On 12.12.2014 04:09, t.j.duchene@??? wrote:

> non-free code. It is relatively useful, until you need flash

Enrico Weigelt wrote:
>flash is a security threat. using it in a professional environment is
russian roulette.

True.  But then so is using Javascript,  Java, Google NaCL or anything that
is executed client side on your computer.    The safest thing is not to use
a web browser at all.  However, in the real world, we haven't that option.

> support, non-free firmware for video and wireless hardware, or video
> and audio codecs.

Enrico Weigelt wrote:
>one shouldn't buy such crap hardware.

Fair enough, and I would agree if the world were perfect. Since that is
virtually every single piece of hardware in wireless, video or audio, Linux
or not, has non-free firmware, I honestly do not think that is very
practical stance at the present. Not everyone has the luxury of settling
for substandard Intel video chipsets over Radeon for example. We have real
world work to do, and open ideals sometimes have to take a backseat to
earning one's living.




> Simple fact is that if you do things the FSF way, you end up with a
> crippled system with limited usability.

Enrico Weigelt wrote:
>The system is crippled anyways - especially _with_ the binary-only crap.

Even the "open" Radeon driver requires the AMD firmware in most cases, if
you want real use from the hardware. The hardware makers who cross license
hardware can't open the code without getting into legal trouble. The bottom
line is that given today's Linux kernel, a distribution without the binary
firmware, is less than useless to the majority of people. I wish the
situation were different, but it isn't.