The article wasn’t about just running Linux: it was about trying to maximize use of OSS software in their personal compute. They write about using an OSS BIOS, OSS phone - everything that can conceivably and possibly be done.
I don’t recall if they talk about their modem, or switches; I think it’s just their personal computing devices. Still, it’s an interesting journey. I’m really nervous about replacing the BIOS; LibreBoot and CoreBoot look interesting, but I’m not in a place where I can afford to brick my computer.
Yeah I understand that. And as I noted with the exception of firmware which almost universally requires running very out of date hardware I do the same. I’d like to get there with my phone but I haven’t managed it yet. I have written off firmware being FOSS because as mentioned. You almost always need very old hardware for that outside of embedded devices. And if you go down the firmware rabbit hole you probably have to draw the line somewhere. Platform firmware is the one everyone focuses on but what about GPU or NIC firmware? What about microcode or firmware embedded in the IME or PSP? Yes you can sometimes neuter the IME but that doesn’t apply to all CPUs. It’s just an unwinnable rabbit hole without going to a fully open computing platform.
The article wasn’t about just running Linux: it was about trying to maximize use of OSS software in their personal compute. They write about using an OSS BIOS, OSS phone - everything that can conceivably and possibly be done.
I don’t recall if they talk about their modem, or switches; I think it’s just their personal computing devices. Still, it’s an interesting journey. I’m really nervous about replacing the BIOS; LibreBoot and CoreBoot look interesting, but I’m not in a place where I can afford to brick my computer.
Yeah I understand that. And as I noted with the exception of firmware which almost universally requires running very out of date hardware I do the same. I’d like to get there with my phone but I haven’t managed it yet. I have written off firmware being FOSS because as mentioned. You almost always need very old hardware for that outside of embedded devices. And if you go down the firmware rabbit hole you probably have to draw the line somewhere. Platform firmware is the one everyone focuses on but what about GPU or NIC firmware? What about microcode or firmware embedded in the IME or PSP? Yes you can sometimes neuter the IME but that doesn’t apply to all CPUs. It’s just an unwinnable rabbit hole without going to a fully open computing platform.