The GNU Linux-libre project has announced the release of the GNU Linux-libre 6.16 kernel, catering to those seeking 100% freedom for their GNU/Linux systems. This version, based on the recently available Linux 6.16 series, features improvements such as a cleanup of various blob loading processes and the introduction of inline blobs in newly added drivers for Intel QAT 6xxx crypto, ath12k AHB Wi-Fi, and MediaTek 25Gb Ethernet PHY.
Significantly, this release also addresses the cleanup of blob names in new Qualcomm and MediaTek ARM64 device tree files. There’s further refinement with the Intel microcode loader documents and various drivers including Nova Core and Nouveau for NVIDIA GPUs, Realtek r8169 Ethernet, and others.
Moreover, fixes have been included for the Rust firmware loader, alongside corrections to blob names for new Intel VPU, AMD GPU, and btusb, which had been backported from the previous GNU Linux-libre 6.15 kernel.
The GNU Linux-libre project primarily targets software freedom enthusiasts who desire a completely free GNU/Linux environment without proprietary drivers. Users can download the compressed tarballs of the GNU Linux-libre 6.16 kernel from the official website, with ready-to-use binary packages available for both Debian-based (DEB) and Red Hat-based (RPM) distributions via the Freesh project and RPM Freedom websites.
For further details regarding the release, you can check the release announcement. Download options for the GNU Linux-libre kernel are available on the official site and other related distribution sites.