* On 2015 03 Jun 11:33 -0500, Renaud OLGIATI wrote:
> On Wed, 03 Jun 2015 13:25:42 -0300
> hellekin <hellekin@???> wrote:
>
> > the official Devuan network installer should not, IMO, support this
> > case. It is not against users, but against manufacturers.
>
> So you want to punish users, for the sins of manufacturers ?

I doubt that hellekin really does, but that is the practical outcome.
In my own case I have not bought a new computer since 1993 and that was
a white box 386DX40 sans hard disk or OS. All of my purchases since
have either been components or second hand from eBay. I do research the
hardware and try to make the most appropriate choice. However, I did
goof a bit when I bought my T410 laptop with intel wireless that
requires a non-free blob. The wired port worked straight from the
Debian installer. Had I chosen another second hand model that used an
Atheros chipset, for example, my choice would not have affected Lenovo
in the least as they already made the first sale to someone else.

Other people are looking to transition from XP or Windows 7 and want to
use their existing hardware. They're not buying new hardware with a
Free OS in mind, they're looking for something that supports what they
already have, which is far more sustainable IMO, and an approach that
Debian seems to no longer take too seriously any more otherwise the
installer would not have fallen victim to the pedants.

I understand and respect the opinions expressed by hellekin and others
arguing against non-free in the installer, yet I am moved by the hoops
that others, who are just looking for an alternative to breathe new life
into their hardware, must jump through when a critical piece of hardware
is not supported out of the box. I am all for urging the market to
support Free drivers and when I make a new hardware purchase, which is
seldom any more, I apply those principles. But to those who have yet to
understand the idealism of Free Software, intentional removal of
hardware support by Debian's installer was just more grist for the mill
that "Linux is/is not _____". Here I am only talking about the blobs
released as part of the kernel source tarball. Any drivers/blobs that
exist outside of that tarball should never be a part of the installer,
IMO.

- Nate

--

"The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all
possible worlds. The pessimist fears this is true."

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