subgraph-os-issues
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Use Linux-libre instead of Linux
Free Software Foundation Latin America maintains a deblobbed version of the Linux kernel: http://www.fsfla.org/ikiwiki/selibre/linux-libre/
Can we have real security relying on proprietary, binary blobs? They are a honeypot for NSA crackers.
There are many people with hardware that depends upon binary blobs. And that site seems more focused on artwork than on the real issues, like say a hardware buying guide.
While we definitely side with @burdges on this, in the future there's the option for us to ship multiple kernel builds. As such I'll keep the ticket open for future reference.
There is clearly room for a linux-libre like project that explores practical compromises between hardware availability, cost, and minimizing the use of binary blobs. That sounds like a whole separate project though. And much closer to the kernel project than to any individual distribution.
A far simpler approach would be a patch that merely documented, in say /sys/non-free, all the loaded a binary blobs, and maybe observed firmware with built in binary blobs. With that, users could google the results to learn facts like (a) one binary blob could be avoided by replacing an internal wifi card, or blacklisting its module and using an external wifi adapter, or (b) their laptop uses binary blobs for X, Y, and Z, so they should check on those when buying another laptop.
I think that's still quite a large project because it involves going through all the Linux drivers and determining what to say about them. It's much easier than actually working out hardware recommendations for people in different situations though.