How important is nonfree firmware for Linux, or the lack thereof...

How important is nonfree firmware for Linux, or the lack thereof? Can one expect everything to work on a typical desktop if one opts for a 100% libre Linux system?

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Its a waste of time.
If im installing drivers im gojng to install the drivers that were made by the
Company that made the hardware.

Open-source hardware doesn't have this problem

Very. Essential for graphics cards, essential for most wireless, essential for several other things. To the point where Linux isn't really free any more unless you're using shitty obscure hardware.
Just install Windows.

>To the point where Linux isn't really free any more unless you're using shitty obscure hardware.
A GNU/Linux setup with nonfree drivers is still 98% free at worst.

You could run a 100% libre system if you have an amd gpu and you're fine without bluetooth and wifi.

Note that even the most extreme of freetards still have plenty of proprietary firmware, they just don't consider it a problem if it's not loaded from the OS, which is dumb

>You need one program that isn't free so don't bother and install 100% nonfree spyware.
Kys, shill.

Most of the normal hardware will work out the bat, but anything more exotic than optical drives can be a crap shoot. Particularly input devices outside of mouse and keyboard.

As soon as you have any nonfree software in your system, your entire system is suspect and can be essentially considered non-free.

Most extreme freetards run guix and have no access tl proprietary firmware at all. Kys, shill.

firmware doesn't fucking matter. As long as it's not pinging the NSA, I don't care.

That's the most retarded take I've ever heard. It's like saying a 98% charged battery is not charged.

Red hat and the nsa are tighter than bark on a tree.
I know selinux was made by the nsa and fedora uses that kernel.

Red hat isn't the one making firmware blobs.

>apples are oranges

That's not what "nonfree" means. Modern Windows would still be spyware even if it was mostly FOSS.

Just because they have no access to it doesn't mean it's not on their system. Hard drives have firmware. The Nvidia GPU they use on their librebooted towers (like the ones minifree sold) have firmware. There's probably hundreds of chips on the motherboard with proprietary firmware.

So you're saying if you don't have a librebooted machine, it's nonfree?

Wew, lad, you must've worn yerself out exageratin' that hard.

>Install windows because of some drivers
wincucks never cease to amaze me

In years past that shit would've just been burned into EEPROMs, identical from a freedom perspective but less repairable. At least as loadable firmware there's the possibility of fixing a logic bug without throwing out hardware.

IDGAF where the firmware is stored. How is firmware that has been burned into ROM or on some flash chip better than loading it at runtime?
In fact the latter is possibly more freedom enabling because the firmware could be reverse engineered and modified.
What IS definitely harmful is signed firmware, though. Fuck that shit.
>if you don't have a librebooted machine
Technically, yes. That much should be obvious. I have not a single non-free program installed on my system, but since I can't change the system firmware and it requires firmware for the NIC/WiFi it's not as free as I'd like. Not that it would be more free if those firmware were hardcoded into the hardware, mind you. I don't buy that argument.

inb4 20+ (you)