While I understand where you are coming from the goal of this project is to
reduce the dependency on non-free software. This isn't the place for
supporting non-free "solutions" (these aren't solutions to the problems being
solved here).
I think the summary of it is: where there is a solution that is free we
discuss it. If there isn't a solution you go without. The only pieces of
hardware with non-free dependencies you should be running here are a non-free
BIOS and microcode. There aren't readily available solutions here although
there are projects working on at least the BIOS. Although not for any
commercially available consumer system I'm aware of at the moment.
You have to remember even if you aren't using a free distribution there are
still reasons to avoid non-free drivers, firmware, and other software. Don't
let this get in the way of moving to Trisquel or another free distribution.
Find the money, time, and switch the hardware. Until then it sounds like have
found a partial temporary solution with your ethernet connection.
