Introduction
Good for freedom
Brand and Model
|
Type
|
Required and Optional Proprietary “BIOS Replacement” Components
|
Required and Optional Proprietary Components for Peripherals
|
Compatible BIOS Replacements
|
Compatible 100% Free software distributions
|
Availability
|
Lemote 8089D
|
Netbook
|
None
|
None
|
|
|
Out of stock
|
Lemote 8101B
|
Last stock at Tekmote
|
Coreboot laptops (can be built fully libre) that are supported by Libreboot
Brand and Model
|
Type
|
Required and Optional Proprietary “BIOS Replacement” Components
|
Required and Optional Proprietary Components for Peripherals
|
Compatible BIOS Replacements
|
Compatible 100% Free software distributions
|
Availability
|
Lenovo X60 / X60s / X60 Tablet
|
light/compact Notebook
|
- With Coreboot: Optional VGA BIOS ROM, needed only for SeaBIOS and Memtest86+ (GRUB as payload and Linux KMS works without it)
- CPU Microcode: most devices work without it
|
- Some default Wi-Fi Card are from Intel and require non-free firmware. If you buy the laptop second hand and have an intel card, replace it. Else glugglug already ships with the good cards.
|
|
- Trisquel 5.5 and newer
- Parabola
|
- Easy to find second hand, but very complicated and risky install procedure
- Can be bought already liberated at glugglug
|
Lenovo T60 (with Intel GPU)
|
Notebook
|
- With Coreboot: with some screens VGA BIOS needed to initialize graphics before KMS, others like X60 with patch
- CPU microcode: usually optional, like X60
|
- The default Wi-Fi card is from Intel and requires non-free firmware, replace that card.
|
The default non-free BIOS can be replaced with Coreboot v4 (complicated procedure) or its distribution libreboot (installation instructions)
|
Easy to find second hand
|
Apple MacBook 2,1 / MacBook 1,1
|
Notebook
|
- With coreboot: Optional VGA BIOS ROM, needed only for SeaBIOS and Memtest86+ (GRUB as payload and Linux's KMS work without it)
- CPU microcode: most devices work without it
|
- The default Wi-Fi card is an Atheros chipset which works fully with the Linux-libre kernel.
|
The default non-free EFI firmware can be replaced with Coreboot v4 (complicated procedure) or its distribution libreboot (installation instructions)
|
Easy to find second hand
|
Someone needs to write a free replacement for some parts
Brand and Model
|
Type
|
Required and Optional Proprietary “BIOS Replacement” Components
|
Required and Optional Proprietary Components for Peripherals
|
Compatible BIOS Replacements
|
Compatible 100 % Free software distributions
|
Availability
|
Lemote Loongson 3A notebook
|
Notebook
|
- ATI VGA BIOS/Option ROM required to have graphics, someone needs to write a free replacement for that.
|
- Probably optional ATI microcode for the GPU (no acceleration without it).
|
Pmon
|
None, gNewSense needs just a custom kernel
|
Out of stock
|
Lenovo T60 (with ATI GPU)
|
Notebook
|
- With Coreboot: ATI VGA BIOS/Option ROM required to have graphics (can be used in headless mode, without graphics. Serial console and SSH).
- CPU microcode: usually optional, like X60
|
- The default Wi-Fi card is from Intel and requires non-free firmware, replace that card.
|
- The default non-free BIOS can be replaced with Coreboot v4 (complicated procedure)
- Probably optional ATI microcode for the GPU (no acceleration without it).
|
- Trisquel 5.5 and newer
- Parabola
|
Easy to find second hand
|
Lenovo X201
|
Small notebook
|
|
- The default Wi-Fi card is from Intel and requires non-free firmware, replace it.
|
|
- Trisquel 5.5 and 6.0 ?
- Parabola ?
|
Second hand
|
Bad for freedom
Unsorted
Brand and Model
|
Type
|
Required and Optional Proprietary “BIOS Replacement” Components
|
Required and Optional Proprietary Components for Peripherals
|
Compatible BIOS Replacements
|
Compatible 100 % Free software distributions
|
Availability
|
OLPC XO-1
|
Small notebook
|
- VSA (LGPL) cannot be built with free software yet.
|
- Internal Wi-Fi card requires non-free firmware.
|
- Free BIOS replacement (which one?).
|
|
Chromebook Pixel
|
Thin notebook
|
- MRC.bin: RAM controller initialization, runs on the main CPU.
- ME.bin: runs on another CPU, the Management Engine, very hard to replace and dangerous.
- Optional non-free VGA BIOS (has a free replacement in Coreboot).
- CPU microcode?
|
|
- Coreboot with uboot as payload by default.
|
|
- Available new.
- Available in USA, UK, and probably other countries.
|
Samsung Series 3 Chromebook
|
Thin notebook
|
- Required BL1: proprietary and signed.
|
- Wi-Fi needs non-free firmware (issues [1] [2] show it uses the mwifiex_sdio driver), same chip provides Bluetooth probably also requiring non-free firmware.
|
|
|
- Available new…
- …in which countries?
|
This page was a featured resource in September 2014.