GNU Linux-Libre 5.18 Kernel Is Here for Those Who Seek 100% Freedom for Their PCs

GNU Linux-Libre 5.18

Alexandre Oliva of the GNU Linux-libre project announced today the release and general availability for download of the GNU Linux-libre 5.18-gnu kernel for those who seek 100% freedom for their PCs.

Based on the upstream Linux 5.18 kernel series, the GNU Linux-libre 5.18 kernel is here to clean up seven new drivers, including Amphion VPU, MIPI DBI panels, Intel AVS, MediaTek MT7986 WMAC, MediaTek 7921U (USB) Wi-Fi, Realtek 8852a and 8852c Wi-Fi, as well as Texas Instruments TAS5805M speaker amplifier.

In addition, the GNU Linux-libre 5.18 kernel adds several DTS files for new Qualcomm AArch64 SoCs and cleans up the blob names in them, and updates existing drivers that received changes upstream and now require deblobbing, such as AMDGPU, MediaTek MT7915 Wi-Fi, MediaTek HCI UART, Mellanox Spectrum wired ethernet, Qualcomm Q6V5, Realtek rtw8852c, Silicon Labs WF200+ Wi-Fi, and Wolfson ADSP.

On top of that, the new GNU Linux-libre kernel moves numerous drivers within the source tree and updates the script used for cleaning up blobs to reflect those changes in media drivers, MHI bus, and AMDGPU.

Of course, the GNU Linux-libre 5.18 kernel comes with all the new features and enhancements of Linux kernel 5.18, including support for new features in AMD and Intel CPUs, improved support for NVMe devices, new and improved security features to protect you against the latest threats, and many other changes,

Those of you who want to build a 100% free GNU/Linux computer that doesn’t include proprietary drivers or code, can download and install the GNU Linux-libre 5.18 kernel right now from the official website.

If you’re using a DEB and RPM-based GNU/Linux distribution, you’ll find binaries for your system, so please follow the instructions here and here to set up the repositories for Debian and Red Hat-based operating systems.

The GNU Linux-libre kernel is compatible with and can be installed on virtually any GNU/Linux distribution.

Image credits: GNU Linux-libre project

Last updated 2 years ago

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