The GNU Linux-libre project has recently announced the release of the GNU Linux-libre 6.17 kernel, aimed at users who prioritize complete software freedom on their GNU/Linux systems. This release is anchored on the Linux 6.17 kernel series and features significant changes including a deblobbing process for various drivers, such as AMDGPU, iwlwifi, and Intel AVS.
Improvements in this version include the cleaning up of Intel IPU7 and several AArch64 device tree files. There is also a revised deblobbing approach for PCI HDA drivers, now that these have been moved upstream, and the removal of deblobbing for QLogic InfiniBand drivers, which have been excluded upstream.
The essence of the GNU Linux-libre kernel is to provide an environment free from proprietary drivers and code, appealing especially to purists devoted to the open-source philosophy. Users can download the GNU Linux-libre 6.17 tarballs from the official site and ready-to-use binary packages for both Debian-based and Red Hat-based distributions are available through the Freesh and RPM Freedom projects.
For more details, users can refer to the mailing list announcement page and access downloads from the official website.