On Wed, Apr 14, 2021 at 09:02:54AM -0400, Steve Litt wrote:
> tito via Dng said on Tue, 13 Apr 2021 22:03:02 +0200
>
>

> >2) should non-free and contrib repos be added to sources.list
> >    or should that be left to the user

>
> I'm not sure whether my answer is responsive to your question or not,
> but here goes...
>
> I believe enough non-free and contrib stuff should be available at
> install time (or boot time on a live CD/flash) that the user doesn't
> need to put in additional media to get boot, network, video and sound
> working. And I believe any non-free and contrib stuff should, by
> default, be installed at install time, but before installation the user
> should be given the option of opting out of this non-free/contrib
> stuff, so if he/she only uses free software, he/she can maintain that
> principle in the installation.
>
> Stating it the inverse way, I HATE these installs that bomb because
> there's no FSF-satisfying drivers, firmware or software to handle my new
> laptop's weird hardware. And those distros that do that, their mailing
> lists always say "well just put in a thumb drive with the
> drivers/firmware!" How the KFDWOJMFOW do I know which drivers and
> firmware? I think free software purist snobs drive more people back to
> Windows than cleanse people of their non-free ways.

Yes, the nonfree software which is necessary to getting hardware to work
should be installed unless the user explicitly says not to do it.
He may be committed to freedom, but may have been bamboozled by the
hardware vendor or has been given a free (but not libre) piece of hardware
by a doting aunt for his birthday.

That said, he should have to opt in to receiving other nonfree software.
That should be a separate choice. He may well want to be as independent of
nonfree software as practical.

And let me remind you, there is precious little completely libre
computer hardware around. Until there is, even the most extreme
libre/freedom advocate will have nonfree stuff somewhere in the stack.

Yes, I'm hoping for the longterm success of the libre-soc project.

-- hendrik