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Qubes OS will ship pre-installed on Purism’s security-focused Librem 13 laptop

(arstechnica.com)
154 points walterbell | 1 comments | 15 Dec 15 07:52 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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INTPenis ◴[15 Dec 15 09:24 UTC] No.10736741[source]▶
Since I'm completely surprised by this project and very attracted to it I thought it was best to google around for some perspective. Found this http://www.pcworld.com/article/2960524/laptop-computers/why-...

Among other things. My first question was, is the hardware open? Couldn't find an answer to that.

Edit: Apparently revision 2 of Purism will possibly have Coreboot.

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creshal ◴[15 Dec 15 09:52 UTC] No.10736827[source]▶
The CPU uses proprietary, binary microcode blobs.

The graphics chip needs proprietary, binary firmware blobs.

The ethernet chip needs proprietary, binary firmware blobs.

The BIOS is a proprietary, binary firmware blob.

"Respects your freedom" my ass. The only difference to a whitebox laptop is marketing. Dell's or Lenovo's linux offerings are just as "free".

(And chromebooks with Coreboot are, technically, more free than both.)

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nextos ◴[15 Dec 15 11:40 UTC] No.10737206[source]▶
Actually, a RockChip based Chromebook like C201 is completely free except for the 3D acceleration. Not even CPU microcodes. And it's dirty cheap.

I wonder why Purism didn't simply commission such a machine with the right 3D chip instead of going with a non-free and expensive option.

I would also love similar initiatives in the mobile space, but I reckon it is more challenging. Neo900 and Pyra are kind of cool though. And I'm hoping Jolla open sources Sailfish OS later this month or early new year.

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1. drudru11 ◴[15 Dec 15 20:39 UTC] No.10740311{3}[source]▶
They needed x86 virtualization. The cheaper ARM systems don't support that (yet).