Hector Martin

Notice that this is exactly the PureOS case - there's no non-free stuff in PureOS repos at all (like Debian main). That flash is IMO a very practical thing to have for a hackable FLOSS-oriented device. And worst case you just won't use it if you don't care.

We're back to square one. What's the *point* of those nonfree repos? Again, this is misrepresentation. Either you have blobs, or you don't. If you do, why is it so important that you stash them so the user doesn't need to care or know about them? Enable the damn nonfree repos.

Like do you *realize* the blatant doublethink this whole thing reeks of? "Our users dislike blobs, so instead of asking them to enable blobs, were going to provide blobs in a way they don't have to care about so they won't be disgusted by our blobs"

But the blobs are there anyway in much more places, even in the SD card or touchscreen controller - I doubt I have to explain that to *you* :P

What's important to me is whether I have to reach for non-free blobs when I build software to run on the user-oriented execution unit, and whether those blobs run on that unit itself. Getting rid of blobs contained in the hardware is also important, but it's a next, distinct step

Why? Why is that important to you? Do you get digital cooties if you touch a blob? Not running blobs on the main CPU has practical advantages. Not *touching* blobs with the main CPU serves no purpose. That's just FSF religious nonsense.

It's about clear boundaries. 100% of PureOS is free software, with all the user freedom benefits it brings. If it had non-free repos with blobs, it wouldn't be true anymore. And introducing blobs into OS for devices that could very well embed it themselves is not worth it.

Sure, the blob is still there. But so are the blobs in all the other microcontrollers there that were already self-contained. Why make the OS "99% free plus some blobs" when you control the hardware it runs on and can maintain that boundary?