The Latin American Foundation of Free published the completely free version of the Linux kernel 6.12 – linux-libre 6.12-gnu, cleaned from firmware and drivers containing non-free components. Linux-Libre also disconnects the kernel functions from loading external non-free components not included in the kernel supply and removes mentions of non-free components from the documentation.
To clean the kernel from non-free parts, Linux-libre created a universal shall-script containing templates to detect binary inserts. Ready-made patches based on the script are available for download. The Linux-Libre kernel is recommended for use in distributions meeting the criteria of the Free System Distribution Guidelines to build completely free GNU/Linux distributions. It is used in distributions like Dragora Linux, Trisquel, Dyne: Bolic, Gnewsense, Parabola, Musix, and Kongoni.
In the Linux-Libre 6.12-GNU release, code cleaning for various components like SOC CPM/QMC, Realtek 8852BE-VT, Bluetooth AMLOGIC, and more has been added. Additional code cleaning was done in drivers for XHCI controllers Renesas and Intel ISH HID. Driver and subsystem code removal was updated for MHI PCI HOST, Adreno 620/621, R8169, Qualcomm Q6V5 Remoteproc, RTW8852C, RTW8922A, and DTS files for ARM54-chips TI PRU and Qualcomm. Drivers for KS7010 wireless cards and Intel Skylake Sound Substitute were also cleaned since they were removed from the kernel.
Notably, one driver was found to have executable object code generated from unpublished source texts in the form of hexadecimal numbers. This issue was identified in the Shader microcode located in the file gfx_v9_4_3_Cleaner_Shader.h, part of the AMDGPU