If you change the hardware later, the corresponding firmware may be missing. A distribution is best prepared for this. It needs to install everything that might be needed (even later).
You can delete, but then you bear the responsibility yourself.
fbt89
21 July 2025 19:24
22
Well like Windows, you change hardware, you load new drivers.
Ah, but one has to want to be motivated.
I recall there were many motivational posters of Yul Brynner
soundofthunder:
As also mentioned, if you remove firmware packages, mark those you wish to keep as explicitly installed :
sudo pacman -D --asexplicit <name-of-package(s)>
Interesting to note albeit rather anecdotal:
The pacman parameter is indeed --asexplicit, however, if using pamac the parameter is --as-explicit.
This subtle difference may be confusing for some.
Continuing the discussion from Remove linux-firmware-meta package? :
Pamac GUI has a button to mark a package as explicitly installed
soundofthunder:
The pacman parameter is indeed --asexplicit, however, if using pamac the parameter is --as-explicit.
This subtle difference may be confusing for some.
Pamac CLI does not have an equivalent of pacman -D to modify pacman database, but packages can be reinstalled explicitly
pamac reinstall <pkgname> --as-explicit
Which is why pacman is superior to pamac.
For that matter, octopi also has the option to change the install reason.
, at one time, and yet a large percentage of people still smoke. 
