Fabian Keil freebsd-listen@fabiankeil.de writes:
Quoting http://www.lemote.com/en/products/Notebook/2010/0310/112.html:
| 1) The world's first fully free software. All system source | files(BIOS, kernel, drivers etc.) are free software, no close | firmware needed.
Given that the BIOS is the only firmware that is explicitly mentioned to be free software, I assume "no close firmware needed" actually means "no non-free firmware except the pre-installed one".
If that's the case, the system might satisfy the "no non-free drivers" requirement, but it wouldn't really be "running 100% Free Software".
There is a distinction, IMO a useful one, between what is expected to receive firmware uploaded from the operating system, versus chips that just run whatever was burned into them and are never altered after purchase.
Firmware that never changes after the recipient gets it may as well be hardware, since no-one has special access to alter the behaviour of it. It doesn't impinge on the recipient's software freedom.
Firmware loaded from the OS is software that the vendor controls, and the user deserves that same freedom.
The useful distinguishing question to keep in mind is: Does anyone have special access to alter the behaviour of this device after it changes hands? If so, the nominal owner of the device must have at least that much access also in order to have sufficient software freedom.