The release of Linux 6.0 was followed only a few hours later by the modified and completely free system kernel GNU Linux-Libre in version 6.0, which relies exclusively on free and open source software. “Libre” does not use packages that are not available as source code or use proprietary licenses.
Linux 6.0, but 100 percent free
Based on the recently released current Linux Kernel 6.0, the new GNU Linux-Libre 6.0 has the same new functions as the regular kernel, but has once again been cleaned of many of the newly added drivers and firmware. A credo of the free system kernel is to get by without precompiled drivers and firmware that are not available as source code (so-called binary blobs).
Clean Up received the Linux kernel according to the official release notes in the following areas:
GNU Linux-Libre 6.0 – Release Notes
Blob requests have been neutered in the UCSI interface driver for STM32G0, and in the CS35L41 HD-audio side codec driver.
MediaTek MT76 drivers have had their mcu blob requests refactored into a connac mcu library, and cleaning up scripts have been adjusted to match.
Multiple dts files for Qualcomm and MediaTek AArch64 systems have been added, requiring blob names in them to be cleaned up.
Cleaning up of blob names and requests in AMDGPU, Adreno, Tegra VIC, Netronome NFP, and Habanalabs Gaudi2 drivers have been updated.
The VXGE driver was removed upstream, so we could drop the corresponding cleaning up logic.
The deblob-main scripts, which go back to GNewSense, and deblob-check, which are intended to detect and completely remove proprietary software in this way, are used for the removal process.
The Free Software Foundation Latin America is responsible for the maintenance and cleanup of GNU Linux-Libre, which publishes the kernel under the open source license GNU GPLv2.
Distributions with GNU Linux-Libre
The GNU Linux-Libre, which has been developed since 2006, is available for example the source-based Linux distribution Gentoo Linux, whose package management system is reminiscent of the “ports” of BSD, for advanced Linux users, and the rolling release Parabola GNU/Linux as an alternative kernel to choose from.
Parabola GNU/Linux is based on GNU Linux-Libre (image: Parabola GNU/Linux)
Download GNU Linux-Libre
GNU Linux-Libre 6.0 can available now from the download area of the Free Software Foundation Latin America official website. For more information, see the repository and the project page on the GitHub developer platform.
