A take against "Firmware - what are we going to do about it?"
Hi there!
I'm Naranjo, a proud Debian user :) i'm also a avid Redditor :)
Today, I've been watching a trending topic in a few sub-reddits
pointing to this article:
https://blog.einval.com/2022/04/19#firmware-what-do-we-do
I wrote my take in the Debian sub-reddit and I will like to post it
here too. This is just a personal take but I think it summarizes a
common feeling about other Debian users I now. I'm open to criticism
about it and maybe I can provide extra context if someone ask for it.
I didn't intended it to sound harsh, but I can see how it sounds a
little bit like it.
The following is my take in Reddit with emotional emphasis removed:
Mixing free and non-free software goes against the fundamental nature
of Debian. As stated in their ideological-oriented objectives and
philosophy:
https://www.debian.org/intro/why_debian
https://www.debian.org/intro/philosophy
If they change this criteria it will erode a lot of trust I and (I
guess) many people have in he project leadership.
Having the non-free installer more prominent in the download page
(with a visible warning about it) is ok. But allowing non-free
software to be distributed with free software in the main default
installer is going to harm the project.
I use the non-free image myself a lot, but having the free image as
the main focus makes myself trust them for many personal and
professional hosts. If they change this, it will look hypocritical,
like the way a politician twist the narrative to pursue a personal
interest disregarding the common good.
It also validates the strict POV of the FSF and RMS, making their
apparent excessive zealot a justified cautionary tale.
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