Debian Kernel Has No Proprietary Firmware
Debian developer Robert Millan is offering an alternative kernel for Debian's Lenny free Linux distro. Unlike the standard Lenny kernel, it contains no proprietary firmware.
In a message on the Debian developer mailing list, Robert Millan referred to the outcome of votes at the end of 2008: Debian developers decided back then that with the release of Debian 5.0 (Lenny), binary firmware would be allowed in the kernel where it wasn't clear if it truly lived up to the Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG).
For those developers and users that are used to putting a high value on a Linux distro totally under free licensing, Millan is now making a Debian package archive available with an alternative kernel. It can go into /etc/apt/sources.list as follows:
deb http://people.debian.org/~rmh/linux-libre lenny main
The archive key is signed in Millan's mail or can be extracted from the Web.
The free Lenny kernel is part of the Linux-libre initiative that advocates for 100% free licensed software for Linux distros. One of its supporters is the Free Software Foundation Latin America (FSFLA).
Comments
comments powered by Disqus
Issue 268/2023
Buy this issue as a PDF
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Find SysAdmin Jobs
News
-
LibreOffice 7.5 has Arrived and is Loaded with New Features and Improvements
The favorite office suite of the Linux community has a new release that includes some visual refreshing and new features across all modules.
-
The Next Major Release of Elementary OS Has Arrived
It's been over a year since the developers of elementary OS released version 6.1 (Jólnir) but they've finally made their latest release (Horus) available with a renewed focus on the user.
-
KDE Plasma 5.27 Beta Is Ready for Testing
The latest beta iteration of the KDE Plasma desktop is now available and includes some important additions and fixes.
-
Netrunner OS 23 Is Now Available
The latest version of this Linux distribution is now based on Debian Bullseye and is ready for installation and finally hits the KDE 5.20 branch of the desktop.
-
New Linux Distribution Built for Gamers
With a Gnome desktop that offers different layouts and a custom kernel, PikaOS is a great option for gamers of all types.
-
System76 Beefs Up Popular Pangolin Laptop
The darling of open-source-powered laptops and desktops will soon drop a new AMD Ryzen 7-powered version of their popular Pangolin laptop.
-
Nobara Project Is a Modified Version of Fedora with User-Friendly Fixes
If you're looking for a version of Fedora that includes third-party and proprietary packages, look no further than the Nobara Project.
-
Gnome 44 Now Has a Release Date
Gnome 44 will be officially released on March 22, 2023.
-
Nitrux 2.6 Available with Kernel 6.1 and a Major Change
The developers of Nitrux have officially released version 2.6 of their Linux distribution with plenty of new features to excite users.
-
Vanilla OS Initial Release Is Now Available
A stock GNOME experience with on-demand immutability finally sees its first production release.
how list non-free firmware at Debian
You can find a list of non-free firmware at
http://packages.debian.org/search?keywords=firmware
They are included into the non-free section of the repository, disabled by default at sources.list.
Sometimes, during the installation, one could need the deb files found inside the compressed files at
http://cdimage.debian.org/c...n-free/firmware/lenny/current/
that should be placed into a secondary removable media during the installation (usb, floppy, network, etc).
As general rule, software placed at the non-free section, and sometimes at contrib section, should be installed with conscious decision after analisys.
Regards.
Andre Felipe Machado
http://www.techforce.com.br
Question. .