I guess the better question would be why they're even bothering any more when they only support a few ancient Thinkpads and a couple of decade old Apple laptops.
For better or worse, I think they've lost this battle.
Why is the latest AMD hardware unsupported in libreboot?
21–30 of 64 posts
Re: Why is the latest AMD hardware unsupported in libreboot?
#22Earlier quoted context omitted.
And they don't list any Nvidia hardware at all here, as far as I can tell: https://libreboot.org/docs/hcl/index.html So I guess their solution is to hoard 2013-vintage hardware for the rest of all time?
Only one desktop motherboard is supported. Can you even find them anymore? Only 5 listed globally on eBay.
Actually, if you click through, that desktop motherboard isn't even supported in the 20150518 release :-/
Re: Why is the latest AMD hardware unsupported in libreboot?
#23I think I'd rather have a machine that has a verified chain of trust from boot than one that will happily run anything.
Re: Why is the latest AMD hardware unsupported in libreboot?
#24Earlier quoted context omitted.
They don't even do microcode updates, which is ridiculous when you are running non-free microcode to boot.
Is it Libreboot who is being ridiculous, or Intel/AMD? Is it worth trusting OEMs with wholesale access to your data and your networks?
Is never-updated proprietary microcode somehow better than updated proprietary microcode?
Re: Why is the latest AMD hardware unsupported in libreboot?
#25I think I'd rather have a machine that has a verified chain of trust from boot than one that will happily run anything.
Yup. You don't get software freedom if not only you but everyone else also has the freedom to control what your machine runs. Giving everyone control of your machine is as much of a non-solution as giving only your hardware manufacturer control of your machine; it's simply that one is a better short-term compromise.
Re: Why is the latest AMD hardware unsupported in libreboot?
#26They promote freedom but specifically forbid the use of Windows. Not everyone has the choice to not use Windows at certain points in the day, VMs aren't perfect. Forbidding the bare-metal usage of Windows is ridiculous.
Re: Why is the latest AMD hardware unsupported in libreboot?
#27Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is it Libreboot who is being ridiculous, or Intel/AMD? Is it worth trusting OEMs with wholesale access to your data and your networks?
Is never-updated proprietary microcode somehow better than updated proprietary microcode?
That's a false dichotomy.
Re: Why is the latest AMD hardware unsupported in libreboot?
#28Re: Why is the latest AMD hardware unsupported in libreboot?
#29They promote freedom but specifically forbid the use of Windows. Not everyone has the choice to not use Windows at certain points in the day, VMs aren't perfect. Forbidding the bare-metal usage of Windows is ridiculous.
I mean, they're promoting the freedom to use a bunch of 2006–2009-era ThinkPads and MacBooks, and if you use the git release, a couple of motherboards from the same time period and maybe one 2015 Chromebook if you're lucky.
I appreciate that this work is being done (though I'm unclear on where the coreboot/libreboot line lies, but anyway), but calling it "freedom" is a stretch. It very much feels like the freedom to move to an abandoned island and not pay taxes or be subject to any government.
Re: Why is the latest AMD hardware unsupported in libreboot?
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
They don't even do microcode updates, which is ridiculous when you are running non-free microcode to boot.
Well that's the good old GNU/FSF firmware reasoning; its "better" to have the same firmware permanently burned into a chip than have it software upgradeable. Also happens to be one of the reasons I think FSF has lost its way if they ever even had it in the first place.
Fun quote from http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-hardware-designs.en.html for example:
"Any program in your computer, that someone else is allowed to change but you're not, is an instrument of unjust power over you"