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- @import url('css/main.css');
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- <title>GNU Libreboot documentation</title>
- </head>
- <body>
-
- <div class="section">
- <h1 id="pagetop">GNU Libreboot documentation</h1>
- <p>
- Information about this release can be found at <a href="release.html">release.html</a>.
- Always check <a href="http://libreboot.org">libreboot.org</a> for updates.
- </p>
- <p>
- <a href="#why">What is libreboot?</a>
- </p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://libreboot.org/faq/">Answers to frequently asked questions about GNU Libreboot</a>
- </p>
- </div>
-
- <div class="section">
-
- <h1>Installing libreboot</h1>
- <ul>
- <li><a href="hcl/index.html">What systems can I use libreboot on?</a> - NOTE: <a href="https://www.gnu.org/distros/">GNU/Linux</a> is expected to be running on your device.</li>
- <li><a href="install/index.html">How to install libreboot</a></li>
- <li><a href="gnulinux/index.html">How to install GNU/Linux on a libreboot system</a></li>
- </ul>
- <h1>Informaton for developers</h1>
- <ul>
- <li><a href="git/index.html">How to compile the libreboot source code</a></li>
- <li><a href="depthcharge/index.html">Depthcharge payload</a></li>
- <li><a href="grub/index.html">GRUB payload</a></li>
- </ul>
- <h1>Other information</h1>
- <ul>
- <li><a href="hardware/index.html">Hardware modifications</a></li>
- <li><a href="misc/index.html">Miscellaneous</a></li>
- </ul>
-
- </div>
- <div class="section" id="why">
- <h1>About the libreboot project</h1>
- <p>
- GNU Libreboot is a free BIOS or UEFI replacement (<a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">free as in freedom</a>);
- libre <em>boot firmware</em> that initializes the hardware and starts a bootloader for your operating
- system.
- It's also an open source BIOS, but open source <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html">fails</a> to
- promote freedom; <em>please call libreboot <strong><a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">free software</a></strong></em>.
- Since 14 May 2016, Libreboot is part of the <a href="https://www.gnu.org/">GNU project</a>.
- </p>
- <p>
- Libreboot originally began during December 2013, as a commercial effort
- by the <a href="https://minifree.org">Ministry of Freedom</a> to achieve
- <a href="https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/respects-your-freedom">RYF</a> endorsement for a modified ThinkPad X60
- (the first system to ever be added to libreboot).
- </p>
- <p>
- Back then, the name <i>libreboot</i> didn't exist; the project was nameless,
- referring to itself as a <i>deblobbed version of coreboot</i>. The project named
- itself libreboot at some point during early 2014, and has since rapidly expanded
- to support more hardware and become more user-friendly.
- </p>
- <p>
- Libreboot is a <a href="http://coreboot.org/">coreboot</a> distribution (distro) with proprietary software removed,
- intended to be a <a href="https://www.fsf.org/about/what-is-free-software">free</a>
- (libre) 'BIOS' replacement for your computer. The project is aimed at users, attempting to make
- coreboot as easy to use as possible.
- Read the full <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">Free Software definition</a>.
- </p>
-
- <p>
- Libreboot has many practical advantages over <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/proprietary/">proprietary</a> boot firmware,
- such as faster boot speeds and better security. You can
- <a href="gnulinux/index.html">install GNU/Linux with encrypted /boot/</a>,
- <a href="http://www.coreboot.org/GRUB2#signed_kernels">verify GPG signatures on your kernel</a>,
- put a kernel in the flash chip and more.
- </p>
- <h2>
- The libreboot project has three main goals:
- </h2>
- <ul>
- <li>
- <i><u><b>Recommend and distribute only free software</b></u></i>.
- Coreboot distributes certain pieces of proprietary software which is needed on some systems.
- Examples can include things like CPU microcode updates, memory initialization blobs and so on.
- The coreboot project sometimes recommends adding more blobs which it does not distribute, such
- as the Video BIOS or Intel's <i>Management Engine</i>. However, a lot of dedicated and talented
- individuals in coreboot work hard to replace these blobs whenever possible.
- </li>
- <li>
- <i><u><b>Support as much hardware as possible!</b></u></i>
- Libreboot supports less hardware than coreboot, because most systems from coreboot still require
- certain proprietary software to work properly. Libreboot is an attempt to support as much
- hardware as possible, without any proprietary software.
- </li>
- <li>
- <i><u><b>Make coreboot easy to use</b></u></i>.
- Coreboot is notoriously difficult to install, due to an overall lack of user-focussed
- documentation and support. Most people will simply give up before attempting to install coreboot.<br/><br/>
-
- Libreboot attempts to bridge this divide, making sure that everything from building
- to installing coreboot is automated, as much as is feasibly possible. Secondly, the project
- produces documentation aimed at non-technical users. Thirdly, the project attempts
- to provide excellent user support via mailing lists and IRC.<br/><br/>
-
- Libreboot already comes with a payload (GRUB), flashrom and other needed parts. Everything
- is fully integrated, in a way where most of the complicated steps that are otherwise required,
- are instead done for the user in advance.<br/><br/>
-
- You can download ROM images for your libreboot system and install them, without having
- to build anything from source. The build system is also fully automated, so building
- from source is easy if you wanted to do that (for whatever reason).
- </li>
- </ul>
- <h2>
- Libreboot is a coreboot distribution, not a coreboot fork
- </h2>
- <p>
- Libreboot is not a fork of coreboot. Every so often, the project re-bases on the latest
- version of coreboot, with the number of custom patches in use minimized.
- </p>
- <p>
- All new coreboot development should be done in coreboot (upstream), not libreboot!
- Libreboot is about deblobbing and packaging coreboot in a user-friendly way, where most work
- is already done for the user.
- </p>
-
- <p>
- For example, if you wanted to add a new board to libreboot, you should add it to coreboot first.
- Libreboot will automatically receive your code at a later date, when it updates itself.
- </p>
-
- <p>
- The deblobbed coreboot tree used in libreboot is referred to as <i>coreboot-libre</i>,
- to distinguish it as a component of <i>libreboot</i>.
- </p>
- <h2>
- Libreboot is a 'stable' version of coreboot
- </h2>
- <ul>
- <li>
- Coreboot uses the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_release">rolling release</a> model,
- which means that it is not guaranteed to be stable, or to even work at all on a given day.
- Coreboot does have a strict code review process, but being such a large project with so many contributors, regressions
- are always possible.
- </li>
- <li>
- Libreboot freezes on a particular revision of coreboot, making sure that everything works properly,
- making fixes on top of that and repeating this during each subsequent update to a later version
- of coreboot. By doing this, it provides a stronger guarantee to the user that the firmware
- will be reliable, and not break their system.
- </li>
- </ul>
- <p><a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a></p>
- </div>
- <div class="section" id="version">
- <h1>How do I know what version I'm running?</h1>
- <p>
- See <a href="https://libreboot.org/faq/#version">https://libreboot.org/faq/#version</a>
- </p>
- </div>
- <div class="section">
- <p>
- Copyright © 2014, 2015, 2016 Leah Rowe <info@minifree.org><br/>
- Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
- under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3
- or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;
- with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.
- A copy of the license can be found at <a href="gfdl-1.3.txt">gfdl-1.3.txt</a>
- </p>
- <p>
- Updated versions of the license (when available) can be found at
- <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/licenses.html">https://www.gnu.org/licenses/licenses.html</a>
- </p>
- <p>
- UNLESS OTHERWISE SEPARATELY UNDERTAKEN BY THE LICENSOR, TO THE
- EXTENT POSSIBLE, THE LICENSOR OFFERS THE LICENSED MATERIAL AS-IS
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- TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE, IN NO EVENT WILL THE LICENSOR BE LIABLE
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