this post was submitted on 06 May 2024
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Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Not having an opt-out toggle should definitely be a cause of concern. Not everyone is running Debian just for the FOSS-only firmware, but there's definitely a sizeable number of people doing so. Letting the user choose whether they want to install proprietary firmware or not is absolutely an important choice.

This is assuming there really isn't an opt-out somewhere in the install menu.

Edit: it may be that I am running something without FOSS drivers for it. I happened to forget about it. So what? I'd rather it not run (unless it's critical), and I definitely want to be prompted that a proprietary driver is recommended to run the specific device because no FOSS driver is available. Not doing so is taking away my choice in the matter, and if Debian is really doing that, then I will personally have to rethink my options, including my donations