Making Free Software easy to use and commonly available

[Michael Kesper]

Hi Otto, hi all,

Am 2013-11-19 07:57, schrieb Otto Kekäläinen:
> 2013/11/18 Matthias Kirschner <mk at fsfe.org>:
>> Second, as I assume you would also be interested to buy a machine with
>> GNU/Linux preinstalled instead of Microsoft Windows, although you will
>> afterwards choose another distribution, it helps to prefer offers with
>> distributions which do not include non-free software like Ubuntu does.
>> If the hardware works one of those distributios, it will also work with
>> another GNU/Linux distribution, which does not include non-free
>> software.
>
> I haven't tried if I can run Trisquel on this, which would be the most
> purest form of freedom, but also I don't think I fully understand the
> issue either and I am not aware of which parts of standard Debian or
> Ubuntu are actually non-free software like fsfe.org and
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trisquel claims.

Yeah it's not so easy and saying "Trisquel" sounds a lot like "Jehovah" 
to me[0]. ;)
We run machines with CPUs featuring complex proprietary programs and 
non-free BIOSes.

> Anyway I think Dell XPS 13 is great. It might not be perfect, but it
> is still the best thing I've seen so far. It enables me to get a real
> GNU/Linux system without unbearable cost or functional sacrifices. In
> fact, it has functional advantages that makes it in the top range of
> laptops available at the moment. Very cool.

If the Dell comes with a bad WIFI, that should be one of the most easy 
parts to change, right?

> 98 out of 100 Linux geeks I know - and also according to the two polls
> I made at FOSDEM 2013 - don't by any kind of pre-installed Linux
> machines, but they buy Windows laptops and Mac laptops and then
> convert them into Linux machines, without supporting the pre-installed
> Linux-industry in any way. This is the real problem we should seek to
> change.

Yes, the preloaded "certified for Windows", "xyz recommends Microsoft" 
is what we should attack.

> Of those reading this thread - how many of you are currently running a
> machine that did not come with any kind of Linux pre-installed?

No machine of mine came preinstalled with GNU/Linux (Android doesn't 
count, right?).

There exist only very few laptops compatible with Coreboot:
http://www.coreboot.org/Supported_Motherboards#Laptops
The only modern ones are the two chromebooks.

Best wishes
Michael

[0] Clarification: It's meant as an expression of hypocrisy.