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diff --git a/docs/hcl/c201.html b/docs/hcl/c201.html deleted file mode 100644 index 65d78b5f..00000000 --- a/docs/hcl/c201.html +++ /dev/null @@ -1,277 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html> -<html> -<head> - <meta charset="utf-8"> - <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> - - <style type="text/css"> - @import url('../css/main.css'); - </style> - - <title>ASUS Chromebook C201</title> -</head> - -<body> - - <div class="section"> - <h1 id="pagetop">ASUS Chromebook C201</h1> - - <p> - 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. - </p> - <p> - Paul Kocialkowski, a <a href="http://www.replicant.us/">Replicant</a> developer, ported this laptop to libreboot. Thank you, Paul! - </p> - - <p> - <b> - 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. - </b> - </p> - - <p> - <b>More info will be added later, including build/installation instructions. - The board is supported in libreboot, however, and has been confirmed to work.</b> - </p> - - <p> - Flashing instructions can be found at <a href="../install/index.html#flashrom">../install/index.html#flashrom</a> - </p> - - <p> - <a href="index.html">Back to previous index</a>. - </p> - </div> - - <div class="section"> - <ul> - <li><a href="#googlesintent">Google's intent with CrOS devices</a></li> - <li><a href="#os">Considerations about ChromeOS and free operating systems</a></li> - <li><a href="#videoblobs">Caution: Video acceleration requires a non-free blob, software rendering can be used instead.</a></li> - <li><a href="#wifiblobs">Caution: WiFi requires a non-free blob, a USB dongle can be used instead.</a></li> - <li><a href="#ec">EC firmware is free software!</a></li> - <li><a href="#microcode">No microcode!</a></li> - <li><a href="#depthcharge">Depthcharge payload</a></li> - <li><a href="#thescrew">Flash chip write protection: the screw</a></li> - </ul> - </div> - - <div class="section"> - <h1 id="googlesintent">Google's intent with CrOS devices</h1> - <p> - 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. - </p> - <p> - CrOS devices are designed (from the factory) to actually coax the user into using - <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.en.html">proprietary web services</a> - (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 <i>PRISM</i> program, as outlined - by Edward Snowden. See notes about ChromeOS below. The libreboot project recommends - that the user replace the default <i>ChromeOS</i> with a distribution that can be used in freedom, - without invading the user's privacy. - </p> - <p> - 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 <i>hostile</i> - to the free software movement. - </p> - <p> - <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page</a>. - </p> - </div> - - <div class="section"> - <h1 id="os">Considerations about ChromeOS and free operating systems</h1> - <p> - 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 <i><a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.en.html">SaaSS</a></i>. Libreboot recommends that users of this laptop replace it with another distribution. - </p> - <h2>No FSF-endorsed distros available</h2> - <p> - The FSF has a <a href="https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html">list of distributions</a> that are 100% free software. None of these - are confirmed to work on ARM CrOS devices yet. Parabola looks hopeful: - <a href="https://www.parabola.nu/news/parabola-supports-armv7/">https://www.parabola.nu/news/parabola-supports-armv7/</a> - </p> - <p> - 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. - </p> - <p> - <b>We need these distributions to be ported as soon as possible.</b> - </p> - <p> - <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page</a>. - </p> - </div> - - <div class="section"> - <h1 id="videoblobs">Caution: Video acceleration requires a non-free blob, software rendering can be used instead.</h1> - <p> - 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. - </p> - <p> - 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 <i>XFCE</i> or <i>LXDE</i>. - </p> - <p> - The lima developer wrote this blog post, which sheds light on the story: - <a href="http://libv.livejournal.com/27461.html">http://libv.livejournal.com/27461.html</a> - </p> - <p> - <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page</a>. - </p> - </div> - <div class="section"> - <h1 id="wifiblobs">Caution: WiFi requires a non-free blob, a USB dongle can be used instead.</h1> - <p> - These laptops have non-removeable (soldered on) WiFi chips, which require non-free firmware in the Linux kernel - in order to work. - </p> - <p> - The libreboot project recommends using an external USB wifi dongle that works - with free software. See <a href="index.html#recommended_wifi">index.html#recommended_wifi</a>. - </p> - <p> - There are 2 companies (endorsed by the Free Software Foundation, under their <i>Respects your Freedom</i> - guidelines), that sell USB WiFi dongles guaranteed to work with free software (i.e. linux-libre kernel): - </p> - <ul> - <li><a href="https://www.thinkpenguin.com/gnu-linux/penguin-wireless-n-usb-adapter-gnu-linux-tpe-n150usb">ThinkPenguin sells them</a> (company based in USA)</li> - <li><a href="https://tehnoetic.com/tehnoetic-wireless-adapter-gnu-linux-libre-tet-n150">Tehnoetic sells them</a> (company based in Europe)</li> - </ul> - <p> - These wifi dongles use the AR9271 (atheros) chipset, supported by - the free <i>ath9k_htc</i> driver in the Linux kernel. They work in <i>linux-libre</i> too. - </p> - </div> - - <div class="section"> - <h1 id="ec">EC firmware is free software!</h1> - <p> - 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. - </p> - <p> - 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. - </p> - <p> - The libreboot FAQ briefly describes what an <i>EC</i> is: - <a href="http://libreboot.org/faq/#firmware-ec">http://libreboot.org/faq/#firmware-ec</a> - </p> - </div> - - <div class="section"> - <h1 id="microcode">No microcode!</h1> - <p> - 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. - </p> - <p> - On ARM CPUs, the instruction set is implemented in circuitry, without microcode. - </p> - <p> - <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page</a>. - </p> - </div> - - <div class="section"> - <h1 id="depthcharge">Depthcharge payload</h1> - <p> - 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. - </p> - </div> - - <div class="section"> - <h1 id="thescrew">Flash chip write protection: the screw</h1> - <p> - 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. - </p> - <p> - <i>The screw</i> 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 <a href="../install/bbb_setup.html">../install/bbb_setup.html</a> for an example of how to set up - an SPI programmer. - </p> - <p> - 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 <i>evil maid</i> 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. - </p> - </div> - - <div class="section"> - - <p> - Copyright © 2015 Francis Rowe <info@gluglug.org.uk><br/> - 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 <a href="../gfdl-1.3.txt">../gfdl-1.3.txt</a> - </p> - - <p> - Updated versions of the license (when available) can be found at - <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/licenses.html">https://www.gnu.org/licenses/licenses.html</a> - </p> - - <p> - 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. - </p> - <p> - 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. 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