That isn't quite correct. Not all firmware is non-free (carl9170 for
instance) and the drivers have not been disabled or removed either. I believe
the majority of drivers that load non-free code are still present and
functional in Trisquel. It is the non-free firmware which has been removed
and why such devices do not work.
I highly recommend all users avoid non-free firmware and drivers regardless
of the distribution. Even if you do not agree with the ethical implications
there are technical ones everybody generally agrees on across the GNU/Linux
spectrum.
It would be great if more people avoided software like Adobe Flash too. The
non-free driver/firmware issue I think is a bigger one right now though
simply because without there being freedom friendly hardware generally
available moving to a free distribution doesn't work. In comparison if Adobe
Flash doesn't work there are generally alternatives that do even if they
aren't as good (eztakes.com, youtube (this one is not completely freedom
friendly), etc vs netflix or hulu)
If you aren't willing/able to ditch non-free software completely move to a
distribution which includes some of the non-free components and makes it
easier to ditch the non-free ones as time/ability/money permit. Then at a
later date you can move to a free distribution entirely.
All this said using GNU/Linux with non-free software is destructive to the
goals of the free software movement and it should be avoided. Using non-free
software or non-free distributions in general hinders the message of the free
software community; that the broader GNU/Linux community does not accept
non-free software.
