Good News! After Lenovo and Dell, Now HP Pledges to Support Linux Vendor Firmware Service
As long as I’ve been a Linux user, I can remember one of the biggest issues being firmware support on the kernel.
The issue has been notorious, with a lot of new users being discouraged immediately after joining, and the benevolent dictator Linus Torvalds himself giving the bird to Nvidia, a sentiment shared by almost every user who had tried to make Nvidia work on Linux a few years ago.
Things have been getting better recently, though, especially with LVFS (Linux Vendor Firmware Service) on the scene now, providing hardware vendors a portal to upload firmware updates, which can then be downloaded and installed by users through clients such as GNOME Software or fwupdmgr.
Why does LVFS matter?
The relief and effort of LVFS cannot be understated, as before a central secure portal for firmware, the users only had the option to trust some random third party upload on the internet, often breaking or worse, infecting their systems. LVFS fills a space where the vendors can provide secure firmware, with Linux-specific .cab files.
The roadbloack…
The issue, however, obviously, had been funding with the largest contributors being the usual suspects, Framework and Open Source Framework Foundation, at $10K a year. Recently, however, Lenovo and Dell joined suite as Premier sponsors, which is the highest tier at $100K a year each, making the project more sustainable and manageable. These companies contributing makes a lot of sense, considering they are two of the bigger computer companies which offer Linux by default in some cases, especially with Lenovo’s ThinkPads being the Linux users’ favorite for decades.
Welcome the newcomer!
And now, as you’d have it, HP has followed suit as a Premier sponsor, also providing $100K a year, right alongside Dell and Lenovo. This is already being reflected on the homepage of LVFS, with a quote from HP’s Senior Vice President as well:
“LVFS enables quick, easy and timely BIOS updates, so countless customers can enjoy the flexibility of open source Linux-based systems.”
— Xavi Garcia, HP
This calls for a celebration as users, of course, and also a major bout of appreciation for HP will be well deserved. I’m delighted as an HP user on Fedora myself, this is a remarkable day.
The question still remains, however, where are the other vendors? What are they waiting for?
Where are the others?
The image of Linux as a “niche” user community, left to their own devices (literally) to figure out the solutions to the hardware problems the vendors are unwilling to solve, is a view as outdated as it is ridiculous. It is like they expect us to unlock a door of which they have the only key.
This major move by these three companies should not only be seen as a sign of relief and wider acceptance of the usage of Linux, but as a beacon for other vendors to follow, who ought to make their hardware more accessible to the open-source community. This change is only in their best interest, as every year shows the percentage of Linux’s desktop market share going upwards.
Wrapping Up
HP, Dell and Lenovo all being the highest possible contributors to Linux firmware inspires a lot of confidence among the users, a sign of better support and easier updates. Their efforts are much appreciated and applauded, and we hope that more companies show up to the party. Hope this brightens up your day a little bit, if you’re a Linux user on HP. Cheers!
