@SuperSnekFriend @charlie_root @dcc @Nishi >The kernel includes a few minor firmwares which are FREELY PROVIDED by the vendors of that hardware, since those vendors chose to not put those firmware onto ROMS on their cards. Those firmwares are FREE. Please indicate a single vendor who wants MONEY for that firmware. They don't want money.
>An "accomplished computer scientist" confusing "free" as in free beer and "free" as in freedom
> I don't have much of a beef in this fight, but come on now!

Can you switch on your brain a moment?

Free software means that the software's users have freedom. (The issue is not about price.) We developed the GNU operating system so that users can have freedom in their computing.

Specifically, free software means users have the four essential freedoms: (0) to run the program, (1) to study and change the program in source code form, (2) to redistribute exact copies, and (3) to distribute modified versions.

Software differs from material objects—such as chairs, sandwiches, and gasoline—in that it can be copied and changed much more easily. These facilities are why software is useful; we believe a program's users should be free to take advantage of them, not solely its developer.

https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/philosophy.html