Subject: Suggestion to Improve Wi-Fi Support for Modern Laptops in Debian Stable Releases
Dear Debian Developers and Contributors, First, I would like to thank you for the incredible work you do in maintaining Debian. It is a remarkable operating system, celebrated worldwide for its stability, reliability, and adherence to free software principles. The dedication of the Debian community is truly inspiring, and I deeply appreciate the effort that goes into every release. I am writing to share a suggestion regarding Wi-Fi support for modern laptops in Debian stable releases. For context, I purchased a laptop in 2021. When I attempted to install Debian 11 (“Bullseye”) on this device, the Wi-Fi did not work at all. It only became functional with Debian 12 (“Bookworm”), released later. This example illustrates that even laptops released in the same year as a stable Debian release may have hardware unsupported at the time of release. Looking ahead to 2026, many users will purchase laptops released that year. Based on past experience, such as the Wi-Fi issue on 2021 laptops with Debian 11, it is likely that Wi-Fi may not work on new 2026 laptops with Debian 13. Without proper support, users might have to temporarily use Windows or another operating system until Debian 14 is released or until they manually enable Wi-Fi support. This waiting period can be inconvenient and may discourage new users from adopting Debian. I fully understand and respect Debian’s philosophy, which prioritizes stability and careful package freezes. My suggestion is not to compromise this principle, but rather to explore ways to improve Wi-Fi and networking support for modern laptops, while still maintaining the stability Debian is known for. Possible approaches could include: 1. Including or enabling updated firmware packages for recent Wi-Fi chips, clearly marked as non-free where applicable. 2. Providing guidance in the installer or official documentation on enabling non-free firmware or using backports for newer hardware. 3. Offering optional hardware enablement kernels in stable releases to allow new laptops to work out-of-the-box without compromising stability. 4. Collaborating with hardware vendors or the community to test new laptops prior to release, ensuring that key devices like Wi-Fi are supported immediately. The goal of these suggestions is to make Debian more accessible and convenient for users with modern hardware, without sacrificing the stability and reliability that Debian is celebrated for. Enhancing Wi-Fi support would ensure that users can adopt Debian immediately on new laptops, improving the overall user experience and potentially expanding Debian’s user base. Thank you very much for considering this suggestion. I sincerely appreciate your time, effort, and ongoing contributions to the Debian community. With gratitude, Tran Duc Minh [email protected] On Sun, Aug 24, 2025, 10:13 PM Tran Duc Minh <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Subject: Suggestion to Improve Wi-Fi Support for Modern Laptops in Debian > Stable Releases > > Dear Debian Developers and Contributors, > > First, I want to thank you for the incredible work you do in maintaining > Debian. It is a truly remarkable operating system, known worldwide for its > stability, reliability, and adherence to free software principles. The > dedication of the Debian community is inspiring, and I deeply appreciate > the effort that goes into every release. > > I am writing to share a suggestion regarding Wi-Fi support for modern > laptops in Debian stable releases. As an example, I purchased a laptop in > 2021. When I tried installing Debian 11 (“Bullseye”) at that time, the > Wi-Fi hardware did not work at all. It required waiting for Debian 12 > (“Bookworm”), released later, before the laptop’s Wi-Fi became functional. > > I understand that Debian’s philosophy emphasizes stability and careful > package freezes before stable releases. However, this sometimes results in > modern hardware, including laptops purchased the same year as a release, > being unsupported out-of-the-box, particularly for Wi-Fi and other network > devices. > > I would like to humbly suggest exploring ways to improve Wi-Fi and > networking support for modern laptops, while still maintaining Debian’s > stability and principles. Possible approaches could include: > > 1. Including or enabling updated firmware packages for recent Wi-Fi chips, > clearly marked as non-free where applicable. > > > 2. Providing guidance in the installer or official documentation on > enabling non-free firmware or using backports to support the latest > hardware. > > > 3. Offering optional hardware enablement kernels in stable releases, > allowing newer hardware to work without compromising stability. > > > 4. Collaborating with hardware vendors or the community to test new > laptops prior to release, ensuring key devices like Wi-Fi work > out-of-the-box. > > > > The goal of this suggestion is to make Debian more accessible and > convenient for users with modern hardware, without compromising the > stability and reliability that Debian is known for. This would help ensure > that users buying new laptops in the future can use Debian immediately, > enhancing adoption and user experience. > > Thank you very much for considering this suggestion. I sincerely > appreciate your time, effort, and ongoing contributions to the Debian > community. > > With gratitude, > Tran Duc Minh > [email protected] > > > On Sun, Aug 24, 2025, 10:08 PM Tran Duc Minh <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Subject: Suggestion to Improve Modern Laptop Wi-Fi Support on Debian >> >> Dear Debian Developers and Contributors, >> >> First, I would like to express my gratitude for the tremendous effort and >> dedication you all put into maintaining Debian. Debian is a remarkable >> operating system, renowned for its stability, security, and commitment to >> free software principles. The community-driven nature of Debian is truly >> inspiring, and I greatly appreciate the countless hours that go into >> ensuring Debian remains a world-class distribution. >> >> I am writing to respectfully share a suggestion regarding Wi-Fi support >> on modern laptops and computers. Over the past few years, hardware >> innovation has accelerated, and many new laptops (2021–2026) now include >> Wi-Fi chips and network controllers that require drivers and firmware not >> available in the Debian stable releases at the time of their launch. >> >> While Debian is known for its rock-solid stability, this approach >> sometimes means that users attempting to install Debian on a brand-new >> laptop encounter difficulties with Wi-Fi connectivity. This can be a >> significant hurdle for new users and those who wish to use Debian on the >> latest hardware without requiring workarounds, such as manually adding >> non-free firmware repositories, installing backports, or compiling kernels. >> >> I understand that Debian’s philosophy emphasizes stability, security, and >> free software, and I respect the careful approach to freezing kernels and >> packages in stable releases. However, I would like to humbly suggest >> exploring ways to improve modern hardware support for networking devices, >> particularly Wi-Fi, in the following ways: >> >> 1. Consider including or enabling updated firmware packages for modern >> Wi-Fi chips by default, while clearly labeling non-free firmware. >> >> >> 2. Provide more accessible guidance in the installer or official >> documentation for enabling non-free firmware or using backports to support >> the latest Wi-Fi hardware. >> >> >> 3. Explore optional hardware enablement kernels for stable releases that >> allow newer hardware support without compromising Debian’s stability >> philosophy. >> >> >> 4. Improve testing with new laptop hardware in collaboration with >> hardware vendors or community contributors to proactively ensure >> compatibility. >> >> >> >> The goal of these suggestions is to make Debian more accessible and >> convenient for users with modern laptops while preserving the stability and >> principles that Debian is celebrated for. By enhancing Wi-Fi support for >> new hardware, Debian could reach an even broader audience and demonstrate >> that it is not only robust and reliable but also ready for the evolving >> hardware landscape. >> >> Thank you for your time, consideration, and ongoing contributions to >> Debian. I hope these suggestions are helpful and can contribute in some >> small way to improving the user experience for new Debian users on modern >> laptops. >> >> With sincere appreciation, >> Tran Duc Minh >> [email protected] >> >> >>
