Re: Subject: Suggestion to Improve Modern Laptop Wi-Fi Support on Debian

Subject: Suggestion to Improve Wi-Fi Support for Modern Laptops in Debian Stable Releases

Dear Debian Developers and Contributors,

First, I want to thank you for the incredible work you do in maintaining Debian. It is a truly remarkable operating system, known worldwide for its stability, reliability, and adherence to free software principles. The dedication of the Debian community is inspiring, and I deeply appreciate the effort that goes into every release.

I am writing to share a suggestion regarding Wi-Fi support for modern laptops in Debian stable releases. As an example, I purchased a laptop in 2021. When I tried installing Debian 11 (“Bullseye”) at that time, the Wi-Fi hardware did not work at all. It required waiting for Debian 12 (“Bookworm”), released later, before the laptop’s Wi-Fi became functional.

I understand that Debian’s philosophy emphasizes stability and careful package freezes before stable releases. However, this sometimes results in modern hardware, including laptops purchased the same year as a release, being unsupported out-of-the-box, particularly for Wi-Fi and other network devices.

I would like to humbly suggest exploring ways to improve Wi-Fi and networking support for modern laptops, while still maintaining Debian’s stability and principles. Possible approaches could include:

1. Including or enabling updated firmware packages for recent Wi-Fi chips, clearly marked as non-free where applicable.

2. Providing guidance in the installer or official documentation on enabling non-free firmware or using backports to support the latest hardware.

3. Offering optional hardware enablement kernels in stable releases, allowing newer hardware to work without compromising stability.

4. Collaborating with hardware vendors or the community to test new laptops prior to release, ensuring key devices like Wi-Fi work out-of-the-box.

The goal of this suggestion is to make Debian more accessible and convenient for users with modern hardware, without compromising the stability and reliability that Debian is known for. This would help ensure that users buying new laptops in the future can use Debian immediately, enhancing adoption and user experience.

Thank you very much for considering this suggestion. I sincerely appreciate your time, effort, and ongoing contributions to the Debian community.

With gratitude,

Tran Duc Minh

td6656423@gmail.com

On Sun, Aug 24, 2025, 10:08 PM Tran Duc Minh <td6656423@gmail.com> wrote:

Subject: Suggestion to Improve Modern Laptop Wi-Fi Support on Debian

Dear Debian Developers and Contributors,

First, I would like to express my gratitude for the tremendous effort and dedication you all put into maintaining Debian. Debian is a remarkable operating system, renowned for its stability, security, and commitment to free software principles. The community-driven nature of Debian is truly inspiring, and I greatly appreciate the countless hours that go into ensuring Debian remains a world-class distribution.

I am writing to respectfully share a suggestion regarding Wi-Fi support on modern laptops and computers. Over the past few years, hardware innovation has accelerated, and many new laptops (2021–2026) now include Wi-Fi chips and network controllers that require drivers and firmware not available in the Debian stable releases at the time of their launch.

While Debian is known for its rock-solid stability, this approach sometimes means that users attempting to install Debian on a brand-new laptop encounter difficulties with Wi-Fi connectivity. This can be a significant hurdle for new users and those who wish to use Debian on the latest hardware without requiring workarounds, such as manually adding non-free firmware repositories, installing backports, or compiling kernels.

I understand that Debian’s philosophy emphasizes stability, security, and free software, and I respect the careful approach to freezing kernels and packages in stable releases. However, I would like to humbly suggest exploring ways to improve modern hardware support for networking devices, particularly Wi-Fi, in the following ways:

1. Consider including or enabling updated firmware packages for modern Wi-Fi chips by default, while clearly labeling non-free firmware.

2. Provide more accessible guidance in the installer or official documentation for enabling non-free firmware or using backports to support the latest Wi-Fi hardware.

3. Explore optional hardware enablement kernels for stable releases that allow newer hardware support without compromising Debian’s stability philosophy.

4. Improve testing with new laptop hardware in collaboration with hardware vendors or community contributors to proactively ensure compatibility.

The goal of these suggestions is to make Debian more accessible and convenient for users with modern laptops while preserving the stability and principles that Debian is celebrated for. By enhancing Wi-Fi support for new hardware, Debian could reach an even broader audience and demonstrate that it is not only robust and reliable but also ready for the evolving hardware landscape.

Thank you for your time, consideration, and ongoing contributions to Debian. I hope these suggestions are helpful and can contribute in some small way to improving the user experience for new Debian users on modern laptops.

With sincere appreciation,
Tran Duc Minh
td6656423@gmail.com