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</head>
<body>
- <h1 id="pagetop">Libreboot project documentation</h1>
-
- <p>
- It is expected that your libreboot-compatible device is running <a href="https://www.gnu.org/distros/">GNU/Linux</a>
- (no other operating system is known to work with this release of libreboot).
- </p>
- <p>
- <a href="#why">What is libreboot?</a>
- </p>
-
-<hr/>
-
- <h2>Release information</h2>
+
+ <div class="section">
+ <h1 id="pagetop">Libreboot project 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>
- The release page and <a href="future/index.html">future/index.html</a> contain details
- about future work.
- </p>
-
- <h2>Hardware compatibility list</h2>
- <p>
- Information about what systems libreboot supports.
- </p>
- <p>
- Goto <a href="hcl/index.html">hcl/index.html</a>.
- </p>
-
- <h2>Installing libreboot</h2>
- <p>
- Information about how to install libreboot on supported targets,
- using software and/or dedicated hardware.
- </p>
- <p>
- Goto <a href="install/index.html">install/index.html</a>.
- </p>
-
- <h2>GNU/Linux distributions</h2>
- <p>
- Installing GNU/Linux distributions, preparing bootable USB drives, changing the default GRUB
- menu and so on.
- </p>
- <p>
- This also contains guides for fully encrypted Trisquel and Parabola GNU/Linux-libre installations.
- </p>
- <p>
- Goto <a href="gnulinux/index.html">gnulinux/index.html</a>.
- </p>
-
- <h2>Developing libreboot</h2>
- <p>
- Information about configuring libreboot, building from source, maintaining the project,
- working in git and so on.
- </p>
- <p>
- Goto <a href="git/index.html">git/index.html</a>.
- </p>
-
- <h2>Security topics</h2>
- <p>
- Goto <a href="security/index.html">security/index.html</a>.
- </p>
-
- <h2>Hardware maintenance</h2>
- <p>
- Goto <a href="hardware/index.html">hardware/index.html</a>.
+ <a href="#why">What is libreboot?</a>
</p>
+ </div>
- <h2>GRUB payload</h2>
- <p>
- Information about fonts and keyboard layouts used in GRUB.
- </p>
- <p>
- Goto <a href="grub/index.html">grub/index.html</a>
- </p>
-
- <h2>Miscellaneous</h2>
- <p>
- Random topics that don't belong anywhere else.
- </p>
- <p>
- Goto <a href="misc/index.html">misc/index.html</a>.
- </p>
-
-<hr/>
-
- <h1 id="why">What is libreboot, really?</h1>
-
+ <div class="section">
+
+ <h1>Table of contents</h1>
+ <ul>
+ <li><a href="hcl/index.html">Hardware compatibility list</a> - <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>
+ <li><a href="git/index.html">How to use the git repository and build libreboot from source</a></li>
+ <li><a href="security/index.html">Hardware security</a></li>
+ <li><a href="hardware/index.html">Hardware maintenance</a></li>
+ <li><a href="grub/index.html">GRUB payload</a></li>
+ <li><a href="future/index.html">Planned work</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>
+ 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.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ Read the full <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">Free Software definition</a>.
+ </p>
+
+ <div class="subsection">
+ <h2>
+ The libreboot project has three main goals:
+ </h2>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <i><u><b>Recommend and distribute only free software</b></u></i>. The coreboot project distributes proprietary code/blobs on some computers;
+ this can include things like CPU microcode updates, memory initialization code and so on. The project also actively
+ recommends that the user install additional blobs in some cases (such as the video BIOS or Intel ME).
+ While this can be necessary from the coreboot project's point of view, Libreboot is an attempt to support as many
+ computers from coreboot as possible, without distributing any blobs and without having the user install additional
+ proprietary software. This is not to say that the coreboot project is bad; a lot of extremely dedicated and talented
+ individuals in coreboot work night and day to reverse engineer and free those blobs that still remain in coreboot.
+ <i>Any system from coreboot that can run without blobs is a viable libreboot candidate!</i>
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <i><u><b>Support as much hardware as possible!</b></u></i> This goes without saying. The list of officially supported hardware
+ in libreboot is smaller than in upstream (coreboot), because some boards in coreboot require proprietary software which
+ libreboot does not and will not distribute. The main goal of the libreboot project is to spread free software at a low-level
+ (the boot firmware) to as many people as possible, so of course that means supporting as much hardware as possible (but without
+ compromising on the main goal).
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ <i><u><b>Make coreboot easy to use</b></u></i>. The main problem that many users have with coreboot is that it is extremely difficult to
+ understand, learn about, install and use. This is understandable; coreboot is a low-level piece of software and has many
+ talented individuals working on it, but the project's resources are limited and so the developers focus their efforts on the code.
+ Coreboot offers wonderful support for other coreboot developers and those who wish to climb up
+ that steep curve to learn everything that they can.<br/><br/>
+
+ At the same time, those who simply want to use coreboot (for any number
+ of reasons) are often left feeling intimidated and many of them give up in frustration. Libreboot attempts to bridge this gap;
+ its documentation is entirely focussed on users, with detailed steps showing exactly how to install and use it and the issues
+ that they may come across (and how to work around them).<br/><br/>
+
+ Almost everything in libreboot is completely automated, with
+ scripts for downloading, building and installing the various components used in libreboot. Pre-compiled ROM images built
+ from the libreboot source code are provided, along with the utilities (statically compiled, from libreboot sources) that the user will need for installing them.<br/><br/>
+
+ Libreboot is similar in concept to a GNU/Linux or GNU/Linux-libre distribution; it is composed of not just coreboot (deblobbed),
+ but everything else that the user will need, such as GRUB and flashrom. These are all fully integrated, in a way where
+ most of the detailed steps otherwise required of the user (if they used coreboot, the upstream provider) are completely eliminated.<br/><br/>
+
+ In much the same way that you can simply download an ISO image for your favourite GNU/Linux-libre distribution, and install it,
+ you can download pre-compiled libreboot ROM images (built from the sources) along with installation scripts and documentation
+ that make libreboot as easy to use as possible.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ </div>
+
+ <p>
+ Libreboot is <b>not</b> a fork of coreboot, despite misconceptions of this fact. Libreboot (downstream supplier) is a parallel effort
+ which works closely with and re-bases on the latest coreboot (upstream supplier) every so often.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ <b>
+ As such, all new coreboot development should be done in coreboot, not libreboot!
+ Libreboot is about deblobbing, and packaging coreboot in a user-friendly way, where most work is already done for the user!
+ If, for example you wanted to attempt porting a new motherboard then you should do that in coreboot. Libreboot will (as a downstream supplier)
+ receive your change at some point in the future, in a future release.
+ </b>
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ <i>Libreboot</i> as a whole is the distribution consisting of everything surrounding coreboot. However, the main component is coreboot;
+ libreboot's deblobbed coreboot tree is sometimes referred to as <i>coreboot-libre</i> to distinguish it as a component of <i>libreboot</i>.
+ </p>
+
+ <h2>
+ Libreboot is a 'stable' coreboot
+ </h2>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ Coreboot uses the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_release">rolling release</a> model, which
+ is quite volatile; one day when you build coreboot, it may or may not work correctly on your machine.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ Libreboot changes less often (as far as the release model is concerned), focusing instead on 'tested' releases for <i>specific machines</i>.
+ At any given time, it might also be possible to build ROM images for systems other than those officially supported. If you get your board to work
+ (without violating the <i>&quot;coreboot development goes in coreboot&quot;</i> rule), then others could benefit from it.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+
+ <p>
+ On the other hand, coreboot is also strict about what it accepts (merges) into the main git repository:
+ most of the time, a lot of changes are under review at review.coreboot.org (as a way of encouraging as much further development
+ as possible before accepting the patch).
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ Meanwhile, libreboot is a lot less strict in this area and freely merges specific patches that are desirable, sometimes before they are merged into coreboot's main repository.
+ </p>
+
+ <p><a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a></p>
+
+ </div>
+
+ <div class="section">
+
<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.
+ Copyright &copy; 2014, 2015 Francis Rowe &lt;info@gluglug.org.uk&gt;<br/>
+ This document is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License and all future versions.
+ A copy of the license can be found at <a href="license.txt">license.txt</a>.
</p>
<p>
- Read the full <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">Free Software definition</a>.
+ This document is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See <a href="license.txt">license.txt</a> for more information.
</p>
-
- <h2>
- The libreboot project has three main goals:
- </h2>
- <ul>
- <li>
- <i><u><b>Recommend and distribute only free software</b></u></i>. The coreboot project distributes proprietary code/blobs on some computers;
- this can include things like CPU microcode updates, memory initialization code and so on. The project also actively
- recommends that the user install additional blobs in some cases (such as the video BIOS or Intel ME).
- While this can be necessary from the coreboot project's point of view, Libreboot is an attempt to support as many
- computers from coreboot as possible, without distributing any blobs and without having the user install additional
- proprietary software. This is not to say that the coreboot project is bad; a lot of extremely dedicated and talented
- individuals in coreboot work night and day to reverse engineer and free those blobs that still remain in coreboot.
- <i>Any system from coreboot that can run without blobs is a viable libreboot candidate!</i>
- </li>
- <li>
- <i><u><b>Support as much hardware as possible!</b></u></i> This goes without saying. The list of officially supported hardware
- in libreboot is smaller than in upstream (coreboot), because some boards in coreboot require proprietary software which
- libreboot does not and will not distribute. The main goal of the libreboot project is to spread free software at a low-level
- (the boot firmware) to as many people as possible, so of course that means supporting as much hardware as possible (but without
- compromising on the main goal).
- </li>
- <li>
- <i><u><b>Make coreboot easy to use</b></u></i>. The main problem that many users have with coreboot is that it is extremely difficult to
- understand, learn about, install and use. This is understandable; coreboot is a low-level piece of software and has many
- talented individuals working on it, but the project's resources are limited and so the developers focus their efforts on the code.
- Coreboot offers wonderful support for other coreboot developers and those who wish to climb up
- that steep curve to learn everything that they can.<br/><br/>
-
- At the same time, those who simply want to use coreboot (for any number
- of reasons) are often left feeling intimidated and many of them give up in frustration. Libreboot attempts to bridge this gap;
- its documentation is entirely focussed on users, with detailed steps showing exactly how to install and use it and the issues
- that they may come across (and how to work around them).<br/><br/>
-
- Almost everything in libreboot is completely automated, with
- scripts for downloading, building and installing the various components used in libreboot. Pre-compiled ROM images built
- from the libreboot source code are provided, along with the utilities (statically compiled, from libreboot sources) that the user will need for installing them.<br/><br/>
-
- Libreboot is similar in concept to a GNU/Linux or GNU/Linux-libre distribution; it is composed of not just coreboot (deblobbed),
- but everything else that the user will need, such as GRUB and flashrom. These are all fully integrated, in a way where
- most of the detailed steps otherwise required of the user (if they used coreboot, the upstream provider) are completely eliminated.<br/><br/>
-
- In much the same way that you can simply download an ISO image for your favourite GNU/Linux-libre distribution, and install it,
- you can download pre-compiled libreboot ROM images (built from the sources) along with installation scripts and documentation
- that make libreboot as easy to use as possible.
- </li>
- </ul>
-
- <p>
- Libreboot is <b>not</b> a fork of coreboot, despite misconceptions of this fact. Libreboot (downstream supplier) is a parallel effort
- which works closely with and re-bases on the latest coreboot (upstream supplier) every so often.
- </p>
-
- <p>
- <b>
- As such, all new coreboot development should be done in coreboot, not libreboot!
- Libreboot is about deblobbing, and packaging coreboot in a user-friendly way, where most work is already done for the user!
- If, for example you wanted to attempt porting a new motherboard then you should do that in coreboot. Libreboot will (as a downstream supplier)
- receive your change at some point in the future, in a future release.
- </b>
- </p>
-
- <p>
- <i>Libreboot</i> as a whole is the distribution consisting of everything surrounding coreboot. However, the main component is coreboot;
- libreboot's deblobbed coreboot tree is sometimes referred to as <i>coreboot-libre</i> to distinguish it as a component of <i>libreboot</i>.
- </p>
-
- <h2>
- A 'stable' coreboot:
- </h2>
- <ul>
- <li>
- Coreboot uses the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_release">rolling release</a> model
- (and it is therefore quite volatile; one day when you build coreboot, it may or may not work correctly on your machine).
- </li>
- <li>
- Libreboot changes less often (as far as the release model is concerned), focusing instead on 'tested' releases for <i>specific machines</i>.
- At any given time, it might also be possible to build ROM images for systems other than those officially supported. If you get your board to work
- (without violating the <i>&quot;coreboot development goes in coreboot&quot;</i> rule), then others could benefit from it.
- </li>
- </ul>
-
- <p>
- On the other hand, coreboot is also strict about what it accepts (merges) into the main git repository:
- most of the time, a lot of changes are under review at review.coreboot.org (as a way of encouraging as much further development
- as possible before accepting the patch).
- </p>
-
- <p>
- Meanwhile, libreboot is a lot less strict in this area and freely merges specific patches that are desirable, sometimes before they are merged into coreboot's main repository.
- </p>
-
- <p><a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a></p>
-
-<hr/>
-
- <p>
- Copyright &copy; 2014, 2015 Francis Rowe &lt;info@gluglug.org.uk&gt;<br/>
- This document is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License and all future versions.
- A copy of the license can be found at <a href="license.txt">license.txt</a>.
- </p>
-
- <p>
- This document is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
- but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
- MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See <a href="license.txt">license.txt</a> for more information.
- </p>
+
+ </div>
</body>
</html>