From 95259e28ef047923258434898113d70c8e544eab Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Francis Rowe Date: Fri, 06 Nov 2015 17:43:29 -0500 Subject: convert documentation to texinfo --- (limited to 'docs/hcl/c201.html') diff --git a/docs/hcl/c201.html b/docs/hcl/c201.html deleted file mode 100644 index 65d78b5..0000000 --- a/docs/hcl/c201.html +++ /dev/null @@ -1,277 +0,0 @@ - - - - - - - - - ASUS Chromebook C201 - - - - -
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ASUS Chromebook C201

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- This is a Chromebook, using the Rockchip RK3288 SoC. It uses - an ARM CPU, and has free EC firmware (unlike some other laptops). - More RK3288-based laptops will be added to libreboot at a later date. -

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- Paul Kocialkowski, a Replicant developer, ported this laptop to libreboot. Thank you, Paul! -

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- - NOTE: This board is unsupported in libreboot 20150518. - To use it in libreboot, for now, you must build for it - from source using the libreboot git repository. Note that - we recommend building for it from an x86 host, until - libreboot's build system is modified accordingly. - -

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- More info will be added later, including build/installation instructions. - The board is supported in libreboot, however, and has been confirmed to work. -

- -

- Flashing instructions can be found at ../install/index.html#flashrom -

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- Back to previous index. -

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Google's intent with CrOS devices

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- CrOS (Chromium OS/Chrome OS) devices, such as Chromebooks, were not designed with the intent of bringing more freedom to users. - However, they run with a lot of free software at the boot software and embedded controller levels, - since free software gives Google enough flexibility to optimize various aspects such as boot time - and most importantly, to implement the CrOS security system, that involves various aspects of the software. - Google does hire a lot of Coreboot developers, who are generally friendly to the free software movement - and try to be good members of the free software community, by contributing code back. -

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- CrOS devices are designed (from the factory) to actually coax the user into using - proprietary web services - (SaaSS) that invade the user's privacy (ChromeOS is literally just the Google Chrome browser when you boot up, itself proprietary - and comes with proprietary add-ons like flash. It's only intended for SaaSS, not actual, real computing). - Google is even a member of the PRISM program, as outlined - by Edward Snowden. See notes about ChromeOS below. The libreboot project recommends - that the user replace the default ChromeOS with a distribution that can be used in freedom, - without invading the user's privacy. -

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- We also use a similar argument for the MacBook and the ThinkPads that are supported in libreboot. - Those laptops are supported, in spite of Apple and Lenovo, companies which are actually hostile - to the free software movement. -

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- Back to top of page. -

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Considerations about ChromeOS and free operating systems

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- This laptop comes preinstalled (from the factory) with Google ChromeOS. This is a GNU/Linux distribution, but it's not general purpose - and it comes with proprietary software. It's designed for SaaSS. Libreboot recommends that users of this laptop replace it with another distribution. -

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No FSF-endorsed distros available

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- The FSF has a list of distributions that are 100% free software. None of these - are confirmed to work on ARM CrOS devices yet. Parabola looks hopeful: - https://www.parabola.nu/news/parabola-supports-armv7/ -

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- The libreboot project would like to see all FSF-endorsed distro projects port to these laptops. This includes Trisquel, GuixSD and others. - And ProteanOS. Maybe even LibreCMC. The more the merrier. We need them, badly. -

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- We need these distributions to be ported as soon as possible. -

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- Back to top of page. -

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Caution: Video acceleration requires a non-free blob, software rendering can be used instead.

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- The lima driver source code for the onboard Mali GPU is not released. The developer withheld it for personal reasons. - Until that is released, the only way to use video (in freedom) on this laptop is to not have video acceleration, by - making sure not to install the relevant blob. Most tasks can still be performed without video acceleration, without - any noticeable performance penalty. -

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- In practise, this means that certain things like games, blender and GNOME shell (or other fancy desktops) won't work well. - The libreboot project recommends a lightweight desktop which does not need video acceleration, such as XFCE or LXDE. -

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- The lima developer wrote this blog post, which sheds light on the story: - http://libv.livejournal.com/27461.html -

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- Back to top of page. -

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Caution: WiFi requires a non-free blob, a USB dongle can be used instead.

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- These laptops have non-removeable (soldered on) WiFi chips, which require non-free firmware in the Linux kernel - in order to work. -

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- The libreboot project recommends using an external USB wifi dongle that works - with free software. See index.html#recommended_wifi. -

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- There are 2 companies (endorsed by the Free Software Foundation, under their Respects your Freedom - guidelines), that sell USB WiFi dongles guaranteed to work with free software (i.e. linux-libre kernel): -

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- These wifi dongles use the AR9271 (atheros) chipset, supported by - the free ath9k_htc driver in the Linux kernel. They work in linux-libre too. -

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EC firmware is free software!

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- It's free software. Google provides the source. Build scripts will be added later, with EC sources - provided in libreboot, and builds of the EC firmware. -

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- This is unlike the other current libreboot laptops (Intel based). In practise, you can - (if you do without the video/wifi blobs, and replace ChromeOS with a distribution - that respects your freedom) be more free when using one of these laptops. -

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- The libreboot FAQ briefly describes what an EC is: - http://libreboot.org/faq/#firmware-ec -

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No microcode!

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- Unlike x86 (e.g. Intel/AMD) CPUs, ARM CPUs do not use microcode, not even built in. - On the Intel/AMD based libreboot systems, there is still microcode in the CPU - (not considered problematic by the FSF, provided that it is reasonably trusted - to not be malicious, since it's part of the hardware and read-only), but we - exclude microcode updates (volatile updates which are uploaded at boot time by the boot firmware, - if present), which are proprietary software. -

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- On ARM CPUs, the instruction set is implemented in circuitry, without microcode. -

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- Back to top of page. -

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Depthcharge payload

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- These systems do not use the GRUB payload. Instead, they use a payload called depthcharge, - which is common on CrOS devices. This is free software, maintained by Google. -

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Flash chip write protection: the screw

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- It's next to the flash chip. Unscrew it, and the flash chip is read-write. Screw it back in, and the flash chip is read-only. - It's called the screw. -

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- The screw is accessible by removing other screws and gently prying off the upper shell, where the flash chip and the screw - are then directly accessible. User flashing from software is possible, without having to externally re-flash, but the flash chip - is SPI (SOIC-8 form factor) so you can also externally re-flash if you want to. In practise, you only need to externally re-flash - if you brick the laptop; read ../install/bbb_setup.html for an example of how to set up - an SPI programmer. -

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- Write protection is useful, because it prevents the firmware from being re-flashed by any malicious software that - might become executed on your GNU/Linux system, as root. In other words, it can prevent a firmware-level evil maid attack. It's - possible to write protect on all current libreboot systems, but CrOS devices make it easy. The screw is such a stupidly - simple idea, which all designs should implement. -

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- Copyright © 2015 Francis Rowe <info@gluglug.org.uk>
- Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document - under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 - or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; - with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. - A copy of the license can be found at ../gfdl-1.3.txt -

- -

- Updated versions of the license (when available) can be found at - https://www.gnu.org/licenses/licenses.html -

- -

- UNLESS OTHERWISE SEPARATELY UNDERTAKEN BY THE LICENSOR, TO THE - EXTENT POSSIBLE, THE LICENSOR OFFERS THE LICENSED MATERIAL AS-IS - AND AS-AVAILABLE, AND MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF - ANY KIND CONCERNING THE LICENSED MATERIAL, WHETHER EXPRESS, - IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHER. THIS INCLUDES, WITHOUT LIMITATION, - WARRANTIES OF TITLE, MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR - PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ABSENCE OF LATENT OR OTHER DEFECTS, - ACCURACY, OR THE PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF ERRORS, WHETHER OR NOT - KNOWN OR DISCOVERABLE. WHERE DISCLAIMERS OF WARRANTIES ARE NOT - ALLOWED IN FULL OR IN PART, THIS DISCLAIMER MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. -

-

- TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE, IN NO EVENT WILL THE LICENSOR BE LIABLE - TO YOU ON ANY LEGAL THEORY (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, - NEGLIGENCE) OR OTHERWISE FOR ANY DIRECT, SPECIAL, INDIRECT, - INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY, OR OTHER LOSSES, - COSTS, EXPENSES, OR DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THIS PUBLIC LICENSE OR - USE OF THE LICENSED MATERIAL, EVEN IF THE LICENSOR HAS BEEN - ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH LOSSES, COSTS, EXPENSES, OR - DAMAGES. WHERE A LIMITATION OF LIABILITY IS NOT ALLOWED IN FULL OR - IN PART, THIS LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. -

-

- The disclaimer of warranties and limitation of liability provided - above shall be interpreted in a manner that, to the extent - possible, most closely approximates an absolute disclaimer and - waiver of all liability. -

- -
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