GNU Linux-Libre 5.8 Kernel Arrives for Those Seeking 100% Freedom for Their PCs

GNU Linux-Libre 5.6

Alexandre Oliva announced today the general availability of the GNU Linux-libre 5.8 kernel for those seeking 100% freedom for their personal computers.

Based on the recently released Linux 5.8 kernel series, the GNU Linux-libre 5.8 kernel is here to deblob any proprietary code and drivers to allow anyone who doesn’t want to use proprietary software on their personal computer to install a libre, 100% free kernel.

As you know, Linux kernel 5.8 is one of the biggest releases of all time, so the GNU Linux-libre kernel developers had a lot of work deblobbing new drivers that required cleaning.

Deblobbed drivers include Atom ISP Video, MediaTek 7663 USB and 7915 PCIe, Realtek 8723DE Wi-Fi, Renesas PCI xHCI, HabanaLabs Gaudi co-processor, Enhanced Asynchronous Sample Rate Converter, Maxim Integrated MAX98390 Speaker Amplifier, Microsemi ZL38060 Connected Home Audio Processor, and I2C EEPROM Slave.

The drivers for Adreno GPU, HabanaLabs Goya co-processor, x86 touchscreen, vt6656 and btbcm required some adjustments as well. Same goes for various documentation files, and the developers enabled the use of the deblob-check utility for verifying full tarballs using Python or Perl instead of GNU awk or GNU sed.

“The order of regexp alternatives matters in Python and Perl regular expression engines, and some constructs lead to exponential backtracking,” explains Alexandre Oliva. “Now checks for blobs without context make steady progress even with backtracking engines.”

If you care about the freedom of your personal computer and want to run only free and open source software, you can download the GNU Linux-Libre 5.8 kernel right now from the official website. The kernel iss compatible with all GNU/Linux distributions and the GNU Operating System.

Last updated 4 years ago

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