjoin

[Michael_S]

So, a not-insignificant amount of developer work for a feature that adds nothing to the vast majority of their users.

Well, R41N3R can ask, there's nothing wrong with that. But the Arch developers are free to say no.

While I respect the dedication to free software of the Parabola developers, I think as a practical matter any Arch user that really cares about software freedom can just remove all proprietary software and install an Arch linux-libre package. The end result is effectively the same, and the Arch developers don't have to do any extra work.

[Almindor]

As an Arch user and a strong believer in what the FSF is doing I say "good for them". I'm not as fanatical but I also bless RMS and the FOSS gods every day for FSF and all the fanatics. We really need them. People don't realize how much better things are because there's this very vocal minority that's investing their time into being so fanatical about Free Software.

[Britoid]

The 3 users who use this will rejoice.

[starshipeleven]

The irony here is that Arch is intended to be a pragmatic and non-ideological distro.

I don't get the irony, this is a derivative.

[undu]

This is the FSF, not GNU. GNU is a software project. The FSF has a very strong ideological standpoint because that's its whole purpose. It exists to promote and advocate for free-as-in-freedom software. And they *do* endorse Arch.

FSF does specifically _not_ endorse Arch Linux and recommends to use Parabola instead:

Arch has the two usual problems: there's no clear policy about what software can be included, and nonfree blobs are shipped with their kernel, Linux. Arch also has no policy about not distributing nonfree software through their normal channels.

Instead of this nonfree distribution, use Parabola, the free distro which is made from it.

https://www.gnu.org/distros/common-distros.html

In short you couldn't be more wrong.

I agree, _you_ couldn't be more wrong.

[bachchain]

I wish Arch would be little more open to integrate distributions like Parabola, the only thing they would need to do is to split the repositories so that you can differentiate between free and non free software. I'm not saying that Arch should become GNU distribution, this would be quite impossible with the current firmware, but a little more transparency in the repositories wouldn't be wrong from my point of view and it would decrease the need for own distributions, Parabola could then be just like a Wiki entry :-)

So, a not-insignificant amount of developer work for a feature that adds nothing to the vast majority of their users.

[R41N3R]

I wish Arch would be little more open to integrate distributions like Parabola, the only thing they would need to do is to split the repositories so that you can differentiate between free and non free software. I'm not saying that Arch should become GNU distribution, this would be quite impossible with the current firmware, but a little more transparency in the repositories wouldn't be wrong from my point of view and it would decrease the need for own distributions, Parabola could then be just like a Wiki entry :-)

[jacob]

GNU has a very strong ideological standpoint though. They wouldn't recommend a non-ideological distro such as Arch.

This is the FSF, not GNU. GNU is a software project. The FSF has a very strong ideological standpoint because that's its whole purpose. It exists to promote and advocate for free-as-in-freedom software. And they *do* endorse Arch.

In short you couldn't be more wrong.