I'm the owner of Minifree Ltd: https://minifree.org/

Minifree sells Libreboot computers to fund development of Libreboot; I'm Libreboot's founder and lead developer.

#libreboot is a free software project, replacing the proprietary BIOS/UEFI firmware on supported computers. It offers many security and performance benefits compared to most proprietary firmware, and it's highly configurable.

Your choice of Debian Linux, other distro or BSD.

tl;dr I sell Libreboot, and Libreboot accessories.

@libreleah I have a question about minifree.
Would you use more modern thinkpads in the near future? is that reasonable from the business perspective? and from the technical side?

I'm thinking about the lenovo L14 Gen2 (2021), for instance. Is that too modern?

@libreleah Oh and also there are some people in the internet that built more modern replacements for the T400 (i think) motherboard. Do you know about that kind of efforts? Do you plan to support any of that?

@libreleah
Thank you for your contributions!

@libreleah Thank You for sharing your project. I am considering porting the hardware we use at work to coreboot because we require better automated configuration of many machines as part of a manufacturing process, high integrity for the software we ship and we generally don't need a great deal of the fancy p states, c states, turbo boost, multi-threading, etc. All we really need is an efi payload that hands over to the Linux kernel

https://libreboot.org/docs/maintain/porting.html

@libreleah oh, I just noticed that https://coreboot.org/status/board-status.html is 404 😔 which is linked to on the porting page I linked to in my previous comment. Could you take a look?

@libreleah goodness! I didn't even know that BIOS was being tampered with! Will keep you in mind for new purchases - hope you guys ship to india.

When I have time, I'll look into the porting guide. I have a Lenovo G5 desktop but right now, I can't afford to brick it.

Awesome stuff, thanks for sharing!

@libreleah #Alt4you Picture shows an open laptop - thinkpad.

@neonbubble
Do you use Linux?
I've toyed with the idea of moving to a Linux Distro instead of Windows, and these machines sound decent and a price worth experimenting with. But I'm put off by how difficult Linux sounds to use for noobs.

@theaardvark

I don't (other than a tiny amount of command line stuff on one box for work, infrequently) but I boosted that and bookmarked it as a note to myself for when I next think about getting a machine as the urge to Linux grows (that'll be the Fediverse cult doing its job, of course). I don't think there's a huge learning curve with modern Linux distros as they are trying to appeal to more mass appeal and familiarity.

@theaardvark @neonbubble
Using a Linux machine for everyday tasks is as easy (if not easier) than using Windows.

The issues arise when you are installing Linux on a non-standard machine, or you are trying to do anything more than everyday tasks.

I'm certainly not tech minded but I've used Linux for years and only hit problems during installation (UEFI which seems to sorted, and Bluetooth drivers which again seems to be a non-issue now).
By choosing a modern, well supported version ('distro') such as Mint or Ubuntu you should have very few issues - even less if you buy a box with Linux preinstalled (which is what I'm intending to do next time).

You can try Linux by running it on most Windows machines by using it on a USB stick.

Linux is no where near as scary as some people want you to believe!

@MikeFromLFE @neonbubble
Thank you. I'll definitely consider it for my next move then.
Bookmarked this link myself for future reference.

@MikeFromLFE @neonbubble
I'm exploring a few USB/Dual Boot rabbit holes with a view to having a play with Linux before investing any money. 👍🏻

@theaardvark @neonbubble
It's not that difficult as long as you make sure each OS has a big enough partition.
The installation disk will walk you through it.

@theaardvark @neonbubble installing Linux is as easy as clicking through a half dozen screens and selecting items such as what username/password you want, what local time, type of keyboard...

You can try Linux in a USB stick (download the image, copy to a USB stick, enable USB booting n computer boot menu, usually a Function key)

See video (Linux Mint 22.x)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_GCxlMrTBQ

Good luck with freeing your computer, and yourself!

#Linux

@theaardvark @neonbubble ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR PERSONAL FILES. =D Get an external disk, plain copy your stuff, and have it handy for AFTER installation... makes life much easier.

@MikeFromLFE @theaardvark @neonbubble What would be "more than everyday tasks"?

@eruwero @theaardvark @neonbubble
I'd suggest using any program that isn't able to be installed & updated through a package manager. And / or trying to use an installed program in a way the developer didn't intend.

Initially I was thinking in quite narrow terms of 'office' programs, browsers, email and file storage - but maybe that's *too* restrictive a definition.

@MikeFromLFE @theaardvark @neonbubble use an AMD graphics card, the drivers are open source so they are integrated into Linux. They work so much better.

@theaardvark @neonbubble If I may...

MrsD had a Win8 laptop and got the free upgrade to Win10. It doesn't allow patching to be interrupted.

When logging on to send an urgent email, she got "Please wait, applying patches". 24+ hours later, still applying, disc churning.

She asked is she could have"that Linux thing you use". We installed Linux Mint with Cinnamon desktop and she took to it like a duck to water. Later, she reclaimed the space Win10 used, for extra data. Never looked back.

HTH.

@theaardvark
I use Linux, Mr Vark, and have for years.
I'm happy to tell you that 99.9% -- if not more -- of all difficulties in transitioning away from the more popular operating systems have been eliminated.
In my opinion, the most difficult thing now -- and it doesn't need to be difficult -- is choosing the version of Linux that you want to use.
If you're on the Fediverse, you're already surrounded by Linux enthusiasts who are eager to assist you in coming over to the good side.
#Linux

@altbot please work at least once...

@theaardvark the guy drones on about getting online. Skip the hemming and hawing. Find a way to copy ISO to USB or a DVD, boot, then either plug a ethernet cable or connect to your wifi. There, saved you 5-7min of droning =D

@libreleah
Okay, this is a product promo, but I'm okay with it because I support what you are doing.

@faraiwe Cheers! 👍🏻

@theaardvark let us know how it goes!

@libreleah dumb question, what’s the difference between libreboot and canoe boot?

@libreleah This bot has been asked to generate an alt text for your image by @daltux. If you consent, you will grant altbot a one-time permission to process this specific post. All processing is done privately with no third-parties. Any and all content is deleted after processing.
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@altbot @libreleah Yes

@libreleah

But … are you still shipping to the USA? Because I thought there were problems in the UK with that now.

@MikeFromLFE @theaardvark @neonbubble

Easier & faster to install than Windows. Was way more difficult in 2003 when I switched from Win to SuSe Linux . But I was stunned how much technical support I received free of charge even from perfect strangers. Just try that here & you'll see. Nowadays a linux setup is btw trivial in comparison.

My educational background: masters in linguistics & literary science, zero formal technical education. If I could do it so can everybody else.

@libreleah
✅ #Libreboot #Laptop
by #Minifree @libreleah
💻 https://minifree.org/ 💻

➕ ✔️ #BIOS #UEFI #Install #Update #Installed #Firmware
➕ ✔️ #Debian #Linux or #BSD
( Any #OS #System / #OperatingSystem distro )

☑️ = #Security + #Performance #Privacy

Pictured- #IBM #Thinkpad #T480 ⬇️

@theaardvark @neonbubble Also, she installed Libre Office, she was used to Microsoft Office at work, took to that just as easily, and all for free.

Cheers.

@ekaitz_zarraga
Thinkpads released after T480 sucks. Their chassis is low quality and no dual battery anymore.
@libreleah

@libreleah I keep wanting to try librebooting my X1 Nano.

@libreleah Image is of a black ThinkPad laptop with the screen showing a linux boot sequence. There is an outline of a leaping stag in the middle of the screen.

@MikeFromLFE @theaardvark @neonbubble it's funny, those would be things I would consider easier on a GNU/Linux system than anywhere else, but we might be thinking of different things.

Anyway, there are also things like Flatpak that make it easy to install programs that might not be installable through the package manager, and it's independent of the distro.

@libreleah this is really cool! ive been looking to get a linux-based computer for awhile and this might be one option ill consider! i was wondering if the price would be on the cheaper end of the computer pricing, but if not thats totally reasonable aswell!

@theaardvark
Here's a link to where you can try out a Linux distro without downloading it first, simply scroll down to Mint, click it and follow directions. (I'm hearing Linux Mint is the closest to Windows)

https://distrosea.com

@neonbubble

@SnowyCA @neonbubble
Oooohhhhhh. I'll give that a crack. Cheers! 🙏🏻

@ekaitz_zarraga @libreleah L14 Gen 2 is not possible unless another method of bypassing bootguard is found. All ThinkPads newer than Haswell (and all Haswell ThinkPads without socketed CPUs, so including T440/X240 but not T440p/W541) have bootguard, which makes porting coreboot impossible, with one exception: on MEv11 systems (which are vulnerable to CVE-2017-5705), bootguard can be bypassed with deguard. This includes Skylake (6th gen), Kaby Lake (7th gen), and Kaby Lake Refresh (some mobile 8th gen) systems, so T460/T470/T480 generation.

@kura @libreleah canoeboot follows the GNU FSDG, and therefore does not include or touch any non-free software. Canoeboot’s binary blob extermination policy explains the difference.

Basically:

• On boards that do not require any non-free software in flash (the AMD server boards, ARM chromebooks, and Intel GM45/945GM boards) the only difference is that libreboot includes microcode updates and canoeboot does not
• On boards that require ME firmware to be present in flash in order to boot (all Sandy Bridge and newer Intel boards), the difference is the above + canoeboot only touches the BIOS region while libreboot runs me_cleaner on the ME region (which means that, paradoxically, libreboot is actually more free on these boards since it neuters the ME)
• Boards that require FSP (all Skylake and newer Intel boards) are not supported by canoeboot, since there’s no way around including it (at least until someone reverse engineers it and writes a free replacement)

@NormanDunbar
Set my mother up with Linux desktop in 2008 after she retired from an office job. Shes used it since, replaced a couple times for hardware upgrades or whatnot. Shes 78 now, still uses it fine. Though uses her phone more.

Install and configuration is much more specialized skill than just using it.
@theaardvark @neonbubble

@noisytoot @libreleah thanks, appreciated.

@neonbubble @theaardvark I would say that distros run the gamut; some do have significant learning curves while others try to be approachable. But on average, yes, it's gotten much easier than it was in, say, the early 2000s. In general I see 3 types of difficulties with using Linux that can be a challenge:

1) Your computer's hardware requires drivers in order to be used by its software. Some manufacturers don't produce drivers for Linux and may not make enough information available for other people to easily write drivers for that hardware either. That can make it difficult or impossible to make certain hardware work under Linux, or some of the features may not work. This can be avoided by choosing hardware that is known to work well in Linux (often just going with specific manufacturers is enough), but it can sometimes be a problem if you just try to run Linux on, say, a random laptop you already have. It's easy enough to test with a live USB, though.

2) Most proprietary software doesn't offer a Linux version. Often there is an open source equivalent on Linux, but sometimes it may not offer the features you need. Whether this is a significant problem is really strongly dependent on what software you need and how flexible you can be about using alternatives.

3) Certain online services aren't really usable from Linux. Usually this is because either they need a proprietary client that isn't available on Linux or they specifically check the OS you're running on. For example, in a few cases I've run into streaming services that don't want to operate on a browser running on Linux. However, these are a minority; most online services work fine.

@neonbubble @theaardvark
All that being said, I've been using Linux as my main desktop OS for something like 20 years. It mostly works pretty well for me, but I am just willing to accept some limitations (e.g. I just can't play some computer games). On the other hand, I don't worry about features I don't want being forced on me or my OS spying on me, and for certain use cases (e.g. programming and science) it's actually easier to use Linux.

@NormanDunbar @theaardvark @neonbubble There is another option: OnlyOffice. It contains "Word", "Excel" and "PowerPoint" and is fully compatible with MS Office. It also looks like its MS Office counterpart a lot. It's available for Linux, as well as Windows and Mac, in a stand-alone desktop version.

OpenOffice is a very good suite too, but for people that only use a word processor, a spreadsheet program and occasionally make a presentation, OnlyOffice more than suffices.

@ElBeeToots @theaardvark @neonbubble Good advice, thanks.

@libreleah Do you have any plans for other form factors such as mini PC or NUC?

@noisytoot @libreleah What?! I'm sure at european level we could sue them or something.

I understand the reasons why they do that, but also... I think users deserve the freedom!

@libreleah excellent timing. I was about to buy gumtree laptop to become my next house media server and wasn't looking forward to the "will it won't it Linux well" flight

@libreleah Any plans for alternate form factors such as mini PC or NUC?

@theaardvark I'm pretty certain you'll be fine. I installed it on my mother's laptop, never had a complaint and she's not knowledgeable about pc's. Many modern distro's are very user friendly. Do check if you have essential software that's difficult or impossible to get to work on Linux. Alternatives for most exist, but some might not do it for you.

@neonbubble

@libreleah dang it I just bought a t14. Didn't occur to me to check you out. My last free laptop was a taurinus x200 lol. I will spread the good word about minifree :)

@libreleah I have no need for one of these, but I kind of wish I did.

@theaardvark I hope you find it helpful.

@neonbubble

@libreleah