Does Alpine Linux contain blobs?

Soderlund · 09-13-2015, 05:33 AM

Does Alpine Linux contain binary blobs, or have they removed such firmware like Debian?

frankbell · 09-13-2015, 09:57 PM

A web search did not turn up anything definitive from third-party sources, but you can browse the Alpine package list. It includes a listing for the license under which each package is released. I know it's not a quick or easy answer, but it's the best I could come up with.

https://pkgs.alpinelinux.org/packages

Perhaps you would get a quicker authoritative answer by posing the question in the Alpine forums.

Rinndalir · 09-17-2015, 09:38 PM

Are you just asking if alpine includes them because you need them or just for the information?

If you want you can keep a copy locally like this:

git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git

then you can keep it up to date from time-to-time by

cd linux-firmware
git pull --all

FYI it is around 190MB in size.

Soderlund · 09-18-2015, 05:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rinndalir

Are you just asking if alpine includes them because you need them or just for the information?

It's because I don't want them.

I'll ask on their forum.

ReaperX7 · 09-20-2015, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soderlund

It's because I don't want them.

Take extreme care with that statement. The firmware are binary blobs, but most modern hardware require them for base level to extended functionality, and excluding them can cripple your hardware. Trying to go Libre doesn't always work in many cases, especially if you use modern hardware from the post 2003 era, especially network, VGA, audio, and even a few disk controllers. My suggestion, check your hardware first and foremost.

Soderlund · 09-21-2015, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReaperX7

Take extreme care with that statement. The firmware are binary blobs, but most modern hardware require them for base level to extended functionality, and excluding them can cripple your hardware. Trying to go Libre doesn't always work in many cases, especially if you use modern hardware from the post 2003 era, especially network, VGA, audio, and even a few disk controllers. My suggestion, check your hardware first and foremost.

I try to only buy hardware that doesn't require blobs. If people do that it will hit the vendors financially (and reward the good ones) and money is the only thing they understand, which will hopefully pressure them into releasing the source code.

You are quite right though: you really need to investigate the hardware and never assume it will work. Old computers are great.

jon lee · 12-27-2015, 07:13 PM

LOL. Good luck!

I'm sure all linux distros have firmware blobs.
I've never attempted a 'sudo rm -rf /lib/firmware', but I'm pretty sure it causes problems.

Rinndalir · 01-22-2016, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jon lee

I'm sure all linux distros have firmware blobs.
I've never attempted a 'sudo rm -rf /lib/firmware', but I'm pretty sure it causes problems.

I'm sure you're wrong there, twice.

Code:

$ ls -l /lib/firmware/
total 0

Rinndalir · 01-22-2016, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soderlund

I try to only buy hardware that doesn't require blobs.

Do you consider microcode as blobs too?

273 · 01-22-2016, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rinndalir

Do you consider microcode as blobs too?

I was reminded about this on another thread. Apparently, according to the Debian developers (and, perhaps, other free software proponents) if I install Debian without the non-free components on my desktop and run it I'm "running free software", however, if I decide to let Debian update the microcode on my CPU I'm not.