From 7365f4143c4c5a0e836dcd62328e58762fdcff8a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Alyssa Rosenzweig Date: Sun, 2 Apr 2017 10:19:14 -0700 Subject: Open Letter to the Free Software Community --- www/index.md | 83 ++++++++++++++++++++++------------------------------------ www/publish.sh | 10 ++++--- www/unity.md | 58 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 3 files changed, 97 insertions(+), 54 deletions(-) create mode 100644 www/unity.md (limited to 'www') diff --git a/www/index.md b/www/index.md index 171c1605..20c79015 100644 --- a/www/index.md +++ b/www/index.md @@ -5,65 +5,46 @@ title: Libreboot [![Libreboot logo](logo/logo.svg "Canteloupe, the libreboot mascot"){#logo}](logo-info.md) -[Downloads](download.md) -- -[Documentation](docs/) -- -[Donate](donate.md) -- -[Buy libreboot machines](suppliers.md) -- -[Report a bug](tasks.md) -- -[Submit a patch](git.md) -- -[Hardware Compatibility](docs/hcl/) -- -[Installation Guide](docs/install/) -- -[Mirror](rsync.md) - -Libreboot is a [free](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software) and Open Source BIOS or UEFI -replacement; libre *boot firmware* that initializes the hardware and starts a -bootloader for your operating system. [Watch our FOSDEM 2017 presentation about Libreboot (speaker is Leah Rowe, -libreboot's founder)](https://video.fosdem.org/2017/K.1.105/libreboot.mp4) - -Libreboot is a long-time member of the [Peers -Community](https://peers.community/) project, an organisation that supports -Free Software and provides infrastructure, e.g. [Git -hosting](https://notabug.org/). -**[We call on AMD to release source code and specs for the new AMD Ryzen -platforms!](amd-libre.md)** - -Questions? [Read the FAQ](faq.md) or -[join](https://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=libreboot) IRC for general -support questions. You can also [contact the developers](contrib.md). [Sign up -to our newsletter for release announcements!](announce.md). We also have a -subreddit forum, for development discussion and user support: -[r/libreboot/](https://www.reddit.com/r/libreboot/). +[Downloads](download.md) -- +[Documentation](docs/) -- +[FAQ](faq.md) -- +[Donate](donate.md) -- +[Buy libreboot machines](suppliers.md) -- +[Contributors](contrib.md) -- +[Report a bug](tasks.md) -- +[Submit a patch](git.md) -- +[Hardware Compatibility](docs/hcl/) -- +[Installation Guide](docs/install/) -- +[Mirror](rsync.md) -- +[IRC](https://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=libreboot) + +Libreboot is a [free](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software) and Open +Source BIOS or UEFI replacement, initialising the hardware and booting your +operating system. We are a member of the [Peers Community](https://peers.community/) +project, an organisation that supports Free Software. + +%%UNITYLETTER%% Why use libreboot? ------------------ Many people use non-free proprietary boot firmware, even if they use [a free operating system](docs/distros/). Non-free BIOS/UEFI firmware often -[contains](faq.md#intel) [backdoors](faq.md#amd), can be slow and have -severe bugs, where you are left helpless at the mercy of the developers; -*you have no freedom over your computing*. By contrast, libreboot is -building a world where everyone can use, study, adapt and share -software, with true control and ownership over their technology. **In -other words, you should use Libreboot for your freedom's sake!** +[contains](faq.md#intel) [backdoors](faq.md#amd), can be slow and have severe +bugs, and you are left helpless at the mercy of the developers.. By contrast, +libreboot is fully free software, where anyone can contribute or inspect its +code. Libreboot is faster, more secure and more reliable than most non-free -firmware, and can provide many advanced features (such as encrypted +firmware, and can provide many advanced feature, like encrypted /boot/, GPG signature checking before booting your kernel, ability to -load an OS *from the flash chip*, and more). +load an OS *from the flash chip*, and more. -Libreboot's main upstream providers are -[coreboot](https://www.coreboot.org/) (which we deblob, for hardware -initialization), [depthcharge](docs/depthcharge/) (bootloader, and -default libreboot payload on ARM), and GRUB (bootloader, and default -libreboot payload on x86). We also integrate -[flashrom](https://www.flashrom.org/Flashrom) (for installing -libreboot), and several of our own utilities, scripts and configuration -files. All of this is integrated into a single, coherent package that is -easy to use. We add our own patches to the various upstreams used, and -where feasible try to merge upstream as much as possible. +Libreboot's main upstream provider is coreboot, +[coreboot](https://www.coreboot.org/), which we deblob. We upstream our custom +patches to projects like coreboot, depthcharge, GRUB, and flashrom where +possible. Together, we provide an automated build and installation system with +nontechnical documentation, allowing Libreboot to be widely used. -Libreboot provides a fully automated build system and installation -process, with documentation written for non-technical users, in an -attempt to make the software as easy to use as possible. ROM images are -provided, along with utilities, all built from the publicly distributed -source code. +[Watch our FOSDEM 2017 presentation about Libreboot (speaker is Leah +Rowe)](https://video.fosdem.org/2017/K.1.105/libreboot.mp4) diff --git a/www/publish.sh b/www/publish.sh index 9e973d85..73ff8912 100755 --- a/www/publish.sh +++ b/www/publish.sh @@ -15,9 +15,13 @@ fi tail -n +5 $FILE.md >> temp.md # add license notice where applicable -if [[ ${FILE} != "docs*" ]] ; then - cat license.md >> temp.md -fi +# TODO: make this less intrusive +#if [[ ${FILE} != "docs*" ]] ; then +# cat license.md >> temp.md +#fi + +# add unity text in +sed temp.md -i -e "/%%UNITYLETTER%%/r unity.md" -e "s/%%UNITYLETTER%%//" # change out .md -> .html sed temp.md -i -e 's/\.md\(#[a-z\-]*\)*)/.html\1)/g' diff --git a/www/unity.md b/www/unity.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..acfbcbb7 --- /dev/null +++ b/www/unity.md @@ -0,0 +1,58 @@ +Open Letter to the Free Software Community +--------------------------------------------- + +To the free software community: + +Over the past six months, the Libreboot project has been in a state of discord. +After an issue with a transgender employee at the FSF escalated, Libreboot +publicly left GNU with little consultation from the community. Relations with +so many people were strained. Friendships broken, lines of code never written: +the chaos needs to come to an end. + +A series of organisational issues with Libreboot enabled this fallout to occur. +We have since corrected them: + +Previously, the libreboot repository and the website could only be modified by +the project leader, Leah Rowe. This setup created a single point of failure, +with little leeway for dissenting contributors. Since then, I have joined the +project as the sysadmin. Along with another contributor, Sebastian "Swift Geek" +Grzywna, direct access to the code and servers is shared. Though the project +cannot yet be completely decentralised, this change is a win for transparency. + +Previously, most of libreboot.org, including public statements such as those +regarding GNU, were issued by Leah herself. The rest of the team and the +community were not consulted. As Damien Zammit, a former contributor noted, the +word "we" on old Libreboot notices meant "Leah". But alas, there is no room for +the "royal we" in democracy. + +Finally, on a personal note, Leah was at the time struggling with gender +dysphoria and substance abuse. Since then, she has been managing these issues. +She agrees that her behaviour was rash and is determined to find a unifying +solution. + +With all of this in mind, were the allegations against the Free Software +Foundation true? Perhaps. Perhaps not. At this point, it doesn't matter. +Indeed, it is unlikely that Libreboot will ever rejoin GNU, but feuding in an +already fragmented community helps nobody. The world of free software is +shrinking and under attack. Though the FSF may make mistakes from time to time, +so do we. We do not need another divide. + +Similarly, we would like to work closely with librecore, another project +working to deblob coreboot, whose team includes Damien Zammit. Once librecore +matures, libreboot plans to switch to librecore in lieu of our current +deblobbed fork. That is, there will be less duplication of effort; instead of +competing with librecore, libreboot will complement it. + +As a technical update, we are currently working on a Libreboot port to +the X220. Leah and Swift are investigating ways to disable the ME on +Sandybridge hardware, which potentially means more modern Intel hardware may be +supported. Additionally, Paul Kocialkowski has been working on supporting +several new Chromebooks with ARM chips; these ports will also be available in +an upcoming release. + +No more "royal we". No more notorious surprises. No more late night +"typofixes". + +Transparency and collaboration are the way forward. + +~Alyssa Rosenzweig -- cgit v1.2.3-70-g09d2