Re: Keep both images but stop pretending no-free is unofficial

[Polyna-Maude Racicot-Summerside]

On 2022-04-20 04:06, Andrey Rahmatullin wrote:
> On Wed, Apr 20, 2022 at 01:25:31PM +0530, Pirate Praveen wrote:
>>>>>> Similarly, I think it would be reasonable for someone to want to provide
>>>>>> entirely free Debian media along with a libre laptop.
>>>>>
>>>>> Does this exist in the real world?  Which hardware would such a system
>>>>> contain?
>>>>
>>>> liberated.computer it is refurbished and some components like wifi cards 
>>>> replaced so it works with 100% free software.
>>>
>>> Intel Core i5-3320M CPU (dual-core, four threads, 3rd Gen)
>>>
>>> So no.
>>>
>>
>> What is no here? This project don't exist or they don't want to provide a 
>> libre image?
> Intel CPUs contain non-free microcode. Using them even implies enabling
> the Debian non-free repo to get security fixes for it.
> Intel GPUs reportedly don't work good enough, or at all, without non-free
> firmware, according to the surveys done during the bullseye freeze.
> 
>> Debian's free image works on these laptops and if we make only non-free 
>> images they won't be able to provide a fully free image. 
> Eh, Debian's free image works on a lot of hardware, especially when you
> don't need to download anything during the install (e.g. because you use a
> DVD image or don't install a GUI), the installed system, on the other
> hand...
> 
> But I agree that technically it's fine "to provide entirely free Debian
> media along with a libre laptop" in this case.
> 
I think you lack pretty much of seeing more than you own self and use case.
I've used plenty of laptop without making a mess, sometime by using a
external Wifi card or simply choosing wisely.

Now, regarding your complain on the microcode. I think it's useless to
have a conversation regarding this subject with you because having a
global view seems out of bound for your mind.

Yes microcode are copyrighted blob. So run your computer without using
microcode update and do a change of CPU every time a potential bug is
found in a CPU.

You know what microcode does ? If so explain to me how it could be
possible to have a CPU with microcode in the open-source without having
more risk than benefits ? Now we'd see hacking done on the CPU
micro-code itself because anyone could sign it. Dumb bell.

You've now got your solution. What are you asking for ? We provide a OS,
we don't change the world to make it suit your need.

-- 
Polyna-Maude R.-Summerside
-Be smart, Be wise, Support opensource development