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Think of it as a reference implementation that, in a perfect world, hardware vendors would proudly target.
by _jal 5y ago
Think of it as a reference implementation that, in a perfect world, hardware vendors would proudly target.
- srvmshr 5y agoHardware manufacturers can ideologically target the libre flavor, but in practice it is next to impossible to deliver. Drivers are built to address specific hardware features. As features grow, so do system complexities and software calls. Every OEM addresses a feature in a specific problem-solving paradigm. Trying to unify most hardware under a standard set of function & procedure calls cannot be fathomed. A real world analogy is to make shoes of a single size and color & expect every person in the world can use it comfortably irrespective of their size or body type.
- yjftsjthsd-h 5y agoI don't follow; linux-libre still has drivers; nobody's saying you can't write per-device drivers, just that the whole of the code to run it should be FOSS.
- srvmshr 5y agoI think I failed to explain the crucial part of the argument so let me try from another viewpoint: OEM like NVIDIA do not make their drivers FOSS because it makes device-specific features and improvements known. To make something work well for the device as well as FOSS, they would have to publish the software instructions specifics. That sort of things enables competition to better understand their silicon and thats exactly what they do not want. In an ideal world, libre is fine and serves all devices well. But with commercial interest in play and so many differentiation in features, it is hard to imagine libre drivers being able to cater to all device optimally
- SahAssar 5y agoThis distro still has drivers, it just requires those to be libre too. Every linux driver written (and also firmware/microcode) could be included, but that would require those to also be licensed as libre. It does not have any more technical restrictions, only legal and licensing ones.