GNU Linux-libre 5.1-gnu Released As The Kernel Continues To Be Deblobbed

[birdie]

I did use it as well quite successful, it's not the fault of this project that more and more hardware vendors lock everything behind firmware. I'm happy that this project exists!

Never understood why people are afraid of running firmware. Have you ever considered that hardware may contain hardware backdoors and firmware is simply not required to get access to your devices without you knowing about that? Intel has their notorious IME. AMD has their own equivalent. ARM/Qualcomm/MediaTek/Huawei/etc. might have it too.

[Shiba]

Shiba
Can you please share the details about the hardware? I would prefer to run libre GNU/Linux distribution.

Sure, but I don't think I will be helpful. It's my old Dell Mini 9 (netbook), with an Atheros Wi-Fi card replacing the default Broadcom. Sorry

[starshipeleven]

lack of support for virtualization in the consumer sector though is very annoying.

I just pcie-passthrough stuff to VMs.

[zexelon]

You must be new. NVIDIA always had a proprietary Linux driver. Also AMD had their own (which traditionally sucked balls).

Yup, I am new to the Phoronix forums

You are not wrong about your analysis of AMD's proprietary driver. The nVidia one is quote good and what I run now, their lack of support for virtualization in the consumer sector though is very annoying.

[starshipeleven]

I really have never understood some of the Linux communities severe hatred towards any form of closed software. Its a choice whether a company or individual wants to open or close source their software and Linux claims to be all about choice... except this one.

Linux never claimed to be about choice. That's the main thing you got wrong there.

Linux is about open source, because of various reasons. It's not designed to be friendly towards proprietary applications or drivers, but firmware is usually OK.

At least in the recent decade or so more moderate voices have become louder in the Linux echo system and we can now typically run our videocards and other hardware at full speed with the manufacturer supported code!

You must be new. NVIDIA always had a proprietary Linux driver. Also AMD had their own (which traditionally sucked balls).

[Aleksei]

Can you please share the details about the hardware? I would prefer to run libre GNU/Linux distribution.

Depends on how far you want to go - if down to free BIOS/EFI and disabling Intel ME completely, then the choices are quite limited I'm afraid - check HW compatibility list on https://libreboot.org/ . For more moderate options there are me_cleaner https://github.com/corna/me_cleaner/...cleaner-status and Coreboot https://www.coreboot.org/users.html. For individual devices check out https://h-node.org/.

[Aleksei]

I really have never understood some of the Linux communities...

"Linux communities" is not equivalent with "Free Software communities", although there is an overlap of course.

severe hatred towards any form of closed software.
Its a choice whether a company or individual wants to open or close source their software...

"severe hatred" is a bit much. I, as a user, want to run my system entirely with free software (and I do, save for maybe controllers inside SSDs). That's why I choose this blobless kernel and HW that doesn't require blobs. Just because a company wants to do X with their HW/SW doesn't mean I should accept it.

[mzs_47]

Another one here. I happen to have a PC which doesn't require proprietary blobs.

Shiba
Can you please share the details about the hardware? I would prefer to run libre GNU/Linux distribution.

[tildearrow]

Originally posted by birdie View Post
...

That's a pretty unusual quoting style. Are you on mobile? (if so, you can find the quote option by rotating your device or tapping on the empty gap after the like button)

[andyprough]

Originally posted by birdie View Post
I presume the sole user of this kernel is Richard Stallman.

I use it on machines with Debian, openSUSE, and Trisquel. Runs better for me, less clutter. I don't see why anyone would run a hybrid proprietary mashup of a kernel unless they absolutely had to.