GNU Linux-Libre 5.18-gnu Continues Its Battle Against Binary Blobs

[phoronix]

Phoronix: GNU Linux-Libre 5.18-gnu Continues Its Battle Against Binary Blobs

Building off yesterday's release of the Linux 5.18 kernel, the GNU FSFLA folks have released GNU Linux-Libre 5.18-gnu kernel as their downstream that strips out support for using proprietary microcode/firmware or the ability to load binary-only kernel modules...

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=GNU-Linux-Libre-5.18

[tildearrow]

I wonder whether the open-source NVIDIA driver is not good enough for Linux-libre, considering it interfaces with a blob on the graphics card.

[smirky]

I wonder who uses this kernel and how does their apartment look like...

[dragon321]

I wonder whether the open-source NVIDIA driver is not good enough for Linux-libre, considering it interfaces with a blob on the graphics card.

It's not, removing binary blobs is one of the point of Linux-libre. Without firmware this driver is useless so it doesn't make sense to support it.

[yoshi314]

a battle is something you may intend to win. this - in our current reality - is more or less pointless. i don't think you have that many devices that do not come with firmware.

every now and then i wonder about the purpose of this kernel project. in the regard - what kind of hardware can it drive?

it's a nice exercise to strip kernel of potentially copyright encumbered blobs, just to make it an option.

[birdie]

a battle is something you may intend to win. this - in our current reality - is more or less pointless. i don't think you have that many devices that do not come with firmware.

every now and then i wonder about the purpose of this kernel project. in the regard - what kind of hardware can it drive?

it's a nice exercise to strip kernel of potentially copyright encumbered blobs, just to make it an option.

Will work great in a VM. Only considering your host is rife with firmware that doesn't make a lot of sense but sense is not something this project is concerned with.

[Old Grouch]

First they laugh at you...

Linux-libre is not against firmware: it's against closed firmware. You can use as much firmware as you like, so long as it respects your (software) freedoms; and that is a worthy cause to work towards.

[phoron]

I wonder who uses this kernel and how does their apartment look like...

I use it whenever I can decide, at home (Power9, imx6q, rk3399...) and I'm quite messy with housework. If you mean the style, I mix them. I only throw away furniture when it breaks, never because it is old fashioned or anything like that. I don't care how people's apartments look like.

If people were sane what linux-libre offers would be mainline and any blobs would go in vendors repos so that distros can pick them up or not. But since the world is backwards, I thank linux-libre for their efforts.

[stormcrow]

I use it whenever I can decide, at home (Power9, imx6q, rk3399...) and I'm quite messy with housework. If you mean the style, I mix them. I only throw away furniture when it breaks, never because it is old fashioned or anything like that. I don't care how people's apartments look like.

If people were sane what linux-libre offers would be mainline and any blobs would go in vendors repos so that distros can pick them up or not. But since the world is backwards, I thank linux-libre for their efforts.

If the world were your version of sane, GNU, Linux, and all downstream projects wouldn't exist to begin with. Inventions are born from necessity so your last line would be moot.

In either case, I wouldn't care about Linux-libre as I find it pointless zealotry.

[PublicNuisance]

I wonder who uses this kernel and how does their apartment look like...

I use this kernel on my Trisquel desktop and live in a house. Overall pretty clean. Not sure what description you're looking for. Live with my wife; four cats; a ball python; and a ghekko. Got my office area in the basment with three work station areas. Just upgraded to the 5.18 kernel on that Trisquel desktop and so far so good.

If the world were your version of sane, GNU, Linux, and all downstream projects wouldn't exist to begin with. Inventions are born from necessity so your last line would be moot.

In either case, I wouldn't care about Linux-libre as I find it pointless zealotry.

Many people find FOSS and open source in general to be pointless zealotry. Yet here we are on a Linux centric forum.