Group: Hardware/History/Laptops Comparison

Latest revision as of 19:49, 17 March 2023

Introduction

Nowadays, some laptops are able to run only free software.

This means that they are not "just" able to run 100% free software distributions: they go way beyond that.

What initialises the hardware before loading the operating system (like a fully free distribution) is software.

This software can have many names (BIOS, EFI, UEFI etc...).

Free software initialisation code, along with a 100% free operating system, and peripherals that work with free software can result in a 100% free system on some laptops.

Laptop that can be 100% free

Laptop that can be 100% free

Other laptops

Incomplete information

Laptops that needs to be evaluated

List of pages

This set of pages talks about laptops.

Hardware/History/Laptops_Comparison has no subpages to list.

(Note that this page does not automatically update; if you add another page under Hardware/, make sure to refresh/purge this page.)

This page was a featured resource in September 2014.

"issue" is not in the list (interest, location, project, school) of allowed values for the "Organized around" property.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 == Introduction ==
+Nowadays, some laptops are able to run only free software.
-== Good Laptops ==
+This means that they are not "just" able to run 100% free software distributions: they go way beyond that.
-=== Lemote ===
-{| class="wikitable"  border="1"
-! Brand and Model
-! Type
-! Required and Optional Proprietary “BIOS Replacement” Components
-! Required and Optional Proprietary Components for Peripherals
-! Compatible free BIOS Replacements
-! Compatible 100% Free software distributions
-! Availability
-|-
-! Lemote 8089D
-| rowspan="2" | Netbook
-| rowspan="2" | <span style="background:#6f6">None</span>
-| rowspan="2" | <span style="background:#6f6">None</span>
-| rowspan="2" |
-* Pmon
-* Grub2
-| rowspan="2" |
-* gNewsense
-* [https://wiki.parabolagnulinux.org/MIPS_Installation Parabola]
-| Out of stock
-|-
-! Lemote 8101B
-| Last stock at [http://www.tekmote.nl/ Tekmote]
-|-
-|}
-=== Laptops supported by libreboot ===
+What initialises the hardware before loading the operating system (like a fully free distribution) is software.
-{| class="wikitable"  border="1"
+This software can have many names (BIOS, EFI, UEFI etc...).
-! Brand and Model
-! Type
-! Required and Optional Proprietary “BIOS Replacement” Components
-! Required and Optional Proprietary Components for Peripherals
-! Compatible free BIOS Replacements
-! Compatible 100% Free software distributions
-! Availability
-|-
-! Lenovo X60 / X60s / X60 Tablet
-| light/compact Notebook
-| rowspan="3" |
-* The VGA option rom can be replaced<ref>It can be replaced by:
-* Coreboot code, with text mode graphics support
-* SeaBIOS's option rom that gives VGA compatibility
-Both are probably needed, and coreboot changes will land soon in Libreboot, at the time of writing(august 2014)
-</ref>
-* CPU Microcode: most devices work without it<ref>Some of the impact of not updating the microcode can be found in intel's CPU erratas, like the [http://download.intel.com/design/mobile/SPECUPDT/30922214.pdf Core solo/duo erratas].
-A good way to avoid the issues described there is to have a cpu that has the bus you care about fixed in hardware: The more recent batches you get, the more erratas are fixed</ref>
-| rowspan="2" |
-* 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.
-| rowspan="2" |
-* The default non-free BIOS can be replaced with [http://libreboot.org/ libreboot], trough very dangerous and very complicated <ref>There is a big risk of breaking the laptop: Some time ago, lots of users tried and broke it, they cound't buy the laptop already flashed, so they tried it. They broke it because the instructions to switch from the original BIOS to free BIOS replacements are complicated.<br/>
-That's due to some restrictions of the original BIOS, which tries to prevent easy reflashing.<br/>
-</ref> [http://libreboot.org/docs/#flashrom_lenovobios instructions].
-* Else glugglug laptops ship already flashed, and once the non-free BIOS has been replaced, reflashing is way easier but still dangerous.<ref>Once the free BIOS replacement is flashed, reflashing is easy, but still dangerous: if the free BIOS replacement doesn't work, then the user has to disassemble the laptop and reflash with an external flash programmer to recover.</ref>
-| rowspan="3" |
-* Trisquel 5.5 and newer
-* Parabola
-|
-* Easy to find second hand, but very complicated and risky install procedure
-* Can be bought already liberated at [http://shop.gluglug.org.uk/ glugglug]
-|-
-! Lenovo T60 (with Intel GPU)
-| Notebook
-| rowspan="2" |
-* Easy to find second hand
-|-
-|-
-! Apple MacBook 2,1 / MacBook 1,1
-| Notebook
-|
-* 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 [http://libreboot.org/ libreboot], trough a dangerous <ref>If your macbook has the right flash chip, flashing it is easy, but still dangerous: if the free BIOS replacement doesn't work, then the user has to disassemble the laptop and reflash with an external flash programmer to recover.</ref> [http://www.coreboot.org/Board:apple/macbook21#Flashing procedure]
-|-
-|}
-=== Rereferences ===
-<references/>
+Free software initialisation code, along with a 100% free operating system, and peripherals that work with free software can result in a 100% free system on some laptops.
-== Bad ==
+== Laptop that can be 100% free ==
+* [[/Freeable_laptops|Laptop that can be 100% free]]
+== Other laptops ==
 * [[/Common Laptops| Common laptops]]
-* [[/Partially free laptops| Partially free laptops]]
+* [[/Laptop requiring some work | Partially free laptops that require some work to be free]]
+* [[/Partially free laptops| Partially free laptops that would be really hard to free]]
+== Incomplete information ==
+* [[/Laptop to evaluate | Laptops that needs to be evaluated]]
+== List of pages ==
+This set of pages talks about laptops.
+<splist
+ showparent=no
+ sort=asc
+ sortby=title
+ liststyle=unordered
+ showpath=no
+ kidsonly=no
+ debug=0
+/>
+''(Note that this page does not automatically update; if you add another page under Hardware/, make sure to [{{fullurl:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|action=purge}} refresh/purge this page].)''
+{{featured resource|month=September|year=2014}}
-== Bad for freedom ==
+[[is entity::group| ]]
+[[organized around::issue| ]]
+[[Category:Hardware]]
+[[Category:Laptops]]

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