It's based on the Linux 4.18 kernel series

Aug 16, 2018 14:27 GMT  ·  By

Alexandre Oliva announced the release and general availability of the GNU Linux-libre 4.18 kernel for Linux users seeking 100% freedom for their personal computers.

Following in the footsteps of the recently released Linux 4.18 kernel series, the GNU Linux-libre 4.18 kernel is now available for those who don't want to run any proprietary firmware on their Linux-based operating system or the GNU operating system.

Including pretty much the same new features and enhancements as Linux kernel 4.18, the GNU Linux-libre 4.18 kernel cleans up the new psp-dev crypto and icn8505 touchscreen drivers, removes the atom isp driver, and adjusts numerous others.

Furthermore, the developers also adjusted the deblob-check script to search if any components, such as some new firmware loading interfaces like firmware_request and firwmare_request_nowarn, are looking and asking for proprietary software.

"firwmare_request_nowarn is one of the new interfaces, and it almost looks like we could use it, since it doesn't log any errors if the firmware is not there, but it still looks for and asks for non-Free Software, so I decided to disable it just like request_firmware," said Alexandre Oliva.

A kernel for a 100% free operating system

If you're one of those people wanting to run a 100% free operating system under the hood of their personal computers, you can download the GNU Linux-libre 4.18 kernel and compile it for your favorite GNU/Linux distribution and hardware architecture.

But if you don't care if you're running proprietary code under the hood of your PC or you have no choice but to use non-free drivers for your hardware, we recommend downloading and installing the latest Linux 4.18.1 kernel from kernel.org or our software portal.