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I want a computer that I own

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Re: I want a computer that I own

#121

Post by autoexec »

fiddlerwoaroof wrote: post #107
autoexec wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also think selecting parts is limited by the fact that there are so few manufacturers. Processors these days mostly come down to AMD or Intel and nothing there is transparent or audit-able. "trusted computing" and backdoors make even your hardware suspect.

There are capable desktop computers with open hardware, down to the silicon: you just have to pay for it. For example, for $4k, you can get this with specs roughly equivalent to a normal developer machine: https://www.raptorcs.com/content/BK1SD1/intro.html

Not too shabby looking! Thanks for the link

Re: I want a computer that I own

#122

Post by Vaslo »

This reminds me of my stress in finding a high end TV without a major company watching my TV habits. It doesn't seem you can buy a high end TV without having Android or some other company watching what you are doing. Are there any high end TVs that have more open software? Or is profit such a high priority that we basically have to supplement tech companies through TVs?

Re: I want a computer that I own

#123

Post by jacquesm »

aiisahik wrote: post #116
jacquesm wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

HN is substantially larger than 4000 people, besides, telling people to design and fab their own chips is disingenuous. The right to privacy is not a 'first world problem', it is a problem.

I agree that privacy is a problem - and yes it is a first world problem. The specific privacy problem espoused by this post is not just a first world problem, it's an HN problem. I am being disingenuous - this request is pure insanity and I absolutely promise you that this "computer you fully own" will have such a very small market that it doesn't have a chance of breaking even.

You fail the principle of charity test on several levels.

Re: I want a computer that I own

#124

Post by marshmallow_12 »

m-p-3 wrote: post #99
asymptosis wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get the feeling you could be tempted to say more about that. Please elaborate?

Your average desktop/laptop CPU runs a blackbox like Intel AMT or AMD PSP which is basically an always active mini-CPU that runs in the background and is OS-agnostic. If you consider your OS max privilege level as ring 0, this is ring -1. If/when someone manage to conpromise those, they can basically take over your computer, and Intel/AMD doesn't provide any sort of killswitch or physical way of disabling it.

Tell me more about this. What does this system do, and why can't we do anything about it?

Re: I want a computer that I own

#125

Post by kiwidrew »

walrus01 wrote: post #31

> Perhaps I am looking for something like the x286 DOS computer I had in the early 1990's You can do an almost fully GPL compliant Linux desktop by building it yourself today. I can already see people thinking "but what about the closed source binary blobs? my video card? my network interfaces?" But even your 12 MHz 286 or 386SX/20 had closed source AMI or Phoenix BIOS firmware on it. The motherboard manufacturer in…

While the BIOS and VBIOS of a typical 286/386 machine was indeed a closed-source binary blob, there were several factors that helped keep this in check:

1. The underlying hardware interfaces (I/O ports, memory addresses, etc.) was considered part of the IBM PC "standard" and many programs would bypass the BIOS and talk directly to the hardware.

2. The software interface to the BIOS and VBIOS was also part of the IBM PC "standard", and so the firmware couldn't diverge too far from the expected behaviour without risking compatibility issues.

3. Once the PC entered protected mode, the BIOS essentially turns into a useless brick, and ceases to have any influence on the operation of the CPU. (That is, once in protected mode, the OS kernel in ring 0 had full control of the system, and none of the BIOS code remained active.)

The difference with modern systems is stark: binary blobs often provide the only means to operate the hardware devices, CPUs have special execution modes (such as SMM) which continue to execute binary firmware even after the OS has booted, and even the CPU itself holds binary blobs (such as microcode patches).

Re: I want a computer that I own

#128

Post by chii »

alexfromapex wrote: post #96
kokx wrote: post #15

I have a similar feeling, but with modern smartphones. Owning my computer is still relatively possible. I can build a computer from parts which I can choose, and have a choice in which operating system to install on them. Laptops are slightly more closed, but even on those I can choose the OS myself. Modern smartphones however, seem like walled gardens in which I have no control at all. I cannot choose any of the par…

It seems like a lot of these problems at the core stem from corporations or the government not being held accountable. How do we fix regulatory capture so these privacy issues are a non sequitur?

> How do we fix regulatory capture so these privacy issues are a non sequitur?

by making the general populous care more about it, and force the electorate's hands.

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