The release of the Libreboot 26.01 open-source boot firmware has been published, which has attained stable release status. This project builds upon the existing Coreboot project, providing an alternative to proprietary UEFI and BIOS firmware responsible for initializing CPUs, memory, peripheral devices, and other hardware components, with minimal binary blobs.
Libreboot aims to create a system environment that can operate without proprietary software as much as possible, not only at the operating system level but also in the firmware that handles booting. Libreboot complements Coreboot with tools that simplify the process for end-users, forming a ready-to-use distribution that any user without special skills can utilize.
Compared to the last stable release, support has been added for HP Pro 3500, Topton XE2 N150, ThinkPad T580, and Dell Latitude E7240 PCs and laptops. Work is underway on supporting Google Chromebook devices through the integration of the MrChromebox coreboot distribution. CoreBoot is synchronized with the repository as of mid-January. The components GRUB 2.14, U-Boot, SeaBIOS, and flashprog are synchronized with the current codebases.
Hardware supported by Libreboot:
- Server motherboards:
- ASUS KFSN4-DRE
- ASUS KGPE-D16
- Desktop systems:
- Gigabyte GA-G41M-ES2L;
- Acer G43T-AM3, Q45T-AM;
- Intel D510MO / D410PT;
- Apple iMac 5,2;
- HP Elite 8200 SFF/MT;
- HP Elite 8300 USDT;
- HP Pro 3500;
- Topton XE2 N150;
- ASUS KCMA-D8;
- Dell Precision T1650, T1700 SFF/MT;
- Intel D945GCLF
- Dell OptiPlex 3050 Micro, 7010, 7020, 9010, and 9020 series SFF, XE2 SFF, MT, and XE2 MT, 780 USFF/MT;
- Laptops:
- ThinkPad X60 / X60S / X60 Tablet;
- ThinkPad T60;
- Lenovo ThinkPad X200 / X200S / X200 / X220 / X230 / X230 eDP / X230 Tablet;
- Lenovo ThinkPad X301;
- Lenovo ThinkPad R400;
- Lenovo ThinkPad T400 / T400S / T420 / T420S / T430 / T440 / T480 / T480S.
- Lenovo ThinkPad T500 / T530 / T580;
- Lenovo ThinkPad W530 / W541;
- Lenovo ThinkPad R500;
- HP EliteBook 2560p / 2570p / 2170p / 8470p / Folio 9470m;
- HP EliteBook 820 G2;
- HP Compaq Elite 8300 CMT;
- HP EliteBook 8460p;
- HP EliteBook 8560w;
- Dell Latitude E6400 / E6430;
- Dell Latitude E5420 / E5520 / E5530 / E6520 / E6530 / E6420 / E6220 / E6320 / E6330 / E6230 / E4300 / E7240;
- Apple MacBook1 and MacBook2;
- ASUS Chromebook Flip C101 (ARM);
- Samsung Chromebook Plus (ARM).
- Gaming Consoles:
- Sony PlayStation 1.
A release for the Canoeboot 26.01 project has also been formed, which is positioned as a fully free build of Libreboot, meeting the Free Software Foundation's criteria for free distributions. The Canoeboot release is based on Libreboot 26.01 but removes components and changes that do not conform to the Free Software Foundation's criteria. The new version of Canoeboot implements support for the HP Pro 3500 PC series and the Dell Latitude E7240 laptop.
The need to create a separate build of Libreboot arises from the Free Software Foundation's established requirements for free distributions, which do not allow the delivery of binary firmware or any binary driver components. Starting from 2022, the Libreboot project has adopted more pragmatic rules for the usage of binary components, significantly expanding the range of supported hardware. The new goal of the Libreboot project is to support all hardware supported in coreboot, excluding binary components that impact security and reliability (for instance, Libreboot uses me_cleaner to disable Intel ME). With this approach, Libreboot lost its status as a fully free distribution from the perspective of the Free Software Foundation.
Devices supported in Canoeboot:
- Game Consoles:
- Sony Playstation (PS1/PSX)
- Server motherboards:
- ASUS KFSN4-DRE motherboard
- ASUS KGPE-D16 motherboard
- Desktop systems:
- Acer G43T-AM3
- Apple iMac 5,2
- ASUS KCMA-D8
- Gigabyte GA-G41M-ES2L
- Intel D510MO and D410PT motherboards
- Intel D945GCLF
- Dell Precision T1650
- Dell OptiPlex 780, 7010 SFF, 9020 SFF, and 9020 MT
- HP Elite 8200 SFF, 8300 CMT, 8300 USDT, and Pro 3500
- Laptops (x86):
- Apple MacBook1,1 and MacBook2,1
- Dell Latitude E4300, E6400, E6400 XFR, E6400 ATG, E5420, E5520, E5530, E6220, E6230, E6320, E6330, E6420, E6430, E6520, and E6530
- Lenovo ThinkPad R500, T400, T400S, T500, W500, X200, X200S, X200 Tablet, T60, X60, X60S, X60 Tablet (Intel GPU), T420, T420s, T430, T440p, T520, T530, W530, W541, X220, X230, and X230T
- Dell Latitude E7240
- Laptops (ARM):
- ASUS Chromebook Flip C101
- Samsung Chromebook Plus (v1)
- Emulators:
- QEMU x86 and arm64
Source: opennet.ru
