Debian is Non-Free
All our machines (laptops, servers), sans few, run Debian. But Debian isn't free anymore and the FSF is no longer recommending it. The latest technical article by Daniel Pocock is entitled "Bad faith: can't change Debian Social Contract (DSC) without unanimous consent of every joint author" (including himself).
In recent days we saw about 4 articles or commentaries about Rust in Debian, even a core part of Debian. Rust is Microsoft GitHub, it's developed using proprietary tools, and there are many other (technical, not political) issues with it. For instance, adding Rust means that "old" machines will no longer be compatible and hence they'll go to waste. Put another way, Rust is an attack on the environment.
This seems to have motivated some debates even in the BSDs*. "Code must be readable for security audits," an associate argues. "Without that, it can contain anything from bugs to intentionally malicious routines."
Rust, unlike C, is bloatware. I know this based on firsthand experience (trying to compile the darn thing on an old laptop).
"All that is further evidence of too many not understanding (and thus not valuing) software freedom," adds the associate.
Debian's neglect or abandonment of freedom didn't start with and won't end with firmware blobs. What Mr. Pocock refers to as a "Debian cabal" - to paraphrase what we said yesterday in IRC - typically works for GAFAM, gets funded by GAFAM, and indirectly (if not directly) works for the state. Some are on the record as working for spying/spy agencies. They viciously attack us, even as recently as days ago. Even out in the open!
Debian became huge as a result of Richard Stallman (FSF founder) giving it a word of endorsement in the mid-90s. Now, in 2025, the FSF and GNU only recommend some "purer" versions of Debian. The current list has "PureOS, a GNU/Linux distribution based on Debian with a focus on privacy, security, and convenience." The historical list has "gNewSense, a GNU/Linux distribution based on Debian, with sponsorship from the FSF."
Devuan might be worth looking into. I tried Devuan on this laptop back in 2022. █
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* To quote:
PS. On the subject of packaging, see also:
in any event, a port is going to be really awkward, node.js+npm is designed to work with online fetches during build, which are not allowed in ports.
https://marc.info/?l=openbsd-ports&m=176212305831462&w=2
Their project is right to prohibit such tools. Live fetches during the build process are yet another way to evade scrutiny as well as to violate the spirit of software freedom.
With live downloads during the build process, one cannot even examine the code being fetched. And if one cannot examine the code, then one certainly cannot modify it. That violates the freedom to study how the program works, as well as the freedom to change it so it does your computing as you wish, (both freedom 1) because access to the source code is a prerequisite for either.