Re: Reconsidering Debian’s Inclusion of Non-Free Firmware - A Call for Discussion
Hi,
On Fri, Mar 7, 2025 at 2:51 PM <pandya@disroot.org> wrote:
>
> Dear Debian Community,
>
> I am Deep Pandya from Gujarat, India, and a long-time Debian user. I migrated from Windows to Ubuntu in 2013 and later explored the philosophy of the GNU project and the history of the free software movement. After trying GNU-endorsed Trisquel and PureOS, I finally landed on Debian (Stretch release) in 2019 and have been actively using it since (Buster, Bullseye, Bookworm). In 2020, I even wrote a blog post, “Reasons to choose Debian among GNU/Linux distributions” (https://lignuxblog.wordpress.com/2020/08/27/reasons-to-choose-debian/). Though I am not a programmer or software developer, I deeply care about Debian’s values.
>
> In 2022, the General Resolution to officially include non-free firmware in the installation images shocked me because it signified a move away from Debian’s conceptual roots.
>
> I fully believe in the GNU philosophy and its uncompromising commitment to freedom. Without that, we might not have had the Linux kernel under GPL or even the open-source movement. However, when it comes to practical usability, I acknowledge that some users—myself included—may need to install non-free firmware for WiFi, Bluetooth, or graphics drivers. But in the past, when I made such a compromise, I was aware of it. Debian used to perfectly balance software freedom and usability—until 2022.
>
> I understand that users need proprietary drivers to run certain hardware, and Debian should not ignore this reality. That is why I am not asking Debian to become a fully GNU-endorsed distro like Trisquel, which rejects all non-free software in every case. However, at the same time, Debian should not readily promote non-free firmware to the point where it loses its philosophical distinction and becomes just another convenience-focused distribution like Ubuntu or Linux Mint.
>
> [A Ruinous Compromise]
>
> After compromising a byte, our goal should be to find/develop libre alternatives so that, in the future, Debian users are less (bit) dependent on non-free firmware. Instead, we did the opposite—compromising more, from a byte to a kilobyte, for the sake of convenience. If this trend continues, what stops us from reaching a megabyte of compromise?
>
> Debian’s official inclusion of non-free firmware contradicts its original philosophical values and social contract. Today, Debian includes a few non-free firmwares; tomorrow, it may include several; and the day after, many. If we normalize this now, how will future Debian developers uphold our values? This is the kind of ruinous compromise that GNU warns about: https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/compromise.html
>
>
> [A Call for Rethinking This Decision]
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> I urge Debian to rethink its decision to officially include non-free firmware and correct the social contract. Instead of making non-free firmware the default, Debian should ensure that users consciously choose to install it while being made aware of the implications. As GNU explains: https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/install-fest-devil.html
>
> Imagine hiding the “devil” by making it an official part of Debian.
>
> Debian is Debian—the "devil" should not be an official part of it.
>
> I would like to close with a modified stanza from the Free Software Song, which fits this situation perfectly:
>
> When we have enough free software, at our call, Debianers at our call,
> We'll kick out these dirty firmware ever more, Debianers ever more.
>
> I look forward to hearing thoughts from the Debian community on this important issue.
>
> Best Regards,
> Deep P. Pandya
In short, the social contract is still being addressed, as the main
repository remains in accordance with the DFSG and the firmwares
separated into non-free-firmware that were moved from non-free. There
is currently a need for these firmwares for the full functioning of
recent machines and I had experience of this on a new machine
purchased 2 years ago.
The project has its own guidelines, which I defend, but following the
philosophy of the GNU project, the project could not even distribute
these firmwares and distribute Linux Libre to users. Unfortunately or
fortunately, this would not be the focus of Debian, which distributes
its own Kernel and this can be addressed by rereading the FSF's free
distribution guidelines, the FSDG[1].
[1] https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.html.en
You can also opt for one of these distributions and Trisquel[2] would
be based on Ubuntu which is based on Debian.
https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html
[2] https://trisquel.info/en/wiki/documentation
--
Cheers,
Leandro Cunha
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