@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.