Re: [GNU-linux-libre] review PureOS ISO

[guix]

Hello Zlatan,

I am following this list, as a user of GNU, and somebody who compiles
those to me needed GNU packages from sources, and I endorse all free
and FSF endorsed GNU distributions.

Sadly I am in such a position that cannot easily order a computer
without proprietary BIOS. At least I don't use any proprietary
firmware, and the one for this ath9k chips, I have compiled myself, it
was hours of work to get less than 100 kb firmware file.

I see that on your website, you are selling notebooks. I don't know
nothing about them, and if you are calling them Librem, I just assume
they are without proprietary BIOS.

I have reviewed this FAQ here:
https://puri.sm/faq/

and I did not find anything in regards to BIOS. I have found on other
pages on your site, that you are basically still using blobs, like it
says here: https://puri.sm/posts/bios-freedom-status-nov2014/ and I
cannot know what is updated information.

The impression is that you are offering a notebook products, and that
you are trying your best to reach into the target group of free
software supports, and you try your best to liberate the notebook from
proprietary software, in order to reach to the mentioned group of
people.

The focus is not on free software. The focus is on a notebook, that is
to reach the free software users and supporters.

Only, why did not you come up in the first place with a notebook
without blobs, and non-free firmwares? From beginning?

What can you do to actually offer libre notebooks?

Do you see my point? On one side, you liberate the operating system,
like PureOS, and on the other side, you are yourself selling non-free
notebooks.

You are promoting free software distribution on the same domain where
you are selling non-free software to people.

My observations:

1) PureOS domain is not pure from proprietary software, in fact, it is
promoting sales of notebooks that still contain proprietary software

2) Notebooks were chosen from beginning to have the proprietary blobs,
firmware, whatever, and you have offered them for sale before that has
been handled.

3) While you are promoting PureOS as free distribution, you have a
business that pushes proprietary software into hands of the users, I
refe to blobs and firmware, I don't know if anything changed, you can
let me know.

4) I have not reviewed where other free distributions host their
software, however, I don't have Github account (not any more) and will
not be able to file bugs against it.

5) I have reviewed als your repo location and its source code on:
http://repo.puri.sm/pureos/ and I can see that ChangeLog is of zero
bytes, which tells me there were no changes ever, or somebody is
simply placing a file for its own sake.

6) After the review of the file Packages.xz I see that you are using
something like Debian packaging? I don't say anything against that, I
am just looking into the efforts to liberate the software from
anything proprietary. Are you putting those efforts? Or are you just
repackaging some other distribution?

7) After the review of "Sources" of PureOS, I could find on this link:
http://repo.puri.sm/pureos/dists/green/main/source/ the file name
Sources.xz for which I was thinking, what it is? It was uncommon to
me, to find a file without "tar", so I have reviewed the file. Don't
take me wrong, I like sources in general, that is why I am compiling
all packages from sources. I am addict to sources. And on your
website, I could just find one file relating to sources.

The file does not give sources of the PureOS, it just points out to
sources of Debian packages.

There are few packages that are showing some "pureos" work being done,
those relate to package management, and customization of the Gnome
system.

I have also reviewed your purism Github account,
https://github.com/purism and on the package pureos-meta I see there
is 1 contributor.

All that is good. I just see pure efforts for free software
distribution. I see much of efforts for customization of the Debian
GNU/Linux to comply to your notebook sales.

In fact, I guess, you would be better of in selling notebooks, if you
would say "Debian - ready" and simply letting people use any
distribution they want, without PureOS pre-installed. I am not sure if
you are gaining anything in notebook sales like this. Maybe a simple
customized PureOS wallpaper and menu, on the pure Debian GNU/Linux
installation would do more for you in terms of sales. 

8) The website for PureOS is not separate from a notebook sales
website. In fact sales are in the first focus on that domain. I don't
say you should not sell notebooks, I say that your focus is on sales
and much less focus on truly purely making a free software
distribution.

You asked for comments, you got it.

I am not member of FSF, even I made few small contributions. I am just
somebody out there, sitting in the town of Geita, Tanzania.

Jean Louis


On Wed, Nov 09, 2016 at 01:43:59AM +0100, Zlatan Todoric wrote:
> Hi all (again),
> 
> we are restarting the process of getting PureOS as FSF endorsed OS. We
> built new infrastructure and released alpha 2 image publicly so we want
> to march together on this road with you and see the final release of
> PureOS 3.0 as FSF endorsement of PureOS.
> 
> Image available for download: https://puri.sm/pureos/download/
> 
> Repo location and it's source code: http://repo.puri.sm/pureos/
> 
> New infra brings few things that might (should matter) to community:
> 
> Bug tracker: https://tracker.puri.sm/maniphest/
> 
> Wiki (we could use interested parties here :) ): https://tracker.puri.sm/w/
> 
> Code hosting: although it is mostly here https://github.com/purism and
> on other parts of github, we plan to move most (probably all) or mirror
> at least to https://tracker.puri.sm/diffusion/
> 
> 
> Compared to last time - I appreciate all suggestions and hopefully you
> can use our bugtracker for submitting bugs (or even code/pull requests)
> and hopefully we can avoid bashing and bad language. We really want to
> do this properly and be welcomed into GNU family.
> 
> 
> Thanks all and let the work begin,
> 
> 
> Z
> 
>