Linux 内核是自由软件吗？
Linux 内核是根据 GNU GPL 版本2发布的，因此是自由软件基金会定义的自由软件。
欲了解更多信息，请查阅文档:
Linux 内核许可规则
我听说 Linux 附带有非免费的“ blobs”
blobs
英 [blɒbz]美 [blɑːbz] TEM8
n. 斑点（blob 的复数）
v. 溅污（blob 的三单形式）
在许多设备能够与操作系统通信之前，它们必须首先使用设备制造商提供的“固件”进行初始化。这个固件不是 Linux 的一部分，也不是由内核“执行”的——它只是在驱动程序初始化阶段上传到设备。
虽然有些固件映像是由自由软件构建的，但其中的大部分只能以二进制形式重新发布。为了避免任何许可方面的混乱，固件 blob 从主 Linux 树移动到一个单独的名为 Linux-firware 的存储库中。
不使用任何非免费固件二进制文件就可以使用 Linux，但通常代价是使许多硬件无法操作。此外，许多在驱动程序初始化期间不需要固件块的设备已经预先安装了非自由固件。如果您的目标是运行一个100% 自由的设置，那么您通常需要更进一步，而不仅仅是避免可加载的只有二进制文件的固件斑点。
我可以用“ Linux”或者 Tux 的标志吗？
Linux 是 Linus Torvalds 的注册商标，其使用受 Linux 商标局管制。如需进一步资料，请参阅以下网页:
商标用法
Tux 企鹅的标志是由 Larry Ewing 使用 Gimp 软件创建的。它是免费使用的，包括商业，只要你给拉里尤因适当的信用(“如果有人问”)。如果需要其他许可，请直接联系 Larry Ewing 先生。
“稳定/长期”和“长期”是什么意思？
当内核从“主线”转移到“稳定”类别时，会发生两件事:
他们可以达到“结束生命”后，一些错误修正版本，这意味着内核维护人员将不会发布更多的错误修正这个内核版本，或
它们可以进行“长期”维护，这意味着维护人员将在更长的时间内为这个内核修订版提供错误修复。
如果您正在使用的内核版本被标记为“ EOL”，那么您应该考虑升级到下一个主要版本，因为您正在使用的内核版本将不再提供错误修复。
请查看发布页面获取更多信息。
为什么 LTS 内核在首页被标记为“稳定”？
如果当前没有其他稳定的内核发行版，那么在发行版页面上公布的长期支持(“ LTS”)内核将在首页上被标记为“稳定”。这样做是为了避免破坏监视 kernel.org 的自动解析器，因为预期总会有一个标记为“稳定”的内核版本
Linus 标记了一个新版本，但是没有在首页上列出来！
Linus Torvalds PGP-为所有新的主线内核发行版签署 git 存储库标签，然而，为了创建可下载的 tarball，稳定的发行团队需要生成一组单独的 PGP 签名。由于 Linus 和稳定团队成员之间的时区差异，在标记新的主线版本和 PGP 签名的 tarball 可用之间通常会有几个小时的延迟。一旦这个过程完成，首页就会被更新。
是否有最新内核版本的 RSS 提要？
是的，你可以在 https://www.kernel.org/feeds/kdist.xml 找到它。
我们还发布了一个带有最新版本信息的.json 文件，您可以从这里获取这些信息: https://www.kernel.org/releases.json。
我在哪里可以找到内核3.10.0-1160.45.1. foo？
包含破折号的内核版本由发行版打包，并经常进行大量修改。请与相关发行版联系以获得确切的内核源代码。
有关发行版内核的更多信息，请参见发行版页面。
如何报告内核的问题？
如果您正在运行 Linux 发行版附带的内核，那么正确的开始位置是通过您的发行版支持渠道报告问题。以下是一些受欢迎的选择:
Ubuntu
软呢帽项目
Arch Linux
Linux Mint
Debian
红帽子
OpenSUSE
SUSE
如果您确定问题出在上游内核，请参考下面的文档，该文档描述了如何向开发人员报告错误和回归:
报告问题
我如何参与 Linux 内核的开发？
一个很好的起点是内核新手网站。
我能在 kernel.org 上注册个账户吗？
Kernel.org 帐户通常是为子系统维护人员或高级开发人员保留的。除非您直接向 Linus Torvalds 提交 pull 请求，否则完全没有必要在 kernel.org 上拥有一个帐户来为 Linux 内核的开发做出贡献。
如果您被列入 MAINTAINERS 文件或有理由认为您应该在 kernel.org 上有一个帐户，因为您的捐款数额，请参阅帐户页面的程序。
原文
Is Linux Kernel Free Software? Linux kernel is released under the terms of GNU GPL version 2 and is therefore Free Software as defined by the Free Software Foundation. For more information, please consult the documentation: Linux kernel licensing rules I heard that Linux ships with non-free “blobs” Before many devices are able to communicate with the OS, they must first be initialized with the “firmware” provided by the device manufacturer. This firmware is not part of Linux and isn’t “executed” by the kernel – it is merely uploaded to the device during the driver initialization stage. While some firmware images are built from free software, a large subset of it is only available for redistribution in binary-only form. To avoid any licensing confusion, firmware blobs were moved from the main Linux tree into a separate repository called linux-firmware. It is possible to use Linux without any non-free firmware binaries, but usually at the cost of rendering a lot of hardware inoperable. Furthermore, many devices that do not require a firmware blob during driver initialization simply already come with non-free firmware preinstalled on them. If your goal is to run a 100% free-as-in-freedom setup, you will often need to go a lot further than just avoiding loadable binary-only firmware blobs. Can I use the word “Linux” or the Tux logo? Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds and its use is governed by the Linux Trademark Institute. Please consult the following page for further information: Trademark Usage The Tux penguin logo was created by Larry Ewing using Gimp software. It is free to use, including commercially, as long as you give Larry Ewing proper credit (“if someone asks”). For any other permissions, please reach out to Mr. Larry Ewing directly. What does “stable/EOL” and “longterm” mean? As kernels move from the “mainline” into the “stable” category, two things can happen: They can reach “End of Life” after a few bugfix revisions, which means that kernel maintainers will release no more bugfixes for this kernel version, or They can be put into “longterm” maintenance, which means that maintainers will provide bugfixes for this kernel revision for a much longer period of time. If the kernel version you are using is marked “EOL,” you should consider upgrading to the next major version as there will be no more bugfixes provided for the kernel version you are using. Please check the Releases page for more info. Why is an LTS kernel marked as “stable” on the front page? Long-term support (“LTS”) kernels announced on the Releases page will be marked as “stable” on the front page if there are no other current stable kernel releases. This is done to avoid breaking automated parsers monitoring kernel.org with an expectation that there will always be a kernel release marked as “stable.” Linus has tagged a new release, but it’s not listed on the front page! Linus Torvalds PGP-signs git repository tags for all new mainline kernel releases, however a separate set of PGP signatures needs to be generated by the stable release team in order to create downloadable tarballs. Due to timezone differences between Linus and the members of the stable team, there is usually a delay of several hours between when the new mainline release is tagged and when PGP-signed tarballs become available. The front page is updated once that process is completed. Is there an RSS feed for the latest kernel version? Yes, and you can find it at https://www.kernel.org/feeds/kdist.xml. We also publish a .json file with the latest release information, which you can pull from here: https://www.kernel.org/releases.json. Where can I find kernel 3.10.0-1160.45.1.foo? Kernel versions that have a dash in them are packaged by distributions and are often extensively modified. Please contact the relevant distribution to obtain the exact kernel source. See the Releases page for more info on distribution kernels. How do I report a problem with the kernel? If you are running a kernel that came with your Linux distribution, then the right place to start is by reporting the problem through your distribution support channels. Here are a few popular choices: Ubuntu Fedora Project Arch Linux Linux Mint Debian GNU/Linux Red Hat OpenSUSE SUSE If you are sure that the problem is with the upstream kernel, please refer to the following document that describes how to report bugs and regressions to the developers: Reporting issues How do I get involved with Linux Kernel development? A good place to start is the Kernel Newbies website. Can I get an account on kernel.org? Kernel.org accounts are usually reserved for subsystem maintainers or high-profile developers. It is absolutely not necessary to have an account on kernel.org to contribute to the development of the Linux kernel, unless you submit pull requests directly to Linus Torvalds. If you are listed in the MAINTAINERS file or have reasons to believe you should have an account on kernel.org because of the amount of your contributions, please refer to the accounts page for the procedure to follow.
