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Key takeaways
- Debian has released a new live distribution.
- This new distribution is 100% free software.
- It's early in development, but Debian Libre Live already has a solid base.
The Debian project has released a new live distribution that addresses a three-year-old issue.
In 2022, Debian developers decided to include some much-needed but non-free firmware to enhance their distribution's compatibility with a wider range of hardware. There were several reasons for this, including the state of open-source firmware for Nvidia GPUs. Given the importance of graphics devices in relation to AI, having firmware and drivers that are fully capable can mean the difference between them working properly and not.
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Open-source purists object
A decision like that doesn't always go over well with open-source purists. Although users could disable non-free firmware during the installation process, dissent persisted. You can read post after post, such as this one from the Debian mailing list, where a user states, "I'm a 10+ year Debian user, and a longtime Free Software supporter. Two weeks ago, I was shocked to discover 29 non-free components in the Debian desktop I'd been using for the last couple of months. There hadn't been any opt-in or even a notice about Debian's major policy change during the installation process (I use the Debian installer via the Live images), so I was completely unaware."
Clearly, there was user dissatisfaction with the change, and it took the Debian team a considerable amount of time to devise a compromise.
That compromise comes in the form of Debian Libre Live.
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This new iteration should appease those who only want free, open-source software included with the distribution. According to the new release's bare-bones website, "The general goal is to provide a way to use Debian without reliance on non-free software, to the extent possible within the Debian project."
There are a few things you need to know about Debian Libre Live:
- It's based on Debian, so it already has a head start on stability and reliability.
- It is only available for Intel/AMD 64-bit x86 CPUs (amd64).
- It does not ship with a default GUI desktop environment. (You can install your desktop of choice post-OS installation.)
- There are no terms to agree with.
- This is a very early release and is only intended for those well-versed in Debian.
According to the Debian Project, "This improves your software supply-chain situation, since you no longer need to consider their implication on your computing environment for your liberty, privacy, or security."
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If you're looking for other Linux distributions that are totally Libre, you can try Dynebolic, Guix, Hyperbola, and PureOS.
My take on this
I completely respect the Debian Libre Live project and its underlying purpose. However, over the past decades that I've been using Linux, I've come to realize that the Linux OS is a tool to help me get things done. Although GNU and everything it stands for is a great movement and organization, the quest for a totally "libre" OS gets in the way of my getting things done.
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There are proprietary apps that I have to use. For example, I have several clients who require that I use Slack. I can't get around that, so the proprietary Slack has to be installed. I also depend on Davinci Resolve, and there's no open-source video editor that comes close.
Essentially, I can't do what I do (with any level of efficiency) without proprietary software.
That doesn't mean I like it or that I believe everyone should use proprietary software. I'm a big fan of GNU and truly feel that whatever gets you through the day is what you should use. If that means 100% libre, then lucky you. If it means you have to use a select few proprietary apps, so be it.
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The good news is that, thanks to Linux and GNU, we all have the choice, and that will never be taken away from us.
If you'd like to try Debian Libre Live, download the ISO, burn it to a USB drive, and install it to see what you think.
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