14 DAY TRIAL // The GNU Linux-libre project has released the GNU Linux-libre 5.2 kernel, a 100% free version of the Linux kernel that doesn't include any proprietary drivers, firmware, or code.
Based on the recently released Linux 5.2 kernel series, which introduces the Sound Open Firmware support for DSP audio devices, the GNU Linux-libre 5.2 kernel also ships with the open-source firmware, which wasn't included in previous versions of the GNU Linux-libre kernel because they were overlooked.
"I had not realized the SOF files were Free Software in recent earlier releases, so the requests for these files were disabled in them," said developer Alexandre Oliva in a mailing list announcement. "Only while cleaning up the new kernel module specifically devoted to SOF-supporting devices did I realize my mistake."
The GNU Linux-libre 5.2 kernel also deblobs several new drivers, including btmtksdio, iqs5xx, ishtp, mt7615, rtw88, rtw8822b, rtw8822c, and ucsi\_ccg, and cleans up the amdgpu, goya, imx-sdma, ixp4xx, and nouveau drivers. Furthermore, the r8822be driver was replaced with rtw8822[bc], whose code was also cleaned in the GNU Linux-libre 5.2 kernel.
100% freedom for your personal computer
As advertised, the GNU Linux-libre kernel promises 100% freedom for your personal computer as it doesn't include any proprietary drivers or any other code that's not fully Open Source. Therefore, if you care about the freedom of your PC and don't want to run any proprietary software, we recommend installing the GNU Linux-libre 5.2 kernel.
You can download GNU Linux-libre 5.2 kernel right now from the official website or install it directly from the software repositories of your favorite GNU/Linux distribution. The GNU Linux-libre 5.2 kernel includes all the new features and improvements that were implemented in the latest Linux 5.2 kernel series.