diff --git a/website/pages/faq.md b/website/pages/faq.md index 2c5af24..b232a41 100644 --- a/website/pages/faq.md +++ b/website/pages/faq.md @@ -194,6 +194,66 @@ What systems are compatible with GNU Boot? See the [hardware compatibility list](docs/hardware/). +Can you add support for more computers? +--------------------------------------- + +Unless GNU Boot already works on computers that for some reasons are +not yet listed as supported, there will be some more work to do than +just testing and reporting what works. + +GNU Boot is a 100% free distribution similar to other 100% free +distributions like Parabola or Trisquel, and like Parabola or +Trisquel, it reuses other software to make something that can be +installed. + +Most of the work on GNU Boot consists in testing already supported +computers, improving the documentation and various packaging work. + +Like with many other free software projects, the GNU Boot maintainers +are very busy running the project and doing improvements that will +benefit the project in the long term, they most likely don't have the +time to add support for newer computers themselves at the moment, but +they can help you getting the job done with some guidance and by +reviewing patches. + +So if you want to add a new computer, the first part of the job is to +verify if the computer can boot and is usable without nonfree +software. It's a good idea to start by reading the "Hardware +compatibility" section of this FAQ to avoid the most common mistakes +with that. + +Then once you're confident enough that your computer can boot with +fully free software, you can open a bug report and/or contact the GNU +boot project in one of its mailing list to notify the GNU Boot +maintainers and other contributors about that as this way the +information about this computer will not be lost. + +This way if you don't have time anymore to work on it, maybe it would +interest other people later on, or maybe not. In addition, this will +help you getting some feedback from other people to help you +understand if you're on the the right track or not with the computer +you want to add support for. + +Then once this is done, the computer will need to be supported well by +other project: like Parabola or Trisquel, GNU Boot reuses other +projects to support hardware. For instance Parabola relies on +linux-libre for its drivers. + +GNU Boot relies on software like Coreboot or U-Boot instead. So you +will have to add support for your computer in such projects. This +can be very complicated to do if you're not used to work on low-level +software like drivers, kernels, microcontrollers, etc, unless there is +already a computer very similar to the one you want to add support for +(in that case it might be a good way to get started, though expect to +have to learn many things along the way). + +Once this is done, you can add support for that computer in GNU Boot +by doing some packaging work, testing, and writing some +documentation. This is relatively easy to do. + +The documentation on how to send patches to GNU Boot is available in +the [git.md](git.md) page. + Will the Purism laptops be supported? ----------------------------------------------------------------------