Re: Exist operating systems that ship without blobs?

[Thor Lancelot Simon <tls%panix.com@localhost>]

On Thu, Feb 18, 2016 at 04:00:25PM +0100, Martin Husemann wrote:
> 
> > If yes, because?
> 
> You would either have to redo all the firmware yourself or drop support for
> that device.

Never mind that OpenBSD's position is basically horseshit: they have not,
after all, removed support for all devices which *have onboard firmware
for which no source code is supplied*.

What's the point of refusing to support devices for which opaque firmware
code is loaded by the OS under the user's control, while still supporting
ones for which the opaque firmware code -- every bit as dangerous -- is
kept on the device where it's even harder to examine and understand, but
still has full access to system RAM, your data, other devices, etc?

Over here in NetBSD land, we are not so interested in smoking in the boys'
room with the other cool kids and so false distinctions like that which
would let us wear our cool T-shirts and spew foam all over our friends
are... less appealing.

Thor