The Gluglug – GNU/Linux laptop with libreboot firmware
shop.gluglug.org.uk
shop.gluglug.org.uk
It correctly portraits the two options we have to spend our money on a new device:
a) Very modern device and supporting the status quo
b) A slightly outdated device and supporting the market for
devices that are more freeSo in short, its constraints in various areas really do shackle you in a lot of ways. Media creation, software creation, sharing, all suffer from the weaknesses of this machine.
The x200 also unofficially supports 8GB of system RAM. Since the machine is under no warranty coverage whatsoever, running an unsupported configuration will, at worst, cost you the price of a couple of 4GB SO-DIMMs or return shipping on an RMA.
Please don't judge a thing that doesn't satisfy your priorities as being somehow objectively "bad" or "wrong". It just doesn't meet your needs. Go find a machine that does, then, and let the people whose needs and priorities are met by a Gluglug x200 satisfy theirs with this.
Tone down your dismissal of other people's needs and use-cases, and we can have a discussion.
Remember, RMS uses a Libreboot-based x60, which is even less machine than the x200 under discussion here. Are you going to tell him he's wrong, too?
Regarding RMS, I do not feel that he is a good spokesperson for the Free Software movement, or computing in general. He's requested people to delete Free software and pretend it doesn't exist because it could potentially be used with unwritten software to potentially allow a non-free program to use gcc as part of its chain [1]. He has criticized software because it allows interoperation with a perceived enemy [2]. Lower down on my list of criticisms would be his use of the x60, because it is in a lot of ways saying that free software is an inferior good. Instead of trying to work with a team to create a completely open laptop, like Bunnie Huang has done [3], or use a Chromebook that runs a Free software boot environment by design, he uses a very old laptop instead. Which in the end, is one of the biggest flaws with RMS's operations. He seems unwilling to show that one can use Free, modern, devices and still not limit himself.
I use sharp words because I am tired of the lack of vision, lack of foresight, and lack of creativity from the gnu branch of free/open software. Modifying a seven year old laptop and making it less functional is not revolutionary or interesting. Selling said item for a three time markup is not revolutionary or interesting. There are more than enough options out there, the Free software community needs to put up or shut up.
[1] https://gcc.gnu.org/ml/gcc/2001-02/msg00895.html
[2] http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2015-02/msg003...
And your justification
I use sharp words because I am tired of the lack of vision, lack
of foresight, and lack of creativity from the gnu branch of free/open software.
Its interesting how slowly use cases change and how slowly software changes, but how fast hardware increases. In the 90s I would have really been lucky to have 4 gigs to do those tasks you list.
For me, first and foremost are the parts that I interact with... namely the screen, keyboard and mouse. TBH, I have yet to try a laptop keyboard I like... I use a model-m style keyboard from Unicomp (103-key US), and all laptops and most other keyboards feel like sponges. I've yet to use a touchpad that's nearly as good as a macbook pro's, and their keyboard is better than most. The rMBP screen is pretty nice too. That said, there's certainly a price tag attached.
As to the software, I could care less mostly. I survive in windows, linux and osx on a daily basis, if I have a command prompt (bash) and most of the same tooling available (thankful for git extensions for windows bringing all the gfw/git/bash/ssh tools with it), I'm pretty happy. I have also started using an natural scrolling everywhere.
All of that said, it's nice to see open options that start under $1k in price, even if slightly older hardware. I'm not sure how good/easy Trisquel is to use, I know it's based with dpkg, but without apt/aptitude on top of it, may be difficult for most people to use in practice (I couldn't find reference to this, just a cursory look).
I know [Trisquel]'s based with dpkg, but without apt/aptitude on top of it
I still think it's cool to have open options... I've tended towards buying routers/phones that I can replace the software, even if I don't start off that route because I like having supported, updateable options past the production date.
I've been less concerned on the desktop/laptop front, but am actually getting more so.. given the lock-down methods that have been in the pipeline, I don't want to be stuck with the MFG OS... I've been looking into getting a couple C2D macbooks, so I can load linux on them to play around with... I'm relatively happy with my current rMBP, but the changes apple has made to the OS irk me more with each release.
This offering is essentially for people who care about the software more than anything else. So this is probably not for you.
> priorities for technically inclined users.
There are a bunch of very different people who can claim to be technically inclined. Let's stop generalizations.
Plus, tracker1's software tastes are pretty much unrelated to the claim that efficiency is important.
This is not the lose-lose that some people seem to think it is. One of the reasons closed-source few-vendor is a dominant ideology is that it actually satisfies the use-case for an awful lot of users. Meanwhile, in 2015, I still can't get a reliable basic audio(!) experience on my Linux distributions because the open-source community can't seem to decide on the right way to do something as fundamental as "pipe bytes to the digital-analog-conversion hardware."
(1) Costly in general. With the Gluglug running at around US $500, it's not winning the cost game.
Hardware companies keep specs secret and sabotage the development of free software drivers. That's feasible because they only need to collaborate with Microsoft and Apple to support a big market share. If consumers don't care, then apparently this is what happens. But it's not just a question of the competence of free software developers.
Part of my point, though, is it's not a question of the competence of free software developers.
It's a question of the capacity of free software developers in the long-standing market / legal ecosystem to deliver a reliable solution at all. The roadblock may be entirely structural and completely unfair; doesn't matter. As the end-user (speaking with the Queen's "end-user"), we don't care why it doesn't work; we care that if we buy this computer / OS it works, and if we install that OS on that computer it doesn't. So of course we buy this computer / OS; we have work to do, and "Make the ecosystem fair for hackers to implement a working and reliable pulseaudio" isn't that work.
Knuth, when faced with a world where he didn't have a typesetting solution to print his book, wrote TeX. Most people just put up with the crappy existing solution, because their goal is to write a book.
Of course there's some causal reason why many are stuck using proprietary software. That doesn't invalidate the free software cause, and is not a reason to snark about how "they don't care about software, only ideology." That distinction is itself ideological.
I want to be able to use my hardware beyond the manufacturer's expiration date. If I choose to replace functional hardware with new hardware, that's my choice.. but the ever encroaching state of planned obsolescence disgusts me. Which is why I really appreciate FOSS, and more open hardware options.
tl;dr: sure there are newer machines with better specs, but nothing better in ways that actually matter to me.
BTW, I appreciate the work you did in the Clojure community!
Basically everything in the X200 is user-serviceable; you can even replace the keyboard without taking it in, provided you can find the parts you need. The only thing I'd be worried about is being able to find new batteries for it; worth looking into before you pull the trigger.
IBM/Lenovo tends to follow the reference designs more than the other companies, which helps with Coreboot porting.
While not a beast, a Haswell i3 with 4GB isn't bad at the ~$300 price point. Throw in a 128GB ssd and it's good to go. It's been my daily driver as I'm unfortunately content with 'open enough' given the market.
http://www.amazon.com/Acer-C720-3404-11-6-Inch-Chromebook-Gr... https://johnlewis.ie/custom-chromebook-firmware/faq/
Edit: The Chromebook Pixel might do but it's not particularly Free.
Edit: Chart seems somewhat up to date at least, best I could find.
You could even put Coreboot on it.
People praise the C720 a lot but it has no upgradeable RAM which makes it a regression in my book.
I had to return the card, and figure out what the compatible FRU part number is. The card is really exactly the same, just some internal code is different. This is beyond dumb and annoying.
Then again, NSA and other state actors wouldn't be able to implant malware into those areas without physical access.
I wonder why we don't have physical jumpers.
So with a write protect switch, RAM init couldn't store the actual memory configuration (~2kb of data), so wakeup from suspend to RAM doesn't work.
In case of UEFI, its variables are also stored in flash, so that also doesn't work. Since everything optimizes for UEFI (as far as firmware matters are concerned), that jumper would be counter-productive.
Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26GHz processor or higher
Graphics: Intel GMA 4500MHD
Screen: 12.1" 1280×800 TFT LCD
Gigabit ethernet as standard
Ports: 1x VGA, 3x USB 2.0, 5-in-1 card reader, 1x Headphone, 1x Microphone, 1x Gigabit Ethernet, 1x ExpressCard/54
Size: 11.6 x 9.2 x 0.8 inches
Weight: 1.7 Kg
Upgraded with an 802.11n wireless card (Atheros AR5B95, AR9285 chipset), ensuring full compatibility with free drivers in Trisquel GNU/Linux-libre.
It's kind of the nature of the beast. It's one of the only (or is it the only?) laptops they can do this with, so if you're committed to a FSF-approved machine you're stuck with old hardware.
The X200 contains the last chipset where this processor was optional - if it comes with no firmware, it simply disables itself.
Newer chipsets sometimes feature a recovery/service mode (up to 30 minutes of activity before the device shuts down, with limited capabilities, eg. no power management).
Now, this chip wouldn't be so bad, but unfortunately it only runs on firmware signed by Intel. Lack of signature means that the system doesn't run, or only in that service mode.
Since that project hasn't managed to cracked RSA2048 keys (and who did?), that firmware precludes using newer Intel chipsets.
http://shop.amd.com/en-us/business/notebook/20DE001RUS
They do have laptops with AMD chipsets.
AMD used to be much better (they have some small firmware for a support function that was signed, but even that was so half-hearted that one coreboot developer managed to recover the key - but didn't publish it).
These days they support ARM Trust Zone (with an ARM processor), and that part of the system is all signed (as "Trust" doesn't mean that _you_ can trust it).
It's Hollywood, essentially - can't have you crack your movie-playing device to copy their precious bits. And what else would anybody use a computer for, if not for watching blockbuster movies?
One of the only; there are several other models that are supported by Libreboot[0]. Of those, Gluglug used to sell X60, X60s, and (briefly) T60 Thinkpads as well.
[0]: http://libreboot.org/docs/hcl/index.html#supported_list
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core2+Duo+P840...
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Atom+Z3735F+%4...
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Atom+C2338+%40...
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Atom+E3845+%40...
(Look at the single-thread rating and you'll see that a single Core 2 core is 2-3x faster than a single Atom core.)
Unless you're doing something particularly CPU-intensive, which doesn't tend to be the use-case for a 12.1" ultralight laptop, that processor is more than enough. The small screen resolution may get a bit annoying though.
The P8400 has a TDP of 25W, or about 6 times the heat dissipation of the Z series atom. So of course the Core 2 can beat an Atom, it's in a completely different category of processor.
If you are going to compare apples to apples, pick the i5 2410M. It's not a new part, but the TDP is comparable to the P8400, and the target market (12.5-15" laptops) is the same.
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-2410M+...
Here you can see that the newer laptop-class CPUs out perform the Core 2 by a factor of 2. Couple this with much better integrated graphics, and newer memory (4GB DDR2 SODIMMs exist but compatibility is spotty and they're quite expensive) and it's not really a contest anymore, the newer CPU/chipset provide better performance and will give you longer battery life.
I am not going to claim I am one of those people who needs a powerful processor in my laptop, because 90% of what I do is login to remote servers who do the work much faster than my laptop ever could. But, I do enjoy getting 5-8 hours of battery life thanks to my newer processor sipping electrons when idle, which cannot be said for Core 2 era systems.
I would wonder whether or not the keyboard is worn down, or if the screens are still in good condition. Has anyone bought one of these that can discuss this?
The Neo900 looks awesome, and has the upgraded radio. It really does tick all boxes, except the one that says "in stock" :)
Does this include the CPU microcode?
Even ignoring that, there are certainly at least two significant binary blobs still remaining: EC firmware and microcode for e1000.
First probably has no major security implications, second is slightly weird as there were security-significant erratas in e1000 that were fixed by microcode update, but on the other hand it's probably more of "random undocumented configuration options" than "executable code" (for some reason Intel tends to call any random binary blob "microcode").
The FSF's RYF certification (which Gluglug machines have) makes an exception for "software delivered inside auxiliary and low-level processors and FPGAs, within which software installation is not intended after the user obtains the product. This can include, for instance, microcode inside a processor,"[0]
Additionally, I known that the firmware on the SSD (if you chose that option) is proprietary--it is covered under the exception as well (as an "auxiliary processor").
However, the criteria goes on to say that if a Free firmware for any exempted components becomes available, the product must "adopt it within a reasonable period of time." (or have their certification withdrawn).
There will be plenty of other devices in the laptop where its implementation domain is blurred.
Having said that, the Gluglug is a shuffle in the right direction.
I'd love to see someone hit the market with a working Linux-ready netbook. I used to have an Acer One cobbled into that state, but the lack of direct support from the vendor meant that things like power management and sleep-on-lid-close never quite worked right. It's the little things you miss when you go off the vendor's book on operating system choice.
On the other hand, the stock Vista on that machine was dog-slow. Being able to strip down the crap from the UI and run much faster was a Godsend for hacking around on projects while away from the desk.
The CA model is certainly broken and can be hijacked/intercepted by NSA and friends.
I think it makes sense.
The fact that the site allows one to enter credit card details over plain HTTP would be my first clue not to trust this cert.