AGNewSenseProblem

I tried what you recommended and it failed to compile. I have decided that to stop my urge to spam the board until someone fixes this I will give myself a, "time out." In more ways than one actually. First, I will not post in this forum until next Friday at the earliest. And it is Thursday the 12Th now, by my time. The second way I am giving myself a, "time out," is by trying out some other 100% Free Software Operating Systems. It appears that gNewSense is the only one who decided to deem it necessary to knock out this module and cause even people who have 100% Free Software compatible sound cards to loose all sound capabilities. I am new to Free Software, and very new to compiling from source. It was a challenge for me to compile Wormux, a video game. Now when I ask what I am supposed to do, I am being told I either wait for a completely undetermined amount of time to get my sound back until others fix it, help fix it, or compile my own driver from scratch. Again, I can't even compile my own from scratch, how am I supposed to be able to help purify a module when I can't even compile a driver? Music is a large part of how I relax. I just got a new job not too long ago, I'm trying to get my first car, I'm trying to get technical school working, and I'm 19 and living at home with my parents as we juggle all of this. As I am trying to not play proprietary video games anymore, my other form of venting emotions, I have been trying to listen to music, learn about Free Software, and try Free Software Games. Things were going pretty well. I've gotten half way through Free Software Free Society. I've found xEvil. And I've learned how to use Audacity to convert MP3s to OGGs. Everything was going find, and I was strongly considering joining the FSF as an Associate Member. I like Free Software, want to support it, and would enjoy the discount. I am not a programmer. I have used the proprietary software tool Game Maker to design video games. I am hoping to someday learn Python with Pygame; and I am also hoping someone develops a GUI to Python with Pygame soon. There is someone trying, or, they are trying to develop a GUI for some game development tool for Free Software. However, this sound things has thrown a ringer into all of this. I have been trying to get someone to walk my by the hand through this for about a week; and no one has yet taken the time to do as such. Nor has anyone given a reasonable estimate on when the module might be purified. I've considered just scrapping the whole Free Software idea. I have given up a lot for it, considering almost everything I ever did am a computer was proprietary, and I love computers. I've given able printer usability because I can't get it to work through a network and if no one can help me compile a sound card who is going to help me configure a network? I've given up 3D games because of the limited support for 3D graphics in Free Software. I've had to fight trying to install gNash, which to be honest becomes obsolete as fast is its updating because Youtube updates to make it incompatible as fast as they can; which almost makes me question if they do it for spite. I've given up proprietary console because I did not want a conflict of interest between me computing and my video game playing. Now, to top it all off, I can't even listen to music anymore? The system seems to becoming less and less functional as it becomes more and more Free. Which again is interesting because the FSF recognizes and recommends many other 100% Free Software Operating Systems that don't knock out my sound. As of right now, I'm running Blag until I can decide if it's worth trying to do this. Free Software isn't just what installed onto a computer; it's a lifestyle of political, social, and technological awareness. It takes dedication to commit to Free Software; and I have been dipping my toe in the pool and trying it out on and off for about a year or so now. I was about to jump into the pool full force until I was blindsided by the sound issue. What really gets me about this is that there is no, "safe zone," now. Before, as long as one made sure one's hardware was 100% Free Software compatible, there was no problem. I have a 100% Free Software sound card, and you have still rendered it useless. I could see if my card wasn't supported, it would have been my own fault. But I'm not going to run out and by another card. It might be supported too, and you still might knock it out. There is no safe rule of thumb for functionality. I'm guess the other distributions either didn't see the module as infringing on Freedom, or simply abstained from knocking it out in respect to those using the Free Divers. Maybe they'll planning to update it once you all develop the fix, and have opted to not inconvenience the users until then. I don't know. And to think I was trying to recommend my friend to gNewSense. He was getting tired of Windows and was thinking about trying something else. I got him Open Office.org so he'd have an office tool. At first I felt bad he wasn't brave enough, or for whatever reason, to try something new and try gNewSense. Now I am glad he didn't. I would have been embarrassed to try to explain to him why the operating system I have just recommended to him all of the sudden decided to kill his sound. It was wrong of me to spam the boards; but it's been days and no one has yet helped me to a fix. I thought about sending off to the FSF, but it's really not their problem. This is a gNewSense issue, not a Free Software issue. I say that because no one else is imposing this headache on their users. So, sorry for the spam and for this somewhat irritated letter. It's the principle of the thing; of no safe zone. I'm going to leave for a while and I hope you fix this soon before I decide if I'm staying with Free Software, switching to another Free Software System, or back to Windows. I will abstain from furthering recommending Free Software to others until I've made my decision on whether or not to become an Associate Member. I just don't want to become an Associate Member until I can commit to running a 100% Free Software System. I don't want to commit to that until I know, for my own sake and for the sake of I recommend Free Software to, that the systems are actually stable and functional as long as you have compatible hardware. And to be honest, with gNewSense, I can no longer guarantee that to my friends and peers. It would be wrong to judge all of the Free Software movement for the mistakes of one system. And to be honest, I like the ideas of the movement. My solution might just be as simple as switching to another system and not recommending this one. I am going to think long and hard on this, and won't be back here until Friday at the earliest. I just wanted to let everyone know my feelings and thoughts on this. Thank you.

Thanks for writing us all your concerns about the "no sound issue" and other problems using gNewSense 2.0.

Other fully free distributions didn't remove that module only because we discovered it earlier. I resolved the no sound problem this way: I reinstalled gNewSense 2.0 and didn't update the known module. Now I have both sound and freedom. ;)

I'm sorry for this problem but we're still a small group of free software activists and it's difficult for us to keep the magic going in every part of the distribution.

Please keep fighting for freedom. If you want to become a FSF Associate Member please DO IT. It will help us too.

We're doing the BEST we can to improve gNewSense and solve all the problems. If everyone says: now sound doesn't work so I will not use it until the problem is solved our group becomes smaller and smaller and this doesn't help us.

Sometimes freedom needs some sacrifice but it is worth it.

I still survive with sound by putting my music onto my digital audio player rather than playing it from my computer, you need to improvise. Downgrading by reinstalling and not updating isn't advocating freedom. I'm just going to stick it out, I have like 95gb of music to put on my audio player and onto dvds for my car, so I'm not short of music. Try reading a book instead of listening to music maybe. Just my thoughts and suggestions

I am a free software activist since 2001 so I think I don't need any advocating lesson my friend. ;)

Downgrading and reinstalling gNewSense IS advocating freedom. If I reinstalled Ubuntu maybe you were right but I am not so PLEASE...

arc, You want to say that enough reinstalling for having the totally free system? But the upgrade of the module had not been made because not free? The last time I have mistaken and the system has upgradeded two modules, and something other; now I've not both sound and video.

No, if you reinstall gNewSense without updating, that module which is partially non free will stay there and your os will not be fully free.

BUT you are still using, supporting promoting gNewSense. You have not changed your mind about software freedom (I hope!)

What I was trying to say was: if you REALLY need sound for your work or for something important you cannot live without, the only method now is reinstalling or downgrading.

With this I am NOT suggesting the installation of non free software. In fact I DON'T SUGGEST you to do so.

What I can suggest is helping to check that damn module:

http://wiki.gnewsense.org/Kernel/Ubuntu-hardy-linux-ubuntu-modules-2-6-24-16-23

Thank you. El futuro es libre.

OK I fully understand the need to keep gnewsense free. I am grateful to our communities commitment to it. the upgrade not only broke my sound but my wireless card also stopped working. I know for a fact that both my audio and wireless do not need proprietary software to run because I checked. my laptop is rather far from the router in my house so this has made it unusable for both sound and internet. will there be an upgrade where this is resolved? is someone working on the kernal to check and fix these issues? I would do it but I am not a developer and don't know how. I am a user that wants freedom but also wants a usable computer.