• poVoq
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    2 years ago

    This is not how on boarding of new users works. If you put up a RTFM wall and intentionally make their installation fail they either just stick with Windows or use another more newbie friendly distro.

    And Debian is a community driven distribution. It needs new users (who to a small percentage become contributors) all the time or it can’t survive.

    Edit: also I don’t see how this is disrespecting your digital rights. If you feel so strongly about the issue you surely made your homework and only run hardware with libre firmware, so this has absolutely no effect on you.

      • poVoq
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        22 years ago

        No my last point was different. At no point is Debian forcing you to use these non-Free firmwares. They are a purely optional inclusion in their installer for those people that do need to use them to get a functional system. Thus your digital rights are not negatively impacted at all.

          • poVoq
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            12 years ago

            Granted there are some rare edge cases where both options exist, but after installing Debian you are free to revert any such non-Free firmware on your actual system.

              • poVoq
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                22 years ago

                I think you somehow maneuvered yourself into a illogical position without realizing it?

                Including some optional firmwares in the install boot-medium infringes zero rights of yours and none of the 4 software freedoms are impacted by this.

                Complain with the hardware vendors for making these firmwares a requirement if you will, but better not buy such hardware in the first place. But Debian absolutely did the right thing here to their current and future users by optionally including these non-free firmwares regardless of what some ideological demagogues say.

                  • poVoq
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                    12 years ago

                    Only if you run hardware that requires it. That is not the fault of Debian and making this hardware available for use is better than not doing it.

                  • poVoq
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                    22 years ago

                    I didn’t mean you personally with that, sorry if that was not clear.