If the distribution does not have it by default, please include the instructions to use it on the system.
Note: I can’t compile the libre kernel from the source.
If the distribution does not have it by default, please include the instructions to use it on the system.
Note: I can’t compile the libre kernel from the source.
I would argue they’re not safe to use because they block security updates like CPU microcode in the name of absolute freedom.
Not sure why you mentioned this. At least on Arc, or any distro based on it like Artix, the ucode per CPU is offered as a separate package:
% pacman -Ss ucode system/amd-ucode 20241111.b5885ec5-1 Microcode update image for AMD CPUs world/intel-ucode 20241112-1 [installed] Microcode update files for Intel CPUs world/iucode-tool 2.3.1-5 Tool to manipulate Intel galaxy/amd-ucode-xz 20230625.ee91452d-4 Microcode update image for AMD CPUs extra/intel-ucode 20241112-1 [installed] Microcode update files for Intel CPUs extra/iucode-tool 2.3.1-5 Tool to manipulate IntelIf your distro doesn’t help with ucode packages, you can ultimately download it from intel/amd/whatever. And the same applies for the hardware firmware in general.
So it’s true that some hardware won’t properly work out of the box by using libre-linux, but nothing prevents you from getting the required firmware from other packages or sources. Granted that doesn’t make things easier. And granted that might defeat the purpose of using linux-libre, but you might at least only add only strictly required binary blobs for your current hardware.
real linux-libre distros do not offer microcode packages because they are non-free
That’s definitely a factor to consider, but running binary blobs that you don’t have the source for is also a risk. It comes down to what threat vectors you think are important and what risks you’re willing to take.