This is Freedo, the spokespenguin for GNU Linux-libre, and I have some
happy and some sad news to share.
*waves wing sadly*
# Announcement
First, the good news.
GNU Linux-libre 7.1-gnu is available.
You can download it now from:
git://linux-libre.fsfla.org/releases.git/
tags {scripts,sources,logs}/v7.1-gnu
Pre-compressed tarballs are available at:
- https://www.fsfla.org/selibre/linux-libre/download/releases/7.1-gnu/
Compiled releases are available at:
- https://www.fsfla.org/selibre/linux-libre/download/freesh/ (.deb)
- https://www.fsfla.org/selibre/linux-libre/download/rpmfreedom/ (.rpm)
# Cleaning up
- fixed compilation with Rust enabled (thanks Luke Yasuda and Megver83);
this was backported to recent 7.0.*-gnu stable releases as well;
- updated cleaning up of Nova-core, hx9023s documentation, prueth
devicetree files (now sorted), btmtk, qat_6xxx, amdgpu, m88ds3103,
saa7164, r8169, ath12k, mt792x, and mt7996;
*sniff*
- cleaned up new drivers for Lontium LT8713SX DP MST bridge, and for
Realtek 802.11be wireless 8922D chips;
*sniff*
- cleaned up tons of new blob names in devicetree files for Qualcomm SoC
devices;
*sniff*
- adjusted rtw89 cleaning up for upstream refactoring;
- dropped cleaning up of drivers removed upstream: FORE Systems
200E-series, Alteon AceNIC/3Com 3C985/NetGear GA620 Gigabit, YAM
driver for AX.25, SMC 91Cxx PCMCIA, and Sedlbauer Speedfax+.
# Artwork
As if all the upstream-only new blobs above weren't enough bad news,
there's another sad milestone to note: the removal of support for i486
processors upstream.
There was a time when the free software community was thought of as
hobbyists who took pride in enabling old hardware to keep on working.
Those days seem to be fading into the past.
*sniff*
If someone were to make a revival batch of i486-powered computers today,
nostalgic people who buy such things would soon no longer be able to
install a modern kernel on it. The world has moved on.
This is sad not only because any i486 computers that survived this long
will soon no longer have maintained kernels to run, and will thus be
condemned to landfills (or offline museums!) even if they still work,
but also because the window is closing in on the last few remaining x86
processors that can be used in freedom.
*sniff*
Please take a minute of silence to reflect on this while looking at the
details in the bigger (.svg) version linked off of the picture in
7.1-gnu's news entry.
https://www.fsfla.org/selibre/linux-libre/#news
*sniff*
# Keeping in touch
Follow me in the Fediverse for fresh news about GNU Linux-libre.
https://mastodon.social/@freedo
My tutors jxself and lxo are also on IRC:
#gnu-linux-libre on libera.chat.
There's also a mailing list you're welcome to join:
https://www.fsfla.org/mailman/listinfo/linux-libre
That was all, everyone. Be Free! with GNU Linux-libre.
Happy hacking!
# Rolling credits
What is GNU Linux-libre?
------------------------
GNU Linux-libre is a Free version of the kernel Linux (see below),
suitable for use with the GNU Operating System in 100% Free
GNU/Linux-libre System Distributions.
http://www.gnu.org/distros/
It removes non-Free components from Linux, that are disguised as
source code or distributed in separate files. It also disables
run-time requests for non-Free components, shipped separately or as
part of Linux, and documentation pointing to them, so as to avoid
(Free-)baiting users into the trap of non-Free Software.
http://www.fsfla.org/anuncio/2010-11-Linux-2.6.36-libre-debait
Linux-libre started within the gNewSense GNU/Linux distribution.
It was later adopted by Jeff Moe, who coined its name, and in 2008
it became a project maintained by FSF Latin America. In 2012, it
became part of the GNU Project.
The GNU Linux-libre project takes a minimal-changes approach to
cleaning up Linux, making no effort to substitute components that
need to be removed with functionally equivalent Free ones.
Nevertheless, we encourage and support efforts towards doing so.
http://libreplanet.org/wiki/LinuxLibre:Devices_that_require_non-free_firmware
Our mascot is Freedo, a light-blue penguin that has just come out
of the shower. Although we like penguins, GNU is a much greater
contribution to the entire system, so its mascot deserves more
promotion. See our web page for their images.
http://linux-libre.fsfla.org/
If you are the author of an awesome program and want to join us in
writing Free (libre) Software, please consider making it an official
GNU program and become a GNU Maintainer. You can find instructions
on how to do so at https://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation. We look
forward to hacking with you! :)
What is Linux?
--------------
Linux is a clone of the Unix kernel [...]
(snipped from Documentation/admin-guide/README.rst)
