The guys over the GNU Linux-libre project have had the great pleasure of announcing the release and immediate availability for download of the GNU Linux-libre 4.4 kernel on January 10, 2016.

The announcement for GNU Linux-libre kernel 4.4 comes right after Linus Torvalds had the great pleasure of unleashing the final bits of the long-term supported Linux 4.4 kernel, on which the GNU Linux-libre kernel 4.4 release is based on.

At the moment of writing this article there are no details about the changes implemented in GNU Linux-libre kernel 4.4, except for the fact that the nfcmrvl, rohm_bu21023, rtl8xxxu, fdp, qed, and nfcmrvl components have been deblobbed.

Additionally, deblobbing has been adjusted in order to revamp the early microcode loader and support for ft1000 has been removed. More detailed release notes should be available in the coming days.

Linux kernel 4.4 for 100% freedom

The GNU Linux-libre project has been created with a single goal in mind, to create a version of the Linux kernel that is 100% free, designed from the offset to be compatible with the GNU Operating System.

Best of all, the GNU Linux-libre kernel is also compatible with various GNU/Linux operating systems, and every Linux user out there is free to install it from the default repositories of their distributions.

If you are interested in the GNU Linux-libre project, we recommend reading the wiki found at http://linuxlibre.org. In the meantime, you can download the GNU Linux-libre kernel 4.4 right now from our website.

As with every major release of the GNU Linux-libre kernel, all users are urged to upgrade to the newest version available as soon as possible. You should check the repos of your GNU/Linux distribution for GNU Linux-libre kernel 4.4 in the coming days and update immediately as it is out.