From 73c505b5e642e152a6be8ca17cea9ba7fd61a125 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Many people Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2023 16:37:32 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] Add project announcement Note that the text is a collective work by many people and that I only have written an extremely small part of it. Signed-off-by: Adrien Bourmault Signed-off-by: Denis 'GNUtoo' Carikli Acked-by: Adrien Bourmault Acked-by: Denis 'GNUtoo' Carikli --- site/index.md | 115 +++++++++++++++++++++----------------------------- 1 file changed, 47 insertions(+), 68 deletions(-) diff --git a/site/index.md b/site/index.md index f1a0b03..743c36a 100644 --- a/site/index.md +++ b/site/index.md @@ -2,83 +2,62 @@ title: Free your BIOS today! ... -Libreboot is -[freedom-respecting](https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html) *boot -firmware* that initializes the hardware (e.g. memory controller, CPU, -peripherals) on [specific Intel/AMD x86 computers](docs/hardware/) and starts -a bootloader for your operating system. [GNU+Linux](docs/gnulinux/) -and [BSD](docs/bsd/) are well-supported. It replaces proprietary BIOS/UEFI -firmware. Help is available -via [\#libreboot](https://web.libera.chat/#libreboot) -on [Libera](https://libera.chat/) IRC. +### What is this? #### -The latest version is [Libreboot 20211122](news/libreboot20211122.md), released -on 22 November 2021. +Libreboot is a free software project aimed at replacing the proprietary +BIOS firmware with an entirely free version. -Join us now and flash the firmware! ------------------------------------ +### How this project came to exist #### -You have rights. The right to privacy, freedom of thought, freedom of speech -and the right to read. [Free -software](https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html) gives you these rights. -Your freedom matters. -[Right to repair](https://vid.puffyan.us/watch?v=Npd_xDuNi9k) matters. -Many people use [proprietary](https://www.gnu.org/proprietary/proprietary.html) -boot firmware, even if they use [GNU+Linux](https://www.gnu.org/distros/). -Non-free firmware often [contains](faq.html#intel) [backdoors](faq.html#amd), -and can be buggy. Libreboot was founded in in December 2013, with the express -purpose of making Free Software accessible for non-technical users at the -firmware level. Libreboot can be called Open Source, [but you should call it -Free -Software](https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.en.html). +We believe all computer users deserve to control all the software they +run. This belief is the foundation of a social movement called the +*free software movement*, which consists of a large community of +software users and developers. We believe computer user freedom is a +vitally important goal. -Libreboot uses [coreboot](https://www.coreboot.org/) for [hardware -initialization](https://doc.coreboot.org/getting_started/architecture.html). -Coreboot is notoriously difficult to install for most non-technical users; it -handles only basic initialization and jumps to a separate -[payload](https://doc.coreboot.org/payloads.html) program (e.g. -[GRUB](https://www.gnu.org/software/grub/), -[Tianocore](https://www.tianocore.org/)), which must also be configured. -*Libreboot solves this problem*; it is a *coreboot distribution* with -an [automated build system](docs/build/) that builds complete *ROM images*, for -more robust installation. Documentation is provided. +In order to achieve our goal, it is important that when we call a +program free or libre, it is actually free in its entirety. That may +seem like a lot to ask, but it would undermine our goal if we were +flexible on our core belief: freedom. -How does Libreboot differ from regular coreboot? ------------------------------------------------- +There are free software programs that are important to the community +and our cause. Sometimes the development team of one of these programs +changes direction and creates the unfortunate situation where a free +program that is used by many begins to include nonfree software. This +is what is currently happening with the formerly free BIOS replacement +Libreboot. -Contrary to popular opinion, Libreboot's primary purpose is not to provide a -de-blobbed coreboot setup; it is merely one of Libreboot's policies, and an -important one, but it is nonetheless a minor aspect of Libreboot. +Libreboot was first released in 2009. It has been widely recommended in the +free software community for the last thirteen years. In November 2022, +Libreboot upstream began to include nonfree software. We have made +multiple attempts to work with upstream to keep Libreboot fully free, +but unfortunately our efforts were not successful. As such, we've +taken it upon ourselves to stand up for our principles and the +freedom of the wider community, releasing our own version of a +genuinely libre libreboot. -In the same way that Trisquel is a GNU+Linux distribution, Libreboot is -a *coreboot distribution*. If you want to build a ROM image from scratch, you -otherwise have to perform expert-level configuration of coreboot, GRUB and -whatever other software you need, to prepare the ROM image. With *Libreboot*, -you can literally download from Git or a source archive, and run `make`, and it -will build entire ROM images. Libreboot's automated build system, named `lbmk` -(Libreboot MaKe), builds these ROM images automatically, without any user input -or intervention required. Configuration has already been performed in advance. +### Our short term plans and need for help ### -If you were to build regular coreboot, without using Libreboot's automated -build system, it would require a lot more intervention and decent technical -knowledge to produce a working configuration. +We are seeking contributors for various jobs, both simple and technical. -Reguar binary releases of Libreboot provide these -ROM images pre-compiled, and you can simply install them, with no special -knowledge or skill except the ability to -follow [simplified instructions, written for non-technical -users](docs/install/). +The Libreboot name has a long history in the free software +community. We will continue to publish the genuinely free boot +software by the name Libreboot. You can help our project by informing +people about this genuinely free version. Another way to help this +project and take a stand for fully free software is to change URLs +across the web from to , and to let them +know that no other version of Libreboot is reliably free software. -How to help ------------ +While there is some documentation in our git repositories, we also +need help adding explanations on how to contribute, build and test +this website. -Check the [tasks](tasks/) page and pick a task to work on. You can also check -bugs listed on the [bug tracker](https://notabug.org/libreboot/lbmk/issues). +Denis 'GNUtoo' Carikli and Adrien 'neox' Bourmault are the interim +maintainers of this genuine Libreboot. They will also review patches +sent to the mailing list. Technoethical (an online shop that sells +hardware compatible with FSF certified distributions) and Libre en +Communs (a French nonprofit that acts and advocates for free software +and the commons) have offered help for testing releases. -If you spot a bug and have a fix, [here are instructions for how to send -patches](git.md), and you can also report it. Also, this entire website is -written in Markdown and hosted in a [separate -repository](https://notabug.org/libreboot/lbwww) where you can send patches. - -Libreboot development discussion and user support are all done on the IRC -channel. More information is on the [contact page](contact.md). +We are taking steps to ensure that our genuine Libreboot will remain +free and continue to be maintained over time.