I am sure that this is not a new question but I can’t access the net except via my mobile at the moment so I can’t search these forums. I have just installed Pure OS (8) and it won’t pick up my Wi-Fi connection. I have taken the plunge in my gradual coming over to the Librem
Can somebody tell me what I may be overlooking? This is on a Dell Latitude that normally installs any Linux distro without a problem so I don’t know why Pure is different.
Thanks for aný assistance.
The point is that Purism and PureOS only use hardware components that are blob free, as far as is possible, in order to maximise the integrity of the system. When hardware needs a blob, it could be doing “anything” to your files / your data / your computer.
Noone wants untrustworthy hardware, so PureOS tries not to support untrustworthy hardware. So if you install PureOS on untrustworthy hardware, some components of the hardware won’t work. In this case it is the WiFi card - and that seems to be a very common occurrence on non-Purism laptops.
This is a pain because in order to get the needed blob for the WiFi card you need internet - assuming that you want to go ahead with this hardware. So you are in a Catch 22 situation.
Does this particular laptop have an ethernet port? If so, that may be your easiest way of getting the blob.
Thanks for that. I can get to Ethernet later in the day. Yeh a pain and not what I anticipated. Not the end of the world but a bit inconvenient.
Appreciate the prompt reply. I hope the network card is workable!
hello ! this is about gnu/free-software distros like PureOS which use “pure” libre-linux-kernel that is RYF certified (respect-you-freedom … it’s about computing freedom … and the 4 basic digital-freedoms formulated by Dr.Stallman in the 20-th century long before we had the “mess” we have today) vs distributions that are open-source-software but accept some proprietary software to “accommodate” most non-open-hardware in the wild (such as your Dell Latitude)
Thanks for that. I’m certainly not across the underlying tin tacks that underpins the free software ethos. But I’m learning.
I have yet to sort out my Wi-Fi issue which I’m sure won’t be an issue, but what I have lurking in the back of my mind is further possible issues I may encounter as I try to get Pure up and running on my Dell. I don’t mind a bit of a wrestle but time is against me largely. My next laptop will be a Pure so that will remove the issue.
Search the internet for other people installing (any distro of) Linux on your model of Dell.
It also depends on what you need to be working. If it has a fingerprint reader and that is completely proprietary and never works on Linux but you don’t care to use the fingerprint reader then it’s not a problem. On the other hand, most people would want the WiFi to be working. So you have to check out each hardware component for a) does it work? b) if no, do I care?
which dell model do you use btw? just fyi inspirions support linux natively (as you can buy one with ubuntu instead of win) but it still doesn’t mean you can use PureOS there. It uses intel wifi card which still requires firmware blob to be loaded.
Sorry, just saw this reply. My Dells are all Latitudes and they run pretty much everything straight up. I didn’t persevere with Pure OS simply because I don’t know what other issues may be lurking there if I proceed and I’m happy running Ubuntu and Manjaro both which installed without a hiccup. I’ll leave Pure OS until I get my Librem 5 and update to a Pure laptop.