Is the OpenBSD kernel free software?
OpenBSD, the only *BSD project whose kernel policy is against blob drivers, but still has nonfree programs, so still not FSF-endorsed due to this. If I contribute to LibertyBSD which the OpenBSD kernel is really free software I will,
* Drop OpenBSD base system and instead migrate to HardenedBSD base system, then publish the deblobbed FreeBSD kernel in codename of Freedo. Will instead publish the free as in freedom OpenBSD kernel under /compat/OpenBSD.
* No ZFS support at all due to GPL violations. UFS manual partitioning is required for bsdinstall.
* Insteadly the full e2fs support will be available in my base system.
* Apply the Parabola’s your-freedom blacklist to HardenedBSD base system, after done I will be self-hosting for my works , then allow mirrors using SourceForge, GitLab, Not-a-bug.
* Liberate Qt5-WebEngine by replacing with LightSpark against nonfree Flash deps, then rebrand using my codename Qt5-IceEngine, finally add this to my new LibertyBSD base system.
* Add OpenRC and GNU+Shepherd init systems to the new LibertyBSD base system. Both are missing in HBSD but OpenRC is found in Trident, TrueOS, GhostBSD as default init.
* Finally make a few desktop USB installers, flavoured in Lumina, Plasma, Xfce, MATE, finally few tilings, these GUI shell will be added as an option in my bsdinstall TUI program. If GRUB-EFI is also opted in update-grub will also be run for you.
You are still welcome to have feedbacks to me to invite the first *BSD project that’s also an GNU project. :)
i joined this forum to ask about libertybsd. when i joined, the most recent update was 3 months old (whether significant update or not, i couldnt tell.)
the update was on the scripts on github. i didnt want to necro a thread that old, but now there is a new one. very interested in libertybsd, i hope it moves forward. seems like the only truly free software bsd out there.
i dont think it will ever get fsf approved. but maybe (the devs seem interested and i wish them success.) ive talked to rms about it, but if i simply apply the publically-known guidelines i dont think it will get approval. but thats different from not being free, the fsf guidelines go beyond "no non-free software.") even being called "bsd" could be a potential issue, because it refers to bsd and it leans on bsd for security updates (for now.)
this much is certain, it has to be actively maintained to be approved. are you working on this now, gd_scania? if so, thats very cool. good luck.
i updated my libraries public list of free software distributions to include libertybsd a while ago. when i checked recently, the libertybsd forum (and contact email) were down.
"in codename of Freedo."
It might be better to pick a different name. Freedo has been the mascot for Linux-libre for nearly a decade.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux-libre#/media/File:Freedo.svg
Using the same Freedo name with a different project might cause confusion.
My project and Linux-libre are both GNU projects, so less likely to be a confusion. If this still confuses I will use IceBlag (Blag is also a dead GNU project) or IceFreedo, even simply IceBSD as the new codename for my freed FreeBSD kernels. This inspires from the ‘‘Ice’’ prefix from GNUzilla, my Qt5-IceEngine liberating semi-nonfree Qt5-WebEngine also inspires from GNUzilla. :)
as someone who toyed in the past with looking for legit ways to add "gnu" to project names to promote (well, gnu) i love the "ice" prefix idea as the generic/unofficial gnu prefix. thats inspired.
ice could stand for "ice can emancipate." admittedly this will create some confusion in texas, california and arizona, but i always thought trisquel was from spain anyway.
"My project and Linux-libre are both GNU projects"
It is? https://www.gnu.org/software/software.html has the official list of packages which are part of the GNU Project in the section "All GNU packages." Where is yours?
"so less likely to be a confusion"
I still think there is a likelihood of confusion. The same with using the Blag name. Why not come up with your name name instead of reusing those from other people?
"Blag is also a dead GNU project"
What? BLAG was never a GNU package. Perhaps you have a misunderstanding of what it means to be a GNU package. It doesn't mean that you use one of the licenses but it actually becomes part of the GNU Project. See "What it means for a program to be a GNU package" on https://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation.en.html so if it really is a GNU package we'll find it on https://www.gnu.org/software/software.html and I can assure you that BLAG was never there.
BLAG is on https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html but that's only a list of recommended distributions of GNU. They are not themselves the actual GNU Project; else they'd be included in the list of packages I pointed to.
im not even sure which project we are talking about here. if we are talking about libertybsd, cool. if we are talking about part of libertybsd, cool. if we are talking about something similar to libertybsd, also cool.
assuming we are talking about a free-as-in-freedom effort related to bsd (from what ive tried to gather so far) i figure its probably wise to avoid the gnu prefix unless youre creating something that the fsf brings under its umbrella. and by "youre" i mean gd_scania, even though this reply was triggered by a post he didnt write.
(for those who are trying to make heads or tails of this like i am, i think when he says its "gnu" he is referring to the operating system. though if we are basing it on bsd, "gnus not unix." and bsd actually is! so it should probably be called "biu", for "biu is..." im mostly joking about this.)
but i like the ice prefix, so how about "icebsd" or (if "bsd" is problematic as it will likely prove to be) "ice software distribution." (isd)
there was briefly an incoming distro (or the equivalent thereof) called "rms mostly slax", i put it on my bootable fsf card-- it had kde 3.5 and it was pretty awesome. of course they didnt get to keep the name-- "slax" is non-free, etc. etc. etc. although i think gnu /probably has the right idea/ when it forbids names referring to non-free operating system distributions, it still breaks its own rule by saying "gnus not /unix/." id rather be completely free than partly free given a simple choice between the two, but purity is always a goal fraught with complexity. freedom itself really isnt that simple-- people would like it to be, and sometimes they get lucky.
LibertyBSD is not that problematic that’s actually based on a BSD project. There still is a more cool project name not using the BSD suffix (though based on a BSD project, not a Linux distro), IceOS. :)
Thanks pointing out. :)
I’m always confused between GNU free systems (OSes) and GNU packages (programs), to describe what’s a ‘‘GNU project’’.
Is there a way to find out what non-free software Open BSD includes? And can it be removed then without problems?
probably the best documentation on whats non-free in openbsd is here in the most recent scripts to remove the non-free from it:
https://notabug.org/LibertyBSD/libertybsd-scripts
if there is a better source of information id love to know.