Linux, as distributed by Linus Torvalds et al, contains non-Free Software, i.e., software that does not respect your essential freedoms.
Linux-libre is a project to maintain and publish 100% Free versions of Linux, removing software that is included without source code, with obfuscated or obscured source code, or under non-Free Software licenses, that do not permit you to change the software so that it does what you wish.
A cute clean stuffed penguin hung on a line to dry.
Our releases can be easily adopted by 100% Free GNU/Linux distros, as well as by their users, by distros that want to enable their users to choose freedom, and by users of those that don't.
It follows and improves on the practices established by 100% Free GNU/Linux distributions such as gNewSense and BLAG, that pioneered in removing non-Free bits from the kernel Linux.
Free Software Foundation Latin America (FSFLA) joined the project as part of its campaign dubbed "¡Sé Libre!", to encourage and enable users to go beyond using some Free Software, and rather seek and choose freedom.
How it is done
The removal of non-Free bits from the kernel Linux is accomplished with the script deblob-main, that in turn uses deblob-<kver> and deblob-check.
deblob-<kver> is inspired in gNewSense's scripts, later customized for BLAG by Jeff Moe, and then further improved as part of the linux-libre project.
deblob-check is a script that you can use to test whether a kernel source file, a patch or a tarball, contains any remaining or suspicious firmware blob.
How to participate
- Mailing list
- http://www.fsfla.org/mailman/listinfo/linux-libre
- SVN repository
- http://www.fsfla.org/svn/fsfla/software/linux-libre/
- Downloads
- choose any of the URLs below
FSFLA
http://www.fsfla.org/selibre/linux-libre/download/
rsync://fsfla.org/linux-libre/ (no freed-ora/debuginfo here)
BLAG
http://linux-libre.blagblagblag.org/fsfla/linux-libre/
rsync://linux-libre.blagblagblag.org/fsfla/linux-libre/
http://www.blagblagblag.org/pub/mirrors/fsfla/
ftp://ftp.blagblagblag.org/pub/mirrors/fsfla/
rsync://rsync.blagblagblag.org/mirrors/fsfla/
LSD-IC-Unicamp
http://www.lsd.ic.unicamp.br/~oliva/fsfla/linux-libre/
Download site structure
- releases
- 100% Freed Linux sources of various upstream releases.
- freed-ora
- 100% Freed Linux kernel packages tracking Fedora kernel builds.
- SIGNING-KEY
- The GnuPG keys used to sign source tarballs, patches and packages.
SVN repository structure
- scripts/deblob-main
- The main script to clean up a linux tarball.
- scripts/deblob-check
- A script that recognizes and optionally cleans up blobs.
- scripts/deblob-2.6.##
- Scripts that clean up blobs from within exploded Linux source trees.
- freed-ora
- See freed-ora.
Other sources of binaries
- Ali Gunduz builds .debs out of Linux-libre tarballs, for general use.
- FREEEEE has binaries including low-latency (Real Time) support.
- BLAG ships our Freed-ora kernels.
- gNewSense ships Linux-libre kernels, cleaned up with an older approach.
- Musix GNU+Linux's adoption of Linux-libre is underway.
- Dyne:bolic is going to have Linux-libre in its next release.
- If you roll out your own generally-available Linux-libre-based binaries, let us know.
The clean penguin picture
The clean penguin picture was taken by Lewis Laë in November, 2007, and he was kind enough to grant us permission to use it. Merci beaucoup, lew!
Be Free!
Last update: 2008-10-21 (Rev 4437)