# Documentation for libreboot project

It is assumed that you are running GNU/Linux (no other operating system is known to work with this release).

What is libreboot?

## Release information

Information about this release can be found at release.html. Always check libreboot.org for updates.

The release page and future/index.html contain details about future work.

## Hardware compatibility list

Information about what systems libreboot supports.

Goto hcl/index.html.

## Installing libreboot

Information about how to install libreboot on supported targets, using software and/or dedicated hardware.

Goto install/index.html.

## GNU/Linux distributions

Installing GNU/Linux distributions, preparing bootable USB drives, changing the default GRUB menu and so on.

This also contains guides for fully encrypted Trisquel and Parabola GNU/Linux-libre installations.

Goto gnulinux/index.html.

## Developing libreboot

Information about configuring libreboot, building from source, maintaining the project, working in git and so on.

Goto git/index.html.

## Security topics

Goto security/index.html.

## Hardware maintenance

Goto hardware/index.html.

## GRUB payload

Information about fonts and keyboard layouts used in GRUB.

Goto grub/index.html

## Miscellaneous

Random topics that don't belong anywhere else.

Goto misc/index.html.

# What is libreboot, really?

Libreboot is a coreboot distribution (distro) with proprietary software removed, intended to be a free (libre) 'BIOS' replacement for your computer.

Read the full Free Software definition.

## Project goals (and differences versus coreboot):

- Coreboot contains blobs (proprietary data/code) and libreboot does not (it intentionally removes them).
- Coreboot is hacker-friendly and focuses on software developers, libreboot is user-focused and attempts to turn coreboot into a distribution, sort of like a GNU/Linux distribution (same concept, different software). For example, libreboot distributes GRUB/memtest86+/bucts/flashrom (and more) and comes with user-focused documentation and build scripts; libreboot is therefore made more 'user-friendly'.

Libreboot is not a fork of coreboot, despite misconceptions of this fact. Libreboot (downstream supplier) is a parallel effort which works closely with and re-bases on the latest coreboot (upstream supplier) every so often.

As such, all new coreboot development should be done in coreboot, not libreboot! Libreboot is about deblobbing, and packaging coreboot in a user-friendly way, where most work is already done for the user! If, for example you wanted to attempt porting a new motherboard then you should do that in coreboot. Libreboot will (as a downstream) receive your change at some point in the future, in a future release.

Libreboot as a whole is the distribution distributed deblobbed. However, the core part is coreboot: libreboot's deblobbed coreboot tree is named coreboot-libre to distinguish it as a component of libreboot. (if that makes sense).

## A 'stable' coreboot:

- Coreboot uses the rolling release model (and it is therefore quite volatile; one day when you build coreboot, it may or may not work correctly on your machine).
- Libreboot changes less often (as far as the release model is concerned), focusing instead on 'tested' releases for specific machines. At any given time, it might also be possible to build ROM images for systems other than those officially supported. If you get your board to work (without violating the "coreboot development goes in coreboot" rule), then others could benefit from it.

On the other hand, coreboot is also strict about what it accepts (merges) into the main git repository: most of the time, a lot of changes are under review at review.coreboot.org (as a way of encouraging as much further development as possible before accepting the patch).

Meanwhile, libreboot is a lot less strict in this area and freely merges specific patches that are desirable, sometimes before they are merged into coreboot's main repository.

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Copyright © 2014 Francis Rowe <info@gluglug.org.uk>
This document is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License and all future versions. A copy of the license can be found at license.txt.

This document is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See license.txt for more information.