BTJustice wrote: > My software freedom is just fine as is anyone else's who use Ubuntu > MATE. The only non-free software I ama using is the fglrx driver > for my AMD video card.
How do you know that? Ubuntu enables the restricted and multiverse repositories by default. Even if you managed to only use free software, other users installing Ubuntu MATE might not realise. Unless you have installed Linux-libre you are probably using non-free firmware. Trisquel also makes a number of modifications to Ubuntu, such as providing a browser with privacy enhancements and removing non-free recommendations from programs. > Why? Because the non-free driver allows the GPU to be used for > computing tasks such as BOINC projects utilizing it whereas the free > driver does not allow this. The free driver restricts me whereas the > non-free driver does more. "Technically limit" is probably a more correct term than "restrict", and the main reason for that is because the AMD developers have taken away the freedom for the community to use the non-free driver without making ruinous compromises. My only suggestion for you is that you could look for a more freedom-friendly computer next time, such as one with an Intel-integrated GPU or an older NVIDIA card (you would have to look up the driver on the nouveau wiki to confirm compatibility). > The other point to be made is that these FSF-approved distros > usually suck. Trisquel is an exception. However most have very > small developers communities and updates fall behind which I am > reading in other threads Trisquel is now suffering from. If people > don't step forward to keep a distribution of Linux alive then it > dies. Don't believe that? I don't disagree with you, although I will point out that updates have been behind in Trisquel for years now and that the lead developer would like to get more people involved. Andrew
