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Diffstat (limited to 'libreboot.7')
| -rw-r--r-- | libreboot.7 | 176 |
1 files changed, 170 insertions, 6 deletions
diff --git a/libreboot.7 b/libreboot.7 index 8c81bfe..fcf53d1 100644 --- a/libreboot.7 +++ b/libreboot.7 @@ -23,8 +23,14 @@ matters. Education matters. Right to repair matters; Libreboot lets you continue to use your hardware, with continued firmware updates. All of this is why Libreboot exists. . +.Sh RECENT RELEASE +.Pp +The latest release is +.Xr libreboot-20240612 7 . +. .Sh MINIFREE -Minifree, Ltd. sells devices with Libreboot preinstalled, and provides a +.Lk https://minifree.org Minifree, Ltd. +sells devices with Libreboot preinstalled, and provides a send-in installation service for supported devices. The founder and lead developer of Libreboot, Leah Rowe, also owns and operates Minifree; sales provide funding for Libreboot. @@ -42,16 +48,174 @@ respective manual pages: .It BSDs .Xr libreboot-bsd 7 .El +. +.Sh DESIGN OVERVIEW +.Pp + +Libreboot provides +.Lk https://coreboot.org/ coreboot +for +.Lk https://doc.coreboot.org/getting_started/architecture.html machine initialisation , +which then jumps to a +.Lk https://doc.coreboot.org/payloads.html payload +in +the boot flash; coreboot works with many programs, but Libreboot specifically +provides SeaBIOS, GNU GRUB and U-Boot as options. Memtest86+ is also provided +in flash, on some mainboards. The payload is the program in flash that provides +the early user interface, for booting an operating system. This payload +infrastructure means you can run whatever you want (even Linux!) from the +boot flash. +.Pp +Libreboot is specifically a +.Em coreboot distribution , +in the same way that +Debian is a +.Em Linux distribution . +Libreboot makes coreboot easy to use for +non-technical users, by providing a +fully automated build system +.Xr "(" libreboot-lbmk 7 ")" "," +automated build process +.Xr "(" libreboot-build 7 ")" "," +and +user-friendly installation instructions +.Xr "(" libreboot-install 7 ")" "," +in addition to +regular binary releases that provide pre-compiled ROM images for installation +on supported hardware. Without automation such as that provided by Libreboot, +coreboot would be inaccessible for most users. +. +.Sh WHY USE LIBREBOOT +.Pp +If you're already inclined towards free software, maybe already a coreboot user, +Libreboot makes it easier to either get started or otherwise maintain coreboot +on your machine, via build automation. It provides regular tested releases, +pre-assembled, often with certain patches on top of coreboot (and other code) +to ensure stability. By comparison, coreboot uses a rolling-release model, with +a snapshot of the codebase every few months; it is very much developer-oriented, +whereas Libreboot is specifically crafted for end users. In other words, the +purpose of Libreboot is to +.Em Just Work . +Direct configuration and installation of coreboot is also possible, but +Libreboot makes it +.Em much +easier. +.Pp +Libreboot gives you freedoms that you otherwise can't get with most +other boot firmware, plus faster boot speeds and +better security +.Xr "(" libreboot-grub-hardening 7 ")" "." +It's extremely powerful and configurable for many use cases. If you're +unhappy with the restrictions (not to mention, security issues) imposed +on you by proprietary BIOS vendors, then Libreboot is one possible +choice for you. Since it inherits coreboot, it doesn't have any known +backdoors in the code, nor does it contain legacy cruft from the 1980s. +Libreboot provides a sleek, fast boot experience for Linux/BSD systems, +based on coreboot which is regularly audited and improved. +.Pp +Libreboot is more reliable than proprietary firmware. Many people use proprietary +(non-libre) boot firmware, even if they use a libre operating system. +Proprietary firmware often contains backdoors, and can be buggy. The +Libreboot project was founded in December 2013, with the express purpose +of making coreboot firmware accessible for non-technical users. +.Pp +Libreboot is a community-oriented project, with a focus on helping users +escape proprietary boot firmware; we ourselves want to live in a world +where all software is free, and so, Libreboot is an effort to help get +closer to that world. Unlike the big vendors, we don't try to stifle you +in any way, nor do we see you as a security threat; we regard the +ability to use, study, modify and redistribute software freely to be a +human right that everyone must have. Extended to computers, these are +products that you purchased, and so you should have the freedom to +change them in any way you like. When you see Intel talk about their +.Em Boot Guard +(which prevents coreboot by only letting firmware signed by +them be executed) or other vendors imposing similar restrictions, and +you hear them talk about "security", they are only talking about +.Em their +security, not yours. In the Libreboot project, it is reversed; we see +Intel Boot Guard and similar such technologies as an attack on your +freedom over your own property (your computer), and so, we make it our +mission to help you wrest back such control. +.Sh LIBREBOOT IS NOT A FORK OF COREBOOT +.Pp +In fact, Libreboot tries to stay as close to *stock* coreboot as possible, +for each board, but with many different types of configuration provided +automatically by the Libreboot build system. +.Pp +In the same way that Alpine Linux is a Linux distribution, Libreboot is +a coreboot distribution. If you want to build a ROM image from scratch, you +otherwise have to perform expert-level configuration of coreboot, GRUB and +whatever other software you need, to prepare the ROM image. With Libreboot, +you can literally download from Git or a source archive, and run a simple script, +and it will build entire ROM images. An automated build system, +.Xr libreboot-lbmk 7 +(Libreboot MaKe), builds these ROM images automatically, without any user input +or intervention required. Configuration has already been performed in advance. +.Pp +Regular binary releases of Libreboot provide these ROM images +pre-compiled, and you can simply install them, with no special knowledge +or skill except the ability to follow simplified instructions, written +for non-technical users +.Xr "(" libreboot-install 7 ")" "." +. +.Sh CONTRIBUTING TO LIBREBOOT +.Pp +.Xr libreboot-tasks 7 +lists things that could be worked on. It will be updated over time as +more tasks are added/completed. If you want to help, you could pick one +of these tasks and work on it. +.Pp +But, the single biggest way you can help is to add new mainboards in Libreboot, +by submitting a config. Anything coreboot supports can be integrated in +Libreboot, with ROM images provided in releases. See: +.Bl -tag +.It Apply to become a board maintainer/tester +.Xr libreboot-lbmk-testing 7 +.It Porting guide for new mainboards +.Xr libreboot-lbmk-porting 7 +.It Libreboot build system maintanance manual +.Xr libreboot-lbmk 7 +.El +.Pp +Additionally, we appreciate build system maintainance (see above), documentation +(which is critical for any serious project), and ironing out bugs on the bug +tracker. +.Pp +User support is also critical. Stick around on IRC, and if you're competent to +help someone with their issue (or wily enough to learn with them), that is a +great service to the project. +A lot of people also ask for user support on +.Lk https://reddit.com/r/libreboot . +.Pp +You can check bugs listed on the +.Lk https://codeberg.org/libreboot/lbmk/issues bug tracker . +.Pp +If you have a fix for a bug, you can submit a patch +.Xr ( libreboot-submit-patch 7 ) . +. .Sh SUPPORT .Pp Help is available via .Lk https://web.libera.chat/#libreboot #libreboot on the -.Lk https://libera.chat Libera +.Lk https://libera.chat Libera.Chat IRC network. +. .Sh SEE ALSO -.Bl -item -.It -.Lk https://minifree.org Minifree, Ltd. +.Bl -tag +.It Libreboot's main website +.Lk https://libreboot.org +.It Libreboot bug tracker +.Lk https://codeberg.org/libreboot/lbmk/issues +.It Libreboot manual root +.Xr libreboot 7 +.It Binary blob reduction policy +.Xr libreboot-policy 7 +.It Free Software +.Lk https://writefreesoftware.org +.It Right to repair +.Lk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_repair .El -.\" vim: tw=72 +. +.\" vim: tw=80 |