Group: Hardware/TODO/DUPLICATE INFO/Freest

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(Components)
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= Components =
 
= Components =
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The components are part of a computer,such as the graphic card and can be used to choose laptop and embedded computers ,or to make or choose Desktop computer
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== Graphic cards ==
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== Wifi cards ==
  
 
= Other Hardware =
 
= Other Hardware =

Revision as of 12:51, 26 June 2009


Work in progress

Looks like we need some things that are on wikipedia mediawiki [1] but not here or default in 1.12 [2] for this to look good. I'm copying a lot of syntax from this wikipedia article [3].

Specifically this syntax is not working:

Footnote / reference syntax

<ref name="coreboot-on-dbe61c-usb">http://wiki.thincan.org/DBE61#Caveats states that "USB boot is not possible without highly experimental code."</ref>

Example: [1]

Template syntax

{{yes}}
{{no}}
{{rh}}

Example: style="background: #90ff90; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-yes"|Yes

Please help

Please add to this list, and speak up if you see something that you know is non-free!

Desktops

Definition

These systems at minimum should have:

  • The ability to work stand-alone - no reliance on other computers being available
  • Libre boot firmware (BIOS)
  • No components that can not be replaced by a person with a screwdriver that require drivers with binary blobs to function
    • Usually wifi adapters and graphics adapters are the issues here - you can help with this if you are a hacker with appropriate skills...
  • Not make an insane amount of noise or have a form factor that is aimed at the server market

Comparison: Basic properties

Release year Approx System Price Architecture Boot firmware Wifi chipset Video chipset Links
BeagleBoard RevC2 2008 $206.30
BeagleBoard + Power Supply + Case
armel u-boot - PowerVR(framebuffer can be used without proprietary driver,3d needs proprietary drivers) Detailed Specifications
ThinCan DBE61C-USB 2005 $395
(for a two-pack)
i386 coreboot
"USB boot is not possible without highly experimental code." [4]
- todo todo

Comparison: Where purchaseable and lowest-cost shipping option

World BE CN FR US
BeagleBoard RevC2 Yes $22
ThinCan DBE61C-USB Yes $125

Please use ISO Country Codes.

World indicates that there is at least one reseller that is willing to ship anywhere in the world as a standard part of their business.

Misc Notes

BeagleBoard RevC2

  • 3D graphics require a binary blob, but you can just not use 3D graphics.
  • Boot loader is u-boot. ROM source isn't open, but ROM is really ROM, in the chip, not flashable from software. There is a loader between the ROM and u-boot called x-loader, but it is based on u-boot and is free software.
  • x-loader is also called MLO when put on a sd-card : from the #beagle channel: "<khasim> MLO is x-loader, x-loader is strip down version of u-boot, used to get a minimal bootloader onto OMAP3's internal RAM, generally used with NAND and MMC booting as they are don't support executing in place"
  • the tools for compiling and flashing x-loader are free software : "<Gnutoo> ok are the tools for compiling x-loader and flashing it free software? => <jpirko> Gnutoo: yes" and the source of some uttilities can be find here
  • The Always Innovating Touch Book is basically a BeagleBoard in a (*really* :-) nice case.
  • See IRC logs starting here for more...
  • It's *really* tiny. The box is about the size of 2 packs of playing cards.
  • http://kamejoko80.wikidot.com/news
  • Kridner observed that the board's HDMI video port is not actually HDMI-compliant. However, he said it "works great" with low-cost HDMI-to-DVI adapters and ordinary LCD flat panel displays. "The splashscreen is 1280 x 1024, but the bottleneck is on the pixel clock, which has a 75MHz limitation. So right now we can do 720p — 1280 x 720 — at 30 frames per second," he said. [5] - This is good as HDMI is usually DRM-encumbered [6].

ThinCan DBE61C-USB

Really expensive shipping.

lshw output

Output from lshw.

BeagleBoard RevC2

TODO

ThinCan DBE61C-USB

TODO

Machines to evaluate when possible

  • Lemote Fuloong Mini - not available outside of china to the general public as far as I know - might be possible to get if you are a hacker and contact them directly. Need someone who speaks a Chinese language to comment on price and availability within China (this info doesn't seem to be available in English).
  • ThinCan DBE63 - should be available in Q2 or Q3 2009.

Routers

A lot of router run or are capable of running a GNU/Linux distribution,but most of them have non-free wifi drivers despite of having a free bootloader(which replace the bios)

  • /brcm47xx HOWTO free your wrt54*/brcm47xx router : running a 100% free GNU/Linux distribution on your wrt54*/brcm47xx router router is possible...it just need to be polished
  • routers with atheros wifi cards usually come with wifi driver named madwifi and that contain(need to verify if it's still the case) a blob named HAL. but Master mode may be possible with the ath5k driver + wireless-compat

Laptops

Lemote

The Lemote yeeloong is the first fully free laptop, including the Bootloader(that replaces the BIOS) and the operating system.There are no firmwares in the wifi card. A port of gnewsense is beeing developed for this laptop,and the laptop is used by Richard Stallman.

Characteristics

  • MIPS 64 CPU@800MHz
  • 512MB or 1GB of DDR2 RAM
  • 1024x600 screen
  • 160GB hard disk or 2GB SSD or 8GB SSD

Components

The components are part of a computer,such as the graphic card and can be used to choose laptop and embedded computers ,or to make or choose Desktop computer

Graphic cards

Wifi cards

Other Hardware

Hobyist hardware

  • BUGlabs's bug: 100% free software, apart from the possible firmwares
  • Arduino

See Also

  • http://wiki.thincan.org/DBE61#Caveats states that "USB boot is not possible without highly experimental code."