I really know very little about kernel-level stuff.

Am I able to replace the Arch kernel provided by obinstall with a Libre kernel or will it break stuff?

If I am able - how would I actually do it?

Thanks for any pointers to get me started

Cheers
Sure, you can. Basically the same as in Arch. Install the new kernel, update your grub config if needed, then reboot.
Linux obarun 5.14.16-zen1-1-zen # 1 ZEN SMP PREEMPT Tue, 02 Nov 2021 22:23:00 +0000 x86_64 GNU/Linux
OK so now I have 2 other things to consider -

- installing from a tarball
- will the libre kernel break my system

Arch doesn't officially support it. No idea how it will run on Obarun. The idea of having no proprietary blobs appeals to me. I would LIKE to think that simply getting rid of the proprietary blobs would have zero effect on my system, but maybe I've ignorant or naive?
Are you saying that despite all the leaps and bounds that devs have made in making sysd-free and elogind-free and pulseaudio-free OSes, that NONE of them will run with a libre kernel?

I'm currently exploring the possibility of having an entirely free PC, which includes no proprietary blobs in my kernel. I can then have a minimal set of packages for my writing, music and surfing and be a happy bunny.

If there is no Arch route then it means I have to take my antiX system, compile the libre kernel from source, and cry a sad tear not to be on Obarun :(
Galeano wroteArch's linux-zen is not libre, is it?
Was answering his question, "Can I install an alternative Kernel?"
4L1V3 wroteAre you saying that despite all the leaps and bounds that devs have made in making sysd-free and elogind-free and pulseaudio-free OSes, that NONE of them will run with a libre kernel?

I'm currently exploring the possibility of having an entirely free PC, which includes no proprietary blobs in my kernel. I can then have a minimal set of packages for my writing, music and surfing and be a happy bunny.

If there is no Arch route then it means I have to take my antiX system, compile the libre kernel from source, and cry a sad tear not to be on Obarun :(
I have no idea if a libre kernel will work on your system. It depends on your hardware. You best shot is to try a live image from Parabola, https://www.parabola.nu/. If it works OOB, you can try to either find the source of linux-libre, or sneak into Parabola's repo and download their pkgs and try to install on Obarun. Parabola is also Arch based, there's a chance that the pkgs will also install, but I haven't tried it. Good luck!
I may need to get a new laptop. One of those thingumeys with a libre BIOS and all the bells and whistles.

Fuck HP, nVidia and Intel. Fuck them in their stupid asses

  • [deleted]

  • Post #8
I'd be the last to defend any large corporation, but HP does give out open source code, even wrote Cups for us
Michael Sweet, who owned Easy Software Products, started developing CUPS in 1997 and Apple in 2007 hired chief developer Michael Sweet and purchased the CUPS source code.
jean-michel wrote
I'd be the last to defend any large corporation, but HP does give out open source code, even wrote Cups for us
Michael Sweet, who owned Easy Software Products, started developing CUPS in 1997 and Apple in 2007 hired chief developer Michael Sweet and purchased the CUPS source code.
I think he meant HPLIP
No I haven't tried it because I don't have the time for extraneous messing around. It looks like it's going to be hard.

Ministry of Freedom are selling laptops with libre bios and hardware for around 200 euros. I think I will trade in my HP Pavilion for one of those.

HP are a revolting company, and I couldn't care less about CUPS, HPLIP or any such tree-killing awful crap.

Printing is an obscenity, IMHO, but I don't want this thread to become about that.

I still maintain that if we have to put up with proprietary code blobs in our kernel, then there is a much reduced case for init freedom from the ideological angle. Sure, runit and S6 might be actually better, but would I ever really notice?

It's funny you call me a normie Fungal, because I'm tempted to just start from scratch and install Regolith or Garuda and play easymode
'Hard for you' is obviously going to be a different thing to 'hard for me', even when ONLY considering the level of Linux know-how necessary to proceed with ease. Coupled with that, I am homeless, struggling with severe trauma, and other things. I appreciate the efforts but honestly I think at this point my foray into the world of 'free-er computing' is going to come to an end, for now. I need to take some time out, forget about what I'm using, just plough ahead with some easymode pre-configured i3 distro, and then maybe a few months down the line, come back and take a bigger bite. I had elaborate plans to upload a kind of i3 spin of Obarun to the OUR, but I'm just too dense and scrambled for that. Catch you all down the road.
Don't give up, life is hard, but focusing on the good or seeking to find the good surrounded by murk will keep you sane enough to endure till the end, whenever that may be.

My two cents is: add a repo from hyperbola or libre arch derivative& install it. It should work so long as you follow the workarounds to avoid problems with proprietary blobs. That's easy mode for me. Use one of the following mirrors or add a mirrorlist file in then link to your pacman.conf 
Server = http://repomirror.parabola.nu/$repo/os/$arch
Server = https://repo.parabola.nu/$repo/os/$arch
Server = http://jeweet.net/repo/parabola/$repo/os/$arch
Server = https://jeweet.net/repo/parabola/$repo/os/$arch
Server = https://mirror.cyberbits.eu/parabola/$repo/os/$arch
Server = https://repomirror.parabola.nu/$repo/os/$arch
Server = http://repo.parabola.nu/$repo/os/$arch
Server = https://redirector.parabola.nu/$repo/os/$arch
Server = http://redirector.parabola.nu/$repo/os/$arch
Server = http://mirror.linux.pizza/parabola/$repo/os/$arch
Server = https://mirror.linux.pizza/parabola/$repo/os/$arch
Server = rsync://rsync.cyberbits.eu/parabola/$repo/os/$arch
Server = rsync://repo.parabola.nu:875/repos/$repo/os/$arch
Server = http://mirror.cyberbits.eu/parabola/$repo/os/$arch
Server = rsync://rsync.linux.pizza/mirror/parabola/$repo/os/$arch
neofetch
                    ,;::::;
                ;cooolc;,           
             ,coool;                --------- 
           ,loool,                  OS: Obarun Linux x86_64 
          loooo;                    Host: 2320JPU ThinkPad X230 
        :ooool                      Kernel: 5.14.11-gnu-1 
       cooooc            ,:ccc;     Uptime: 2 mins 
      looooc           :oooooool    Packages: 2124 (pacman) 
     cooooo          ;oooooooooo,   Shell: zsh 5.7.1 
    :ooooo;         :ooooooooooo    Resolution: 1366x768 
    oooooo          oooooooooooc    WM: JWM 
   :oooooo         :ooooooooool     Theme: Lounge-night-compact [GTK2/3] 
   loooooo         ;oooooooool      Icons: oomox-arc-dark [GTK2/3] 
   looooooc        .coooooooc       Terminal: tilda 
   cooooooo:           ,;co;        CPU: Intel i5-3230M (4) @  3.200GHz 
   ,ooooooool;       ,:loc          GPU: Intel 3rd Gen Core processor Graphics Controller 
    cooooooooooooloooooc            Memory: 1477MiB / 7876MiB 
     ;ooooooooooooool;              GPU Driver: Intel Corporation 3rd Gen Core processor Graphics Controller [8086:0166]
I had no problem installing and booting from at least one of the libre kernels. maybe it might be becasue I use an x230.

just add: 
[libre]

Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlistlibre
to your pacman.conf and have the mirrors I posted above in the linked file in the respective folder.

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