FREE AS IN FREEDOM
I’ve wanted to write a post about free software for some time, and this week’s Oscars inspired me to do so. Flow (2024), which won the Best Animated Feature award, was created by a small team of enthusiasts using Blender—an open-source and free software.
Some people were amazed that a film made with a tool anyone can use could achieve such greatness. But what they fail to realize is that open-source software is the state of the art in many fields—and should be in even more.
This victory for free software is just another reminder: we’ve already won in the grand scheme of things, but the work isn’t finished. In this post, I’d like to delve into the my thoughts of free software
I highly advise reading the what is free softwareif you are not familiar with the term. I cant explain it better than the ones that coined the term.
Free Software Already Won
The pioneers of free software did not have the privilege of a fully functional system. Today, I am running Debian, and when I check with VMRS (Virtual Richard Stallman), it shows I have only four non-free packages.
Being able to achieve this is already a huge victory for users.
Free Hardware is Still a Problem
One of my non-free packages is Intel’s microcode. Intel has had major security issues, and running a system without its microcode is nearly impossible. Another major problem with proprietary hardware is the Intel Management Engine.
If you have never heard of it, read the Wikipedia page. It is a proprietary subsystem with deep access to the system, raising serious security concerns. If you think AMD is free from this issue, think again—they have a similar system, the AMD Platform Security Processor (PSP), which also operates outside the user’s control.
However, free hardware is growing. Open ISAs like RISC-V are gaining momentum, allowing anyone to design a processor without corporate restrictions. Once RISC-V reaches the consumer market, I believe it will be embraced by freedom enthusiasts.
The Path to a Fully Free System
The foundation for a completely free operating system is already here, with Libreboot and Linux-libre, allowing for a system with no proprietary blobs. However, using such a system daily is still difficult due to processor microcode, as well as network interface card (NIC) drivers, which are often proprietary—something my VRS output confirms.
In my opinion, to be truly 100% free, we would need open schematics for the CPU, all parts of the SoC, DRAM, PCIe, USB controllers, and more. This is an extreme position within the free software movement, but it is closer to reality than ever before.
Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Liberty
Free software has already achieved what once seemed impossible. We now have fully functional systems that respect user freedom, with only a few remaining proprietary components. This is a significant victory, but the work is not done.
The fight for free hardware continues, and we will win!