Danke, jetzt hab ich Hunger … Grmpf

Sorry, I am very sensible regarding this topic. I may have overreacted too.

I would suggest we keep those comments here for the overall content and shake hands :)

https://lemmy.world/comment/20605369

I have to answer to this post directly… First of all: I am a member of the European free software foundation. I am since over 10 years.

Using those distributions is, sadly, a security risk!

Everybody must be absolutely clear about the fact that CPU microcode updates are property blobs, and therefore removed by those projects.

This means: Your CPU runs with only the build in firmware and is most likely vulnerable against many CPU level attacks. CPU bugs can only be fixed with microcode , and if you drop those from the systems you leave the systems vulnerable.

Full free software distributions are a important, but very esoteric.

OP claims even the kernel itself is non free software. So let me just cite the kernel archive

Is Linux Kernel Free Software?

Linux kernel is released under the terms of GNU GPL version 2 and is therefore Free Software as defined by the Free Software Foundation.

I heard that Linux ships with non-free “blobs”

Before many devices are able to communicate with the OS, they must first be initialized with the “firmware” provided by the device manufacturer. This firmware is not part of Linux and isn’t “executed” by the kernel – it is merely uploaded to the device during the driver initialization stage.

While some firmware images are built from free software, a large subset of it is only available for redistribution in binary-only form. To avoid any licensing confusion, firmware blobs were moved from the main Linux tree into a separate repository called linux-firmware.

It is possible to use Linux without any non-free firmware binaries, but usually at the cost of rendering a lot of hardware inoperable. Furthermore, many devices that do not require a firmware blob during driver initialization simply already come with non-free firmware preinstalled on them. If your goal is to run a 100% free-as-in-freedom setup, you will often need to go a lot further than just avoiding loadable binary-only firmware blobs.

https://www.kernel.org/faq.html

We ate talking about:

• CPU Microcode
• Firmware for network and WiFi cards

Those are not just “some hardware will not work”. Currently, don’t using those blobs that you will have an vulnerable CPU but ad you are also offline that should be safe /sarcasm

So, you have an open system with coreboot, and do not use firmware?

You don’t load the microcode patches that makes you CPU safe?

You know that then you should not use any browser with JS or WASM engine? just asking because those exploits are still being used …

You claimed there are binary firmware blobs in the Kernel tree. And the kernel is not free. That is your claim. Proof it!

I am building my kernel from sources. I am writing Kernel modules. I damn well know what in the kernel is.

So, come on. If this such a critical issue that you will for sure have no issues to proof it.

I don’t know, they seem to scrub everything related to firmware loading and more. A whole while ago, the kernel contained blobs. Those are moved to the Linux firmware project and no longer part of the kernel l.

So, you are the one here claiming stuff. Proof it. Where is the firmware in the kernel tree?

I don’t get what?

There is a reason for the naming hardware, firmware, software.

HARD, FIRM, SOFT.

No, hardware das not bekomme Software just because it has firmware.

And yes it would love to see free firmware.

Look at CPU microcode. It is used to fix security issues in hardware. Without it you are vulnerable. Not using the property firmware blob to update the microcode is a very very bad idea. Does that make the CPU software…

Where is there firmware in the Kernel tree?

https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/tree/

What a bunch of bullshit.

Linux, first of all, is the kernel. Linux is GPL and always free.

And userspace zurück itself is about 90% free.

Of course, you can choose a 100% free os, then make sure you use a free bios and only open hardware CPU and Mainboard and memory! 09 This argument is esoteric. I am an FSF member, but I use Steam on Gentoo.

The idea behind such distro lists is to show how hard it still is to provide a really 100% open source distro.

Let me remind you, what is non free in in most systems:

• CPU microcode!
• GPU Firmware
• Wifi / BT / Ethernet firmware
• Media Codecs

Stuff most users need!

And what the fuck is I distro locking me in? I can switch my distro between boots without fucking loosing any data or configs, I can choose what to install. I can install stuff from source. How can you even try to compare this with Microsofts property black box?

Because you can not see what the microcode blob does with your CPU? The CPU you can not inspect also? Or the GPU? Or the BIOS?

This. No property firmware blobs, nothing that is considered non free software.

So, no Nvidia graphics for gaming, no wifi and bt, a bunch of software not available.

As far as I remember, and I may be wrong, you could always the refund, but with a very short time frame.

And: no company has a perfect slate. How do you live? In a self build wood house in the outback?

If I would want a handheld, the only company that offers one for a fair price and with the right to repair, is fucking Valve. You can ignore this fact, but that does not make my statement false.

Am I? Proof? Srsly, it you have some hard fact’s (beside a single ruling some years ago because of geo blocked keys), let me know.

I bought my games on Humble, and GOG for a very long time. Since humble offers specific packages now only through a fucking Windows only Launcher and GOG likewise, I am FORCED to use steam…

But I prefer DRM free content.

That does not change the fact that I think valve is the most consumer friendly company on the market currently.

But this does not make me a fanboy or someone who must have steam the the good guy

That was Charlie. He was a good boy. Died a year ago :( still muss him

Ok, so answering after reading the first line and the again you are to young you have no ideas.

Even if I was that young, that is just a stupid line of argument.

But, considering the fact that I am in IT for over 20 years now, it is just hilarious.

Just for reference, the first picture with me and a PC on it. Maybe you can calculate my age from this…

Downloading capacities where a major issue. Distribution required still discs. Doom was published 1995, not 2005.

Dwarf Fortress and cave story where “small games” considering the total binary size. But, games started to take up multiple hundred megabytes, leading to massiv traffic costs back in the day. I was working my first it job at this time. At a hosting company. Having 100GB of downloads a month was rare, and the price for it was massive.

Dude, I wish I would be under 40 again, but I am not.

Since you’re clearly too young. I’ll give you a history lesson.

I am clearly not to young, let me chime in.

20 years ago, publishers had the full Control. Indie publishing was not possible.

The big studios controlled what you can play, and on wahr price. They took a big big share of the profits.

Now, with platform like Steam, self publishing is a thing, and more.

Yes, of course they tried to get some traction on steam. Epic games, Sony PlayStation, Xbox, all do exclusivity deals!

Yes, valve takes 30% of every transaction on Steam. Publishers take up to 60% … And so you play games published by auch publishers? Yes? And you don’t feel bad about yourself?

Yes Steam is a defacto monopoly. But not through the actions of Valve but through the actions of it competitors.

Valve does not behave like a monopoly, and it takes its money to improve gaming for all.

I would get it if someone here would be really simping for Gabe. But may I remind you all, this is a shitposting community and this is a meme.

If not for Valve and their openness towards Linux, Microsoft would long have followed Apple and made a walled garden out of Windows.

If you want to make sure that gaming is not getting a walled of eco system be Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft, that you need Valve.

Just look at that release: NO AI bullshit, no walled garden, no vendor locking. No locked bootloader’s, repairability and consumer rights are in the focus.

If course you can point out that this is a profit oriented company and everything they do, they do to make money. And I would not argue with that.

But this? What is this? Why?

Funny, let’s see how this looks after the the GabeCube drops and hopefully with a similar impact as the Steam Deck. I keep my popcorn ready