---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Richard Stallman <[email protected]> Date: 2010/12/16 Subject: Re: [GNU-linux-libre] The "Free" Kernel In Debian Squeeze To: Henry Jensen <[email protected]> Cc: [email protected], [email protected] It sounds like the new Debian version of Linux will recommend specific nonfree firmware programs, which is undesirable. I talked with Alexandre a few months ago, and we decided to change the way Linux Libre deals with outside nonfree firmware. The current practice is to change the code to fail instead of trying to load any firmware. The change is to obfuscate the names of the firmware files in the Linux source code. That way, if a user tracks down what firmware to install and installs it under the name that the code wants, it will. But Linux Libre will still not suggest installation of the nonfree firmware file to handle a particular device. In either case, it is possible to run the nonfree software. Free software has no way to stop users from doing something, since users an change it. Alexandre, how is progress on this? -- Richard Stallman President, Free Software Foundation 51 Franklin St Boston MA 02110 USA www.fsf.org, www.gnu.org -- Diego Saravia [email protected] NO FUNCIONA->[email protected]