I was wondering how many proprietary softwares still remain in /e/OS.
I know that it’s at least true for Magic Earth, as is admitted here.
But are there other proprietary softwares lurking in /e/OS default installs?
The FSF claims that /e/OS contains “non-free libraries”. Is that true? And which ones? Unfortunately, the FSF doesn’t say which libraries they mean. 
All these questions…
a lot of software that make phone periphery work (think camera, bluetooth, modem) is closed source and not freely licensed, both Android libraries and firmware outside Android.
Lineage and /e/OS ships that besides ofc AOSP itself - that is Apache licensed.
FSF started a project last year to identify common libraries (and “blobs” - the firmware) where re-implementing them would be worthwhile (in terms of user base or amount of devices). It was discussed here: Librephone Project
Thanks for the reply.
OK, so now we have Magic Earth, libraries and firmware outside Android. Is that all?
I know for a fact that at least Magic Earth can be safely removed and /e/OS still works. As for the other things, this is probabably much harder.
What does “firmware outside Android” mean? Hardcoded stuff that is already on the phone itself? If /e/OS does not provide it on its own, I don’t think that counts as part of /e/OS. Or did I misunderstand?
Libraries is a different beast. Is there like a list of non-free libraries that /e/OS ships?
a sandboxed app is like.. fine, even if it’s malware there are constraints. Firmware has much less constraints.
basically everything behind /vendor/firmware and lots of partitions. For Android ROM builders this is all familiar. Look at the build repository for a device, FP6 example:
if you step outside Android and use mobile linux, to make periphery work and if you didn’t reimplement those parts, you can’t use the periphery.
Sad? on any laptop or pc, no matter the OS, you’ll be using heaps of firmware too. What the FSF is so stubborn about is: they want all that to be foss.
These lists are DISTURBINGLY large. 
IMHO the /e/OS websites should more openly communicate this so users are aware of the risks. Currently, it’s like this:
Look, I’m not blaming /e/OS for the admittedly shitty firmware/hardware hellhole we are all forced to live in. I blame hardware manufacturers. But I think if something ships that large amounts of BLOBs, it should not be sweeped under the rug.
And yes, I think the FSF has a point. There’s really no good reason why so much proprietary firmware is forced unto us. You’re right, the problem is larger than even smartphones, but I think with smartphones it is worse than with PCs and laptops. Just a general impression.
On the other hand, it cannot be denied /e/OS easily beats “official” Android by simply nuking all the Google spam. By having tried out both systems, I want to never go back to “official” Android again. I’m still in the process of trying out other mobile OSes …
A bit harsh. They have to make a few bob on these tiny throwaway handheld devices.
Google licences them a “free with support” operating system, and folks turn out to buy it.
They are hardly likely to start to build open source hardware.
imo it’s just to appreciate how complex supply chains are for physical technology - not outrage at “oh no this isn’t open source”.
proprietary-files.txt has lots of config files that blow it up, but the lines with a “#” prefix give you an impression what periphery they make possible. There do exist opensource implementations of some parts for some chips (look at FP6 component list)- but they’re not packaged because LineageOS philosophy is to package vendor - and they’d need quite a lot of testing. PostmarketOS does replace some.
trade secrets, patents, control, competition, radio communication regulation (what band you receive/transceive on with how much power) - I can think of some. There’s often little upside for companys to license that freely, also they can be just one element in a proprietary chain where code of other vendors is used and not for them to relicense.
To second aibd: open hardware isn’t a thing in mainstream consumer markets. It does exist though, Librem did it. It’s not what consumers choose though.
I think in this world we still need to compromise. As long as we use general mobile providers’ networks even Custom ROM approach has to partially comply in order for the handsets to actually be usable… Banking apps, government and other official websites people have to access for their convenience on their mobile phones will not work otherwise.
And I really love those who fight for getting away from the ‘SYSTEM’ and then complain that their bank does not support rooted devices and want to complain through official channels, good luck, they are like babies who spat their dummy. (With all the respect to each of the babies!)
I am new to Murena e/OS, and as mentioned in some other topic, love the AP feature with all those leaks and trackers killed which helps massively my Proton VPN in its fight and co-operates with duckduckgo that also stops trackers. All those Three Musketeers on my Gigaset handset make me proud and happy… goodbye google. I hope some day proprietary software will stay behind but apparently not yet.
I do not agree with de-googled Graphene working as a rule of thumb on google made handsets! I hope it’s to be into google’s face: look your phones working without your software and nosiness… but unfortunately doubt it.
Librephone project isn’t dead (yet): Ensuring freedom, one blob at a time — Free Software Foundation — Working together for free software
I am not technically minded but like you and other’s I have that great desire also. I started with the Murena One and quickly realized things are not the way they are purported to be. The time I learned my Murena One was made in China was the moment for me!
Sadly I went back to Apple and believe me I did not like it two years ago. Yesterday the fire came back to reboot up my Murena One and login into this beautiful helpful kind Community, and you hear so much of community these days but truly this is a community. But quickly seeing the issues and questions things have not changed. So I charged up the Murena and into the box it went and now sits once again on the shelf in the closet.
Not being negative but a realist.
Like you and the great majority believed when the decision was made to go with /e/OS we would have a system which was free of intrusions only to find out with increased knowledge such was not the case. It will be a very difficult thing to attain that. The engineers at FSF devoted to such but is it achievable?