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The Gluglug – GNU/Linux laptop with libreboot firmware

shop.gluglug.org.uk

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Re: The Gluglug – GNU/Linux laptop with libreboot firmware

#11

Post by ubercow13 »

LukeShu wrote: post #10
ubercow13 wrote: post #4

>no proprietary software of any kind Does this include the CPU microcode?

Good question! I believe that CPU microcode is still unavailable (though I could, and would love to be, wrong. I'll check with Francis). 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…

Interesting, thanks!

Re: The Gluglug – GNU/Linux laptop with libreboot firmware

#12

Post by joshuapants »

jszymborski wrote: post #8

Very neat, but it's specs are a little lack-lustre: 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), en…

> Very neat, but it's specs are a little lack-lustre

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.

Re: The Gluglug – GNU/Linux laptop with libreboot firmware

#13

Post by dfox »

belorn wrote: post #5
ubercow13 wrote: post #4

>no proprietary software of any kind Does this include the CPU microcode?

Does the laptop CPU have a writable control store?

The CPU certainly does have at least patchable control store.

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").

Re: The Gluglug – GNU/Linux laptop with libreboot firmware

#14

Post by Sanddancer »

ubercow13 wrote: post #7
belorn wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does the laptop CPU have a writable control store?

I assume so, you can update Intel microcode https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Microcode

On a stock kernel you can update it. On the kernel this machine ships with, they removed that, along with most other facilities to upload binary firmware, for things like wifi cards, video cards, etc.

Re: The Gluglug – GNU/Linux laptop with libreboot firmware

#15

Post by foodstances »

weinzierl wrote: post #2

In contrast to the Purism machines the Gluglug has free firmware. As far as I know this is the only commercially available solution with free firmware. It's also the laptop Richard Stallman uses.

In contrast to the Purism machines the Gluglug uses second-hand, 7-year old hardware.

Re: The Gluglug – GNU/Linux laptop with libreboot firmware

#16

Post by tinco »

joshuapants wrote: post #12
jszymborski wrote: post #8

Very neat, but it's specs are a little lack-lustre: 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), en…

> Very neat, but it's specs are a little lack-lustre 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.

Why is that? From the site I see that it's just a modified X200, wouldn't they for example be able to modify a more modern model? Does Intel have special measures to prevent that? Or is it simply reverse engineering that hasn't been achieved yet?

Re: The Gluglug – GNU/Linux laptop with libreboot firmware

#17

Post by superfunc »

jszymborski wrote: post #8

Very neat, but it's specs are a little lack-lustre: 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), en…

True, but for a lot of programming work its sufficient and relatively cheap.

Re: The Gluglug – GNU/Linux laptop with libreboot firmware

#18

Post by userbinator »

jszymborski wrote: post #8

Very neat, but it's specs are a little lack-lustre: 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), en…

That CPU is still much faster than some of the newer Atoms, for example:

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.

Re: The Gluglug – GNU/Linux laptop with libreboot firmware

#19

Post by davexunit »

foodstances wrote: post #15
weinzierl wrote: post #2

In contrast to the Purism machines the Gluglug has free firmware. As far as I know this is the only commercially available solution with free firmware. It's also the laptop Richard Stallman uses.

In contrast to the Purism machines the Gluglug uses second-hand, 7-year old hardware.

Because newer hardware is even more difficult to liberate.
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