From 4c3d46238022f0c9955ae7e8b10c9f1716dd871a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Francis Rowe Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2015 04:14:49 -0500 Subject: Documentation: implement theme, drastically improve readability --- (limited to 'docs/index.html') diff --git a/docs/index.html b/docs/index.html index f672db1..f3439c4 100644 --- a/docs/index.html +++ b/docs/index.html @@ -12,213 +12,162 @@ -

Libreboot project documentation

- -

- It is expected that your libreboot-compatible device is running GNU/Linux - (no other operating system is known to work with this release of libreboot). -

-

- What is libreboot? -

- -
- -

Release information

+ +
+

Libreboot project documentation

Information about this release can be found at release.html. Always check libreboot.org for updates.

- The release page and future/index.html contain details - about future work. -

- -

Hardware compatibility list

-

- Information about what systems libreboot supports. -

-

- Goto hcl/index.html. -

- -

Installing libreboot

-

- Information about how to install libreboot on supported targets, - using software and/or dedicated hardware. -

-

- Goto install/index.html. -

- -

GNU/Linux distributions

-

- Installing GNU/Linux distributions, preparing bootable USB drives, changing the default GRUB - menu and so on. -

-

- This also contains guides for fully encrypted Trisquel and Parabola GNU/Linux-libre installations. -

-

- Goto gnulinux/index.html. -

- -

Developing libreboot

-

- Information about configuring libreboot, building from source, maintaining the project, - working in git and so on. -

-

- Goto git/index.html. -

- -

Security topics

-

- Goto security/index.html. -

- -

Hardware maintenance

-

- Goto hardware/index.html. + What is libreboot?

+
-

GRUB payload

-

- Information about fonts and keyboard layouts used in GRUB. -

-

- Goto grub/index.html -

- -

Miscellaneous

-

- Random topics that don't belong anywhere else. -

-

- Goto misc/index.html. -

- -
- -

What is libreboot, really?

- +
+ +

Table of contents

+ + +
+ +
+ +

About the libreboot project

+ +

+ Libreboot is a coreboot distribution (distro) with proprietary software removed, + intended to be a free + (libre) 'BIOS' replacement for your computer. The project is aimed at users, attempting to make + coreboot as easy to use as possible. +

+ +

+ Read the full Free Software definition. +

+ +
+

+ The libreboot project has three main goals: +

+
    +
  • + Recommend and distribute only free software. 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. + Any system from coreboot that can run without blobs is a viable libreboot candidate! +
    • +
  • + Support as much hardware as possible! 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). +
    • +
  • + Make coreboot easy to use. 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.

    + + 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).

    + + 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.

    + + 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.

    + + 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. +
    • +
+
+ +

+ Libreboot is not 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. +

+ +

+ + 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. + +

+ +

+ Libreboot 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 coreboot-libre to distinguish it as a component of libreboot. +

+ +

+ Libreboot is a 'stable' coreboot +

+ + +

+ 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). +

+ +

+ 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. +

+ +

Back to top of page.

+ +
+ +
+

- Libreboot is a coreboot distribution (distro) with proprietary software removed, - intended to be a free - (libre) 'BIOS' replacement for your computer. The project is aimed at users, attempting to make - coreboot as easy to use as possible. + Copyright © 2014, 2015 Francis Rowe <info@gluglug.org.uk>
+ 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 license.txt.

- Read the full Free Software definition. + 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 license.txt for more information.

- -

- The libreboot project has three main goals: -

- - -

- Libreboot is not 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. -

- -

- - 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. - -

- -

- Libreboot 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 coreboot-libre to distinguish it as a component of libreboot. -

- -

- A 'stable' coreboot: -

- - -

- 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). -

- -

- 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. -

- -

Back to top of page.

- -
- -

- Copyright © 2014, 2015 Francis Rowe <info@gluglug.org.uk>
- 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 license.txt. -

- -

- 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 license.txt for more information. -

+ +
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