On 2019-06-15 11:25, fsmithred wrote:
> On 6/15/19 3:18 AM, Martin Steigerwald wrote:
>> golinux@??? - 15.06.19, 01:50:
>>> Someone posted the email copied below to the freedom.devuan.org
>>> mailbox. I hoping that someone on this list could pen an answer and
>>> post here for me to reply or directly if you have access there. I
>>> really don't want to say something that's not quite right especially
>>> since FSF is tangentially involved. Thanks.
>>
>> This may not be as easily answered as you think, cause ideally it
>> would
>> require an agreement on how Devuan project handles this.
>>
>> As far as I am aware to qualify the distro must be 100% free of any
>> proprietary software and software that comes without source code, that
>> includes any firmware blobs delivered with the Linux kernel.
>>
>> Also the distro has to have a policy to include only free software.
>
> Oh, THAT list. Thanks for the well-informed explanation. The way
> things have been, this is easy to answer - we include non-free
> firmware in the installer isos, and if your hardware needs it, it will
> be installed unless you tell it otherwise (in expert install).
>
> In the live isos, the firmware is installed, there's a script that
> will remove it, and the debs are included in case you remove one you
> need.
>
> We have discussed the possibility of having a totally free repo
> available for those who want it (with libre kernel) but that does not
> exist at this time.
>
>
>>
>> As much as I like to see free hardware, I trying to force the decision
>> on whether or not to use non-free firmware onto users does not sound
>> exactly like freedom to me either.
>>
>
> True. (Some people get very upset when you point out that bit of
> irony.) I'm all in favor of letting the user choose.
>
>
>> In any way, I see it as a tough ethical decision and can understand
>> both
>> sides here.
>>
>> Wow, this has been long, probably too long, but I really chose to
>> highlight the conflicts behind this.
>
> I thought it was just right. I trimmed a lot in my response, but I'll
> leave your links.
>
> fsmithred
>
>

A shorter explanation is that Devuan provides non-free firmware if
needed so is ineligible to be on the FSF list.