GNU Linux-libre 4.19-gnu Released, Continues Deblobbing The Kernel

[dungeon]

Linux-libre is so free it removes the freedom to load the modules you want.

This is for people who likes blobs-nowhere approach with software... similar to vegans, who likes animal-nowhere approach of diet.

Basically this is freedom for people who can't swallow everything

There are also people from entirely opposite side of extreme spectre These prefer meat mostly, meat only and then even very specific meat only, but that is not for the public forums to be mentioned much i guess... cannibals, draculas, vampires, zombies & friends, games are full of these

[Sonadow]

It doesn't remove the freedom to do anything. It just doesn't include nonfree blobs. But if you want to run them or install third party nonfree crap like the nvidia driver, of course you can.

You are wrong. It does remove the ability to load your own blobs.

The name of blobs that the driver use are explicitly provided in the kernel source code. Linux-libre strips out this name at the source level so that the driver is never allowed to use it, even if it is copied to in /lib/firmware.

For example, the driver source for module foo in the kernel contains a line specifying that bar.bin is required to bring up all hardware that use the Foo chipset. In Linux-libre, all references to bar.bin is stripped and replaced with *DE-BLOBBED* . So even if a user tries to copy bar.bin into /lib/firmware, Linux-libre will not allow the hardware to be initialized because the driver no longer knows which firmware to load.

[dungeon]

You are wrong. It does remove the ability to load your own blobs.

Last time i tried... i think it was with linux-libre 4.14, i could use FGLRX too So, no it is not very aware of third party blobies

Basically it does not ban unknown, not that will someone use it like this

[MagicMyth]

One of the benefits of having linux-libre is it helps prevent Linux itself becoming dependent on blobs. No matter your personal stance on freedom the Linux kernel itself should always be capable of (whether on real hardware or not) running without a single black box blob.

[nanonyme]

Last time i tried... i think it was with linux-libre 4.14, i could use FGLRX too So, no it is not very aware of third party blobies

Basically it does not ban unknown, not that will someone use it like this

That's actually ironic if Linux-libre removes ability to run opensource drivers with microcode while allowing fglrx to run

[Vistaus]

By showing how dependent you are from the the goodwill of the manufacturer and their closed firmware, how less you own your computer, how easy they could remove functionality with a firmware update or add back doors and how disfunctional it would be. So yes, free software is important whether you like it or not, but there are people out there that are not simply consumers trusting every firmware shit. Intel's security flaws should have confirmed how had this black box is for all of us. I do appreciate the work of Linux-libre!

Agreed about the backdoors, but how exactly does free software prevent removing functionality with a firmware update? It's still software, so functionality can be removed whenever. The only difference is that it's probably easier to downgrade with FOSS, but the removal could still take place.

[blackiwid]

I used it a while under fedora with my soon to be sold thinkpad X220. Didn't feel a difference.

I see a value of freedom by default less freedom by choice. So as example if you have a nvidia graphic card your experience should not be totally smooth, you should notice that Nvidia sabotages you and tries to take away the control of your pc from you, and that you probably should not buy from them at least in the near future any more hardware.

If you noticed that and make it working with a few commands or something ok go ahead but you at least got the message that nvidia sucks, if you choose to ignore that and lie to yourself in the way that linux sucks because they don't suck the cock of nvidia that's your choice but a good Distro should make you feel that.

A good default Setup makes you aware of the weaknesses of your setup and where people try to fuck you over. It should not hide that.Maybe you have to then install the nonfree linux kernel for now, but you can try to get a completely free system next time.

Well it is at least useful if you have the option to test that kernel like it is in fedora. And yes it should be the goal to get most hardware running with that kernel in the long run.

And we make advancements, didn't think we get something like librem soon, but it's happening, and I think it will use this kernel? As far as I understand it's GNU Certified or talks are happening you can't get that certification with the normal Linux kernel.

[R41N3R]

Agreed about the backdoors, but how exactly does free software prevent removing functionality with a firmware update? It's still software, so functionality can be removed whenever. The only difference is that it's probably easier to downgrade with FOSS, but the removal could still take place.

As long as we use so many closed firmware blobs there is nothing what free software can do to avoid that functionality is getting removed or malicious code is added silently. This is why I think the linux-libre project is very valuable, it reminds us that we can't ignore the actual issues that exists only because of closed firmware. If it all would be free software, we would be able to review and improve the code or at least pay somebody to do it for us.

Just do an UEFI upgrade on any of the today's systems. It installs this big blackbox of something unknown, e.g. most Mainboard manufacturers do not even mind anymore to release at least change notes. And it is the same with all the other firmware, we are enforced to always fully trust every single change of the manufacturers without any possibility to review and audit.

That is the difference to free software, it guarantees you that you can change the code and this right can't be removed at any point by somebody.

[MoonMoon]

You are misunderstanding what Freedom refers to in Free Software.

In terms of the FSF, it means that exactly the same piece of software is free when burnt into a ROM, but not when loaded at runtime, even from a flash ROM. Which is weird, because this definition encourages manufacturers to actually burn their firmware into ROMs, which in turn means that free software enthusiasts have a harder time replacing it with free software, bugs are harder to fix, and if you think that just because it is in ROM features can't be removed or backdoors can't be present, you are utterly wrong.