Why include Broadcom proprietary WiFi driver in Zorin OS? Why not provide FOSS WiFi driver? Is it safe to use Proprietary Driver? What about Privacy?
If there's a free driver it's included in the kernel and will be automatically used. If not the proprietary will be used.
When you don't want to use proprietary drivers select at installation that no proprietary drivers shall be installed.
There are brcmfmac and brcmsmac included in the Linux Kernel. However, they won't work with all Broadcom cards and Broadcom is restrictive about their drivers.
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Proprietary Drivers or in common proprietary Software per se isn't directly a Problem I would think. When someone develops Software or Hardware with Software and don't want ''protect'' their Work and Efforts on it and don't want that others fiddle on it, this is in my Opinion not a bad Thing.
Of Course, You can be critical and think, if the Developer wants to hide something - what some might do - when it is about Data Collection or Ad's. And that would be a bad Thing, yes.
The good Point of proprietary Drivers is, that the Developer made them specific for their Hardware. So, it should (strong Word) work good.
Users also need to be aware that a lot of stuff that works on GNU/Linux is due to the hardwork of volunteers reverse engineering hardware code to get things working.
An example, a teenager in a scandinavian country was put under house arrest for reverse engineering DVD drives so that they would work under GNU/Linux.
https://edition.cnn.com/2000/TECH/ptech/01/25/dvd.charge/index.html
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BINGO!
And there lies the reason why I also use my Nvidia proprietary driver, to run my Nvidia 3080 GPU! I won't use an open source driver, for something as important as my GPU unit.
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