@libreleah@mas.to
@libreleah@mas.to avatar

libreleah

@libreleah@mas.to

passionate nut who rants on irc and likes coreboot and openbsd. libreboot founder and lead developer (libreboot.org). bios on social media accounts are so asinine because you can't really say much that is meaningful. everyone has a different perception than you do. judge me on merit. every post by me reflects the opinion of my employer (also me). i don't know everything but i try to know enough - if i say something wrong, i want you to challenge me. they/them

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libreleah, to random
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Canoeboot 20231107 released!

https://canoeboot.org/news/canoeboot20231107.html

It's based on Libreboot 20231106, which has several important fixes.

After this, simultaneous Libreboot and Canoeboot releases are planned for 12 December 2023. That is the ten-year anniversary for Libreboot, whose first release occurred on 12 December 2013.

Canoeboot is a fork that I maintain in parallel, showing what Libreboot be if it followed GNU FSDG; Libreboot instead has its own policy, since November 2022: https://libreboot.org/news/policy.html

libreleah, to random
@libreleah@mas.to avatar

I feel like randomly promoting a really good free software project. That project is none other than SourceHut: https://sourcehut.org/ - and the main instance of it is here: https://sr.ht/

It's a very unique git forge in that it's predicated around use of a mailing list, but it has everything else you'd possibly want built right in, like CI, tickets, really good markdown parsing, and generally it's just very efficient.

Very lightweight forge, and it works without JavaScript turned on.

libreleah, to random
@libreleah@mas.to avatar

FYI i'm working on a new Libreboot release.

The 20231101 release broke some GM45 thinkpads, due to a DDR2 patch merged for E6400; it affected DDR3 behaviour, in ways that caused reliability issues.

I've deleted the GM45 thinkpads roms from libreboot rsync, for libreboot 20231101.

I'm working some lbmk changes; I've been working with V-T60 on irc, testing on an X200, we fixed the issue.

A new release will occur, soon. Likely today.

PS: I'll also do a new Canoeboot release.

Watch this space.

libreleah,
@libreleah@mas.to avatar

@Evv1L @Jumuta Incorrect. Libreboot's build system automatically downloads update files from Lenovo, to extract things like Intel ME, which is then processed through me_cleaner.

Dumping your factory ROM is still recommended, but you don't need to extract anything from it to build a full Libreboot image.

On Libreboot release ROMs, files like Intel ME are missing but can be added using the same auto-download logic from the build system. See:

https://libreboot.org/docs/install/ivy_has_common.html

We provide SeaBIOS and GRUB.

libreleah,
@libreleah@mas.to avatar

@Evv1L @Jumuta Libreboot does not yet auto-download VGA ROMs for T430 though. It does for Dell Latitude E6400.

I have on todo to rewrite the handling of VGA ROMs, so that they can be added for non-Intel GPUs on all currently supported Libreboot hardware.

On T430, Libreboot currently configures coreboot to only use native graphics initialisation, for the Intel GPU. On T430 models with other GPU, the Intel GPU is still present and can be used in this way.

Also, Skulls is a really cool project.

libreleah,
@libreleah@mas.to avatar

@Evv1L @Jumuta If you're using Libreboot an a T430 and you boot with SeaBIOS payload, you can still configure use of non-intel GPU if one is present, by modifying cmos.default in flash, using nvramtool with the -C option (Libreboot hardcodes the default so you need -C); and you can add the VGA ROM manually, conforming to name in CBFS: pcivvvv,dddd.rom, where v is vendor ID and d is device ID.

SeaBIOS would then automatically execute it, and if coreboot is configured in this way to use the dGPU.

libreleah, to random
@libreleah@mas.to avatar

Anyway regarding Dell Latitude E6400 in Libreboot:

With these, E6400 (and E6430) is much more reliable; on both, the GRUB payload now works. Currently, seabios_withgrub is enabled (but not grub or grub_withseabios); you can now load GRUB (payload) from the SeaBIOS menu.

The E6400 didn't boot reliably; reboot is OK. The coldboot patch fixes it.

These patches will be in the next Libreboot release.

libreleah,
@libreleah@mas.to avatar

@cisene ask nic3-14159 on libreboot irc

libreleah, to random
@libreleah@mas.to avatar

I've temporarily reduced the price of the Libreboot T440p on https://minifree.org/ - the base price was £338, now it's £298. A reduction of £40, and the other RAM/SSD combos have been reduced too. (by £40)

I sell Libreboot pre-installed with Debian, other Linux distro or a BSD of your choice. Libreboot replaces proprietary BIOS/UEFI firmware; I'm also the founder and lead developer of the Libreboot project. Minifree sales fund my work.

Libreboot X230 also reduced: was 298 base, now 278 base.

libreleah, to random
@libreleah@mas.to avatar

I did this for fun, very recently:

https://canoeboot.org/news/canoeboot20231026.html

Canoeboot is my new fork of the Libreboot project, maintained in parallel and modified to comply with the GNU Free System Distribution Guidelines (as opposed to Libreboot's Binary Blob Reduction Policy).

This release (of Canoeboot) is based on the recent Libreboot 20231021 release.

It supports less hardware than Libreboot, which is precisely the point. Canoeboot provides a useful proof of concept as to the merits of Libreboot policy.

libreleah, to random
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Very soon.

libreleah,
@libreleah@mas.to avatar

@drq oh, yeah it's referring to internal flashing, and then telling you to have external gear as backup

libreleah,
@libreleah@mas.to avatar

@drq I apologise. Yes, I thought you were making a joke about about 25XX NOR programming via SPI protocol.

Indeed, I was unaware that your comment was actually a sexual innuendo. Yes, I've been played :)

libreleah, to random
@libreleah@mas.to avatar

Libreboot 20231021 released!

https://libreboot.org/news/libreboot20231021.html

  • New October 2023 coreboot revision on most boards
  • New October 2023 U-Boot revision on gru_bob and gru_kevin boards
  • LUKS2 support (with argon2) added in the GRUB payload
  • 4 new mainboards: HP EliteBook 2170p, Dell Precision T1650, Dell Latitude E6430, HP EliteBook 8470p
  • Build system re-written, in much cleaner coding style (50% less code, but more features)
  • Serprog firmware now available (RP2040 and STM32 boards) (for SPI flashing)
libreleah, to random
@libreleah@mas.to avatar

Libreboot Build System Audit 3 is complete: https://libreboot.org/news/audit3.html

My previous plan was to finish this, then work on many more changes before next release, ETA next month, but Libreboot has more than enough improvements in it since the last release, let alone the last audit, for a new release today.

So now I'm polishing up the docs a bit and writing the actual new release announcement.

The two audits, namely audits 2 and 3, are part of the new release, so I decided to announce audit 3 first.

libreleah, to random
@libreleah@mas.to avatar

Someone on IRC linked this earlier: https://chng.it/wNfgxBr98w

it can't hurt to share it here. petition calling for libre firmware by hardware manufacturers.

libreleah, to random
@libreleah@mas.to avatar

what if we lived in a world where our political leaders saw holy wars between two states, both of which commit war crimes, and condemn both of them while calling for peace?

what if our media focused on the plights faced by normal people on both sides who are the victims?

or what if we just continue having a world where normal people don't matter and we send money and weapons to hostile states because bigger and more dangerous states back the other side.

i hate the world and want to change it.

libreleah,
@libreleah@mas.to avatar

@samueljohnson Don't even get me started about the Labour party.

Don't do it :)

libreleah, to random
@libreleah@mas.to avatar

Libreboot Build System Audit 3 has begun.

I've decided to do yet another audit before next Libreboot release, but I don't anticipate this one taking as long as the last one.

libreleah,
@libreleah@mas.to avatar

The main point of my new audit is to reduce code size. I've already done so: 2473 sloc now, versus 2644 at the end of the last audit. That's a 6.4% decrease in size without loss of functionality, when looking at only shell scripts (Libreboot's build system, lbmk, is written entirely in shell scripts).

Part of the audit is also to make it more feasible to integrate Linux (plus musl libc and userland) with u-root, compiling it as a payload similar to Heads.

I'm trimming the fat, and adding musl.

libreleah,
@libreleah@mas.to avatar

2361 sloc now (down from 2473).

Remember always the rule: code==bugs, therefore less code == fewer bugs.

This rule isn't absolute, but it's near enough absolute in most cases.

I'm moving the Libreboot release date to some time around mid October 2023, for the next Libreboot release. I want it to be as perfect as possible, in every way feasible by then.

libreleah, to random
@libreleah@mas.to avatar

I've updated https://libreboot.org/docs/maintain/ based on the recent Libreboot build system audit; Libreboot's build system, lbmk, was more or less rewritten as a result of said audit, so the accompanying documentation had to be as well.

The patch that updated this manual is here: https://codeberg.org/libreboot/lbwww/commit/a985886bc62934d79d404a1b2d6873c3a5e77261

Information about the recent audit was written, here: https://libreboot.org/news/audit2.html

The manual describes, in detail, Libreboot's entire build system. It says how everything is put together, including releases.

libreleah, to random
@libreleah@mas.to avatar

I'm sitting here, 7.46am, doing laptops for customers, and I always have a film or cartoon / tv show on while working:

I was going to watch Matrix 4 again, but decided to watch 2 instead. I ask my followers, those who are familiar with the franchise:

Why does a film made 20 years ago have better special effects and more compelling story?

4 feels like it was made by a bunch of students rushing to get something done for an assignment. No passion in it at all.

I'd argue 4 is even worse than 3.

libreleah, to random
@libreleah@mas.to avatar

I did a patch in Libreboot's build system, optimising the build process: it's much faster now, when ROM images are copied based on GRUB keymaps.

Patch: https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/commit/?id=eb54e427e6f0d447a120c55165e797e73d123396

It lowers space used in ROM by about 8KB (grub configs are now compressed).

It does it by inserting keymaps/configs in grub's memdisk file system, not coreboot's cbfs file system. GRUB memdisk inside grub.elf, which is compressed inside coreboot's file system in flash.

CBFS grub.cfg used, if present, allowing override.

libreleah, to random
@libreleah@mas.to avatar

Libreboot laptops on https://minifree.org/ now come with 1TB SSD or 2TB SSD; the 480GB SSD option is gone, and now 1TB is the default. 2TB is the upgrade option.

I sell laptops with Libreboot pre-installed, and your choice of Linux distro or a BSD (e.g. OpenBSD, FreeBSD).

Libreboot replaces proprietary BIOS/UEFI firmware, offering faster boot speeds and greater security than proprietary firmware. I'm the founder of Libreboot, and its lead developer. These sales fund my work, and my research.

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