No easy way to have a fully free install

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This bug is tagged needs-packaging which identifies it as a request for a new package in Ubuntu. As a part of the managing needs-packaging bug reports specification, https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/Specs/NeedsPackagingBugs, all needs-packaging bug reports have Wishlist importance. Subsequently, I'm setting this bug's status to Wishlist.

It's been a half a year, how are things going?

I'd also like to know what's going on with this, if anything. It wouldn't be too difficult - take the vanilla linux-libre and apply the Ubuntu-specific patches to them.

I'm sorry for not answering sooner but I have been quite busy lately, and I didn't want to say less than I ought to on this matter. When I commenced with the packaging I really thought that this was a must for such a complete distribution as Ubuntu, because then it would also cover the needs of those that are just too pure-minded to use any bit of non-free software, even at firmware level. I also thought that It would be that simple, wich was not, mainly because the Ubuntu-specific patches don't really apply out-of-the-box for anything other than the targeted vanilla linux version, but also because the patches themselves contain non-free blobs and need to be removed, at least in the time that I tried it, by hand. Also, as a result of cleaning the kernel source code of non-free firmware I had to disable a fair number of modules -that were apparently dependent on those to function- from compiling with the kernel. The process of identifying these was not pretty.
But I'm not complaining. I said I would do it and I did it. After a lot of frustrating attempts, I succeeded in the compiling and packaging of a completely free/libre linux kernel for Ubuntu. I messed up a little with the packaging, I'll give them that (It was my first), but what they said when they rejected the package, if I remember correctly, was that there is no need for a different kernel up in the repositories, and If I could really prove that the stock linux kernel contained non-free software. I got a little discouraged after that, but I always said to myself that I would try again once I had the time and the energy to do so, but I'm afraid that won't be happening for at least another couple of weeks, maybe a month. So if any of you feel like you can't wait, by all means, give it a shot.

They don't need another kernel? Except of course the real-time kernel that Ubuntu Studio uses. I think it's doable, if you look at what what the 100% free software distribution Trisquel GNU/Linux does - it takes the deblobbed kernel and applies Ubuntu-specific changes (ensuring that they themselves are deblobbed) and I think they're doing a terrific job at it, too. Maybe something can be coordinated with them in how best to do this?

Yup, I would like to have 100% free software.

What a fanatism...

Thank you for the extremely helpful comment. Would you mind explaining how
this bug report is expresses excessive intolerance of opposing views simply
for requesting that the Linux-Libre kernel be packaged and available? Do you
think this would hurt Ubuntu? It sounds like excluding a completely free
packaged based on your prejudices towards free software advocates is
fantism, but perhaps not, please explain.

2010/8/6 Дмитрий "Divius" Танцур <email address hidden>

> What a fanatism...
>
> --
> No easy way to have a fully free install
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/370675
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>

--
.danny

☮♥Ⓐ - http://www.google.com/profiles/danny.piccirillo
Every (in)decision matters.

I also think packaging linux-libre kernel would be good idea. There is no any problems for all curent Ubuntu users, but big goal for peoples who like Ubuntu and freedom.

It's not only about freedom. Every single binary blob is a security risk.

Yes, though the control and security are results of freedom. The four
freedoms require transparency which means the software can be trusted.
Freedom is practical. Weird, huh? =]

2010/8/6 Conrad N. <email address hidden>:
> It's not only about freedom. Every single binary blob is a security
> risk.
>
> --
> No easy way to have a fully free install
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/370675
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>

--
.danny

☮♥Ⓐ - http://www.google.com/profiles/danny.piccirillo
Every (in)decision matters.

Linux-Libre kernel installed here, runs with no problems (apart from a couple of warning at the beginning of the startup).

To do this, add the following line to your sources (Synaptic -> Settings -> Repositories -> Other software -> Add)
deb http://linux-libre.fsfla.org/pub/linux-libre/planet planet main

Press reload:
Sections -> Kernel and modules

Select:
linux-image-XXXXX-libre-planet
where XXXX is the latest version you see there (currently there is no metapackage which installs the latest version automatically).

Search:
linux-image

Unselect:
linux-image-generic (confirm that you want to uninstall linux-generic)
linux-image
- Note - This will *not* uninstall currently installed non-free kernel, it will simply stop it from updating to newer versions. If for some reason linux-libre will not work for you, you can go back and start with the already installed non-free version and reinstall the metapackages.

FYI, nowadays Debian's kernel is already free ( http://www.debian.org/News/2010/20101215 ), so there's no need to have a different package (linux-image-libre) and work is simpler... as soon as Ubuntu's kernel team decides to have this goal, like Debian, to have a 100% free kernel package, so users can decide if they want to install the extra non-free packages or not.

Using the Linux-libre package makes a fully-free install easier, not just an install disk that doest have non-free blobs but will fetch them at install