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 DisqusSubscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Red Hat Releases RHEL 10 Early
Red Hat quietly rolled out the official release of RHEL 10.0 a bit early.
-
openSUSE Joins End of 10
openSUSE has decided to not only join the End of 10 movement but it also will no longer support the Deepin Desktop Environment.
-
New Version of Flatpak Released
Flatpak 1.16.1 is now available as the latest, stable version with various improvements.
-
IBM Announces Powerhouse Linux Server
IBM has unleashed a seriously powerful Linux server with the LinuxONE Emperor 5.
-
Plasma Ends LTS Releases
The KDE Plasma development team is doing away with the LTS releases for a good reason.
-
Arch Linux Available for Windows Subsystem for Linux
If you've ever wanted to use a rolling release distribution with WSL, now's your chance.
-
System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7
With scores of bug fixes and a really cool workspaces feature, COSMIC is looking to soon migrate from alpha to beta.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.
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. .