Freesh: Celebrating 13 Years of Easy GNU Linux-libre Adoption
Mon, 16 Sep 2024
It's hard to believe that the Freesh APT repository first appeared 13 years ago.
In 2011, while Alexandre Oliva's Freed-ora RPM repository provided GNU Linux-libre for Fedora users, no equivalent existed for distributions utilizing the APT package manager. The idea for an APT repository came from somewhere - perhaps a sysadmin at the FSF, although that person denies it, so no one seems to recall exactly where the idea came from.
Freesh quickly filled that gap. Alexandre Oliva also deserves credit for the clever name "Freesh," which is a nod to providing the "freshest" kernel versions.
Initially, Freesh only supported 32- and 64-bit x86 architectures. But as the years passed, support expanded to a whopping 13 (or maybe even 14, depending on how you count the two 32-bit kernel packages). In April 2013, Freesh went beyond just the latest kernel versions, adding Long-Term Support (LTS) versions to the mix. This gave users the flexibility to choose between bleeding-edge features and rock-solid reliability.
For this 13th anniversary, I'm also releasing a new picture of Freedo in a box that represents being packaged. Let's look to the future as we celebrate 13 years of Freesh. GNU Linux-libre remains as essential as ever in upholding the principles of software freedom by providing a kernel that can be used in complete freedom. Freesh will continue to play a vital role in making GNU Linux-libre readily available to all who value software freedom.
Here's to many more years of Freesh and to a future where free software empowers everyone. As we celebrate the past, let's look forward to a future where GNU Linux-libre continues to be a beacon of software freedom, empowering users everywhere with the freedom to control their computing.