GNU Linux-Libre 6.1 Arrives as a 100% Free Kernel for Software Freedom Lovers

GNU Linux-Libre 6.1

Alexandre Oliva announced today the release and general availability of the GNU Linux-libre 6.1 kernel for those who seek 100% freedom for their GNU/Linux computers.

Based on the Linux 6.1 kernel series, the GNU Linux-libre 6.1 kernel is here to adjust several drivers that needed deblobbing or due to code rearrangement, including AMDGPU and i915 DRM, brcmfmac, Intel ACPI sound, r8188eu, and rtw8852c Wi-Fi.

Also deblobbed was the rtw8852b Wi-Fi driver, and the cleaning up code of the drivers for TM6000 TV cards, as well as AV7110, SP-8870, and CPiA2-based budget media cards have been adjusted due to the fact that they’ve been moved upstream to a deprecated directory.

Other than that, the GNU Linux-libre 6.1 kernel removes blob names from multiple new Qualcomm and MediaTek AArch64 (ARM64) DTS files.

Apart from these changes, the GNU Linux-libre 6.1 kernel includes the same new features and improvements as Linux kernel 6.1, such as initial support for the Rust programming language, multi-generational LRU VM, precision boost hardware control for AMD CPUs, and much more.

The GNU Linux-libre kernel removes non-free components from the upstream kernel and it’s targeted at software freedom lovers who want to build a 100% free GNU/Linux computer with a kernel that doesn’t include any proprietary drivers or code. You can download the latest release right now from the official website.

The GNU Linux-libre kernel can be installed on virtually any GNU/Linux distribution, but the developers also provide ready-to-use binary packages for Debian-based (DEB) and Red Hat-based (RPM) distributions. For more details check out the Freesh project and RPM Freedom.

Image credits: GNU Linux-libre project

Last updated 1 year ago

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com