https://relvokcor.xyz/~passthejoe/hugo/blog/software_freedom/ Recent content in Software_freedom on passthejoe Hugo en-US Copyright © 2025, Steven Rosenberg. Sat, 23 Jan 2021 12:18:29 -0800 https://relvokcor.xyz/~passthejoe/hugo/im-not-opposed-to-nonfree-firmware-in-debian-but-i-removed-it-and-my-laptop-still-runs-fine/ Sat, 23 Jan 2021 12:18:29 -0800 https://relvokcor.xyz/~passthejoe/hugo/im-not-opposed-to-nonfree-firmware-in-debian-but-i-removed-it-and-my-laptop-still-runs-fine/ <p>The debate over whether to include nonfree firmware in the Debian installer has emerged from <a href="https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2021/01/msg00151.html">the depths of the debian-devel mailing list</a> under the title &ldquo;Making Debian available.&rdquo;</p> <p>The gist of this extremely long e-mail thread (and Debian is a mailing list culture, despite attempts to <a href="https://lwn.net/Articles/817668/">pull it into the 21st century</a> is that the Debian Project is hostile to new users because its standard install images do not include nonfree firmware, and installations on most laptops will go poorly because the Linux kernel and free firmware might not support their WiFi or display systems.</p>