After four and a half years since the last update, the fourth release of the Replicant 6 project has been formed, developing a completely open version of the Android platform, free from proprietary components and proprietary drivers. The Replicant 6 branch is built on the LineageOS 13 code base, which in turn is based on Android 6. Compared to the original firmware, Replicant has replaced a large portion of proprietary components, including video drivers, binary firmware for Wi-Fi, libraries for working with GPS, compass , webcam, radio interface and modem. Builds are prepared for 9 devices, including Samsung Galaxy S2/S3, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy Tab 2.
Among the changes in the new version:
- In the application for making and receiving calls, we fixed a problem with saving confidential data, which led to the leakage of information about incoming and outgoing calls due to the verification of phone numbers in WhitePages, Google and OpenCnam services.
- The application for working with the F-Droid catalog has been removed from the composition, since many of the programs offered in this catalog differ from the requirements of the Free Software Foundation for completely free distributions.
- Identified and removed binary firmware associated with the operation of the "back" and "home" buttons (buttons retained their performance even without these firmwares).
- Removed Galaxy Note 8.0 touchscreen firmware that was missing source code.
- Added a script to completely disable the modem. Previously, when switching to flight mode, the modem was switched to low power mode, which did not completely turn it off, and the proprietary firmware installed in the modem continued to work. In the new version, to disable the modem, the operating system is blocked from loading into the modem.
- Removed non-free Ambient SDK ported from LineageOS 13.
- Fixed issues with SIM card recognition.
- Instead of RepWiFi, patches are used to manage wireless communication, allowing you to use the regular Android menu with external wireless adapters.
- Added support for Ethernet adapters.
- Added scripts for configuring the network based on USB devices. Added support for USB adapters based on the Ralink rt2500 chip that work without firmware download.
- OpenGL rendering in applications uses the llvmpipe software rasterizer by default. For system components of the graphical interface, drawing with libagl is left. Added scripts to switch between OpenGL implementations.
- Scripts have been added to make it easier to build Replicant from source.
- Added wipe command to clean partitions in storage.
At the same time, the development status of the Replicant 11 branch, based on the Android 11 platform (LineageOS 18) and shipped with a regular Linux kernel (vanilla kernel, not from Android), was published. The new version is expected to provide support for the following devices: Samsung Galaxy SIII (i9300), Galaxy Note II (N7100), Galaxy SIII 4G (I9305) and Galaxy Note II 4G (N7105).
It is possible that builds will be prepared for other devices supported in the regular Linux kernel and meeting the requirements of Replicant (devices must provide modem isolation and come with a replaceable battery to ensure the user that the device will actually be turned off after the battery is disconnected). Devices that are supported in the Linux kernel but do not meet the requirements of Replicant may be adapted to work with Replicant enthusiasts and offered in the form of unofficial builds.
The main requirements of the Free Software Foundation for completely free distributions are:
- Inclusion in the distribution kit of software with FSF-approved licenses;
- Inadmissibility of supplying binary firmware (firmware) and any binary components of drivers;
- Not accepting immutable functional components, but the possibility of including non-functional ones, subject to permission to copy and distribute them for commercial and non-commercial purposes (for example, CC BY-ND maps for a GPL game);
- The inadmissibility of using trademarks, the terms of use of which prevent the free copying and distribution of the entire distribution kit or part of it;
- Compliance with the purity of the licensed documentation, the inadmissibility of documentation that recommends the installation of proprietary software to solve certain problems.
Source: opennet.ru