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   Strypey (strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz)'s status on Saturday, 14-Sep-2024 21:35:54 JST Strypey

   Media playback is so broken in Fedora Mint, that playing the same video files works better when running Trisquel (also using Mint) off a USB stick. That's *after* I spent about an hour on Fedora enabling extra software repos and installing codecs.

   I'd just be running Trisquel (as I usually do) If I could figure out how to get WiFi working with it on this laptop.

   #GNULinux #Fedora #Trisquel #Mint

   • Embed this notice
     翠星石 (suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com)'s status on Saturday, 14-Sep-2024 21:35:52 JST 翠星石

     in reply to
     @strypey >If I could figure out how to get WiFi working with it on this laptop.
     It's called replacing the garbage card with one that works with free software (either mPCIe internal or a usb-attached one).
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     翠星石 (suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com)'s status on Monday, 16-Sep-2024 18:06:08 JST 翠星石

     in reply to
     @strypey >If I could figure out how to install a working WiFi driver for the garbage card in Trisquel, I'd switch back in a heartbeat. But that kind of advice seems to be impossible to get.
     As far as I can tell, that consists of downloading the source version of Linux-libre, copying Trisquel's .conf (usually stored under /boot), changing the module required for the card to be compiled in (rather than loaded at runtime as a module), adding whatever proprietary software that is to be hotloaded to CONFIG_EXTRA_FIRMWARE, i.e. ; CONFIG_EXTRA_FIRMWARE="regulatory.db regulatory.db.p7s proprietary-software.bin", compiling and installing that.
     
     I haven't tried it myself (getting a decent card is much more convenient), but I am confident that it will work, as while GNU Linux-libre doesn't force proprietary software onto the user (by disabling machinery that can only be used to load proprietary software), it doesn't stop the user from loading whatever software they would like to.
     
     It is also possible to edit the Linux-libre patching shell script to not patch certain files and then applying that to the mainline proprietary Linux, but that's kind of advanced.
     
     
     You could also try using Fedora's proprietary version of Linux, by making a backup copy of Trisquel's Linux-libre and copying over Fedora's version and possibly the initramfs, plus copying over fedora's /lib/modules/folder, plus the relevant files under /lib/firmware, although that may or may not work depending on what the initramfs etc is expecting.
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     Strypey (strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz)'s status on Monday, 16-Sep-2024 18:06:11 JST Strypey

     in reply to

     • 翠星石

     @Suiseiseki
     > It's called replacing the garbage card with one that works with free software

     That costs money. One reason I'm recycling old laptops is I don't have any. If I could figure out how to install a working WiFi driver for the garbage card in Trisquel, I'd switch back in a heartbeat. But that kind of advice seems to be impossible to get.

     So I'm stuck with running it off a USB stick when I don't need WiFi, and switching back to Fedora when I do.