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Comment by tremon | Hacker News Reader

Its refusal to package firmware binaries, for one, even if that firmware is required to have a useful machine. I'm looking at AMD specifically here, where recent graphics cards (including APU's) don't even do text-mode without the firmware.

(edit: I understand the why of it, and even agree on principle, but it still prevents me from running linux-libre on most of my systems)

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While Linux-libre is the default for Guix there are no limitations in place that would keep you from using vanilla Linux. In fact, Guix makes it extremely easy to build custom packages, and that includes custom kernel packages.

You can augment the package collection that comes with Guix with a simple environment variable, so the insistence on software libre on the side of the project should not represent a technical hurdle.

I think you're probably stating this incorrectly. Are you sure you don't mean to say that Linux-libre objects to distributing nonfree firmware?

I'd guess that GNU Linux-libre project maintainers have no objection to distributing free software firmware as part of Linux-libre.

Next time you build or choose a system, consider one that can run free software.

I did, and it makes most things quite a bit easier.

Edit: I did after struggling with hw requiring nonfree blobs of different shapes and size for a couple of years. Currently I was lucky to get my hands on a system that I can run using linux-libre and the only component I have "extra" is a usb wifi card.

> Next time you build or choose a system, consider one that can run free software.

The only workstation that boots with entirely free software is like, the Talos II PowerPC, with a minimum cost of $5000.

Everyone else requires a binary blob somewhere. Either a UEFI blob, BIOS blob, some kind of driver somewhere, or whatnot. Raspberry Pi, AMD, Intel, everybody.

And before the Talos II, I don't think an "Open PC" devoid of proprietary binary blobs even existed. At least, something that is reasonably modern (ie: 64-bit, decent security, decent support with modern OSes)

What about pre-ME thinkpads, after replacing the wifi card with an ath9k/open source firmware one? Does the intel chipset graphic require a blob for simple framebuffer/textmode operation? Because I can't remember including any blobs in the libreboot I use there, and iirc I get output before a linux kernel is able to load device firmware.

It is 64bit, and runs pretty much anything from (from what I can tell, but not sure, due to CHMPXCHG16B) Windows 10, over FreeBSD to Android. Probably even something like QNX.

Yes, you might not call this reasonably modern, but according to the hard facts you listed as qualifiers for being reasonably modern, they tick off.

Pretty sure that has a BIOS

Unless it is running the "coreboot BIOS" (which very few things are), then it has a binary "non-free" blob booting it up.

I don't remember whether the video BIOS was extracted from the old binary or if it is the open-source replacement, but I'd tend towards the latter as I don't remember searching for the backup/dump of the original firmware.

And yes, it's running coreboot, and at least CLI/linux-framebuffer arch linux works. I didn't yet get to setting the rest of the system up, but considering I bought it specifically for high-security operation, as the ME can be physically removed without loosing more than the build-in Ethernet port, I'm not pressed to do it anytime soon.

Edit: I'm pretty sure I followed [0], which leads me to the new conclusion that I did use libreboot, a more strict version of coreboot (think coreboot=Archlinux, libreboot=GNU Guix), and had to fiddle with the question whether the open-source video bios would work. This confuses me a little, as I remembered buying an X61s, not an X60s, but from the fact that it booted after flashing, I deduce it had to be an X60.

[0]: https://libreboot.org/docs/hardware/#list-of-supported-think...

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