I think that providing a completely free install option with the Linux-libre kernel would be more trouble than it's worth. As a couple have pointed out, it could cause more accessibility issues and would require resources for its upkeep that could be better used elsewhere.
There is a completely free Ubuntu-based GNU/Linux distro called Trisquel that uses the Linux-libre kernel and applies a filter to Ubuntu's repos to build its own. It is, from my experience a great, pretty user-friendly distro. I think those that the option would really matter to would and should just use Trisquel. I would love to see it become Canonical-sponsored or promoted, but that's up to them. Ubuntu is targeted at a more mainstream user; that user more than likely wants his computer to just work, even if that means proprietary software and/or binary blobs. One of those driver blobs could mean the difference between 'Happy Ubuntu Convert' and 'Failed Ubuntu Convert'. Trisquel is aimed at a user who is uncompromising in his/her pursuit of complete software freedom; IMO a great goal and one that we should all work towards, but not one that really encompasses the average computer user at this point. Danny Piccirillo <danny.picciri...@ubuntu.com> wrote: >Upstream linux is not free. That is why LinuxLibre was created. > >http://libresoft.es/Members/herraiz/blog/linux-is-not-free-software > >I have doubts that this was unintentional. Here's a list of nonfree stuff in >Linux: > >http://manulix.wikidot.com/kernel-blobs > >On Wed, Jun 9, 2010 at 16:08, Scott Kitterman <ubu...@kitterman.com> wrote: > >> >> >> "Danny Piccirillo" <danny.picciri...@ubuntu.com> wrote: >> >> > On Wed, Jun 9, 2010 at 13:19, Scott Kitterman <ubu...@kitterman.com> >> wrote: >> > >> >> >> >> >> >> "Danny Piccirillo" <danny.picciri...@ubuntu.com> wrote: >> >> >> >> >Of course it is! At least according to our philosophy: >> >> >http://www.ubuntu.com/project/about-ubuntu/our-philosophy >> >> > >> >> >Still, many people don't think that Ubuntu is truly committed to free >> >> >software in practice. These people can and should be our allies. Their >> >> >concerns are valid, and they are not difficult to appease. I'd like to >> >> >present a short list of simple ways that Ubuntu could show it's >> >> commitment: >> >> > >> >> >1. Offer ways to easily purge all non-free software from one's system. >> >> > * This would require supporting the linux libre kernel (it doesn't >> have >> >> to >> >> >be by default, but the option should be available. >> >> >> >> No. It doesn't. That kernel removes the ability to run non-free drivers. >> >> The exact same amount of non-free code runs if you don't have any >> installed. >> >> Just about the last thing Ubuntu needs is the maintenance overhead of >> >> another kernel that only serves ideological purposes. >> >> >> >> There is already a free software only install option that not only will >> not >> >> install anything non-free, it also disables the restricted and >> multiverse >> >> repositories so that people who are concerned about this can safely >> install >> >> new packages without fear of contamination. >> >> >> > >> >Yes, the free software only option is there, but isn't entirely free. >> That's >> >what linux-libre is for. Linux libre should be the kernel for the free >> >software install. Mainline Linux is not free because it includes >> binary-only >> >firmwares hidden as source code files (or blobs) >> > >> > >> Then these are bugs. They should be fixed. If the effort that's going into >> a political kernel fork were put into high quality patches more progress >> would be made. I suspect it's not because the fork is more about taking away >> people's freedom to run non-free code than it is about fixing problems with >> inadvertent problems with non-free bits in the kernel. >> >> Scott K >> >> -- >> Ubuntu-devel-discuss mailing list >> Ubuntu-devel-discuss@lists.ubuntu.com >> Modify settings or unsubscribe at: >> https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel-discuss >> > > > >-- >.danny > >☮♥Ⓐ - http://www.google.com/profiles/danny.piccirillo >Every (in)decision matters. > >-- >Ubuntu-devel-discuss mailing list >Ubuntu-devel-discuss@lists.ubuntu.com >Modify settings or unsubscribe at: >https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel-discuss -- Ubuntu-devel-discuss mailing list Ubuntu-devel-discuss@lists.ubuntu.com Modify settings or unsubscribe at: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel-discuss
