Well, you all know how much I rant about this, but there you go. Even sidux users are ranting about non-free firmware being removed from the .30 kernel by slh.

The OFTC irc network on the #sidux and #smxi channels are producing quite a lot of discussion regarding these removals, and I think that sidux will alienate a lot of its userbase because of this. Just the same as Debian is doing.

I’ll say it again, it’s 2009, leave the politics out of Linux!

Just build a system that works out-of-the-box.

It used to be that there were excuses for leaving out non-free firmware/modules/drivers etc, based on performance. Well now it has flipped as users are reporting poor hardware performance with the non-free firmware removed.

I’ll be following this closely, as I am happy that it’s not just me who has a problem with this philosophy. I tried to explain my point to a Debian user once, and just got a condescending reply basically hinting that I know little about Debian and its philosophy. Now more and more Debian/sidux users feel the same as I do.

http://gnuski.blogspot.com/2009/06/2630-kernel-and-sidux.html

On top of this, the average sidux user knows Linux, we aren’t talking Ubuntu newbies here.

By the way, if you want Debian, but with all firmware out of the box, get Dreamlinux. Its current release (3.5) uses the Lenny “stable” repos, but the new DL 4.0 will again be based on “Testing” (Squeeze).

Tags: firmware, kernel, non-free, sidux