Best libre desktop computer 2024 | Coreboot, Libreboot, Gnuboot

Hardware
327

other SoCs that fit the modular mainboard (including NXP, Amlogic, Qualcomm, Broadcom (Raspberry Pi) or even an AMD/Xilinx FPGA)

Out of the listed options, there is only the following option for booting without firmware blobs. The other listed options are based on RK3588 or Raspberry Pi, which require firmware blobs. Am I missing other options?

MNT Reform LS1028A Module (16 GB RAM)
This is the open hardware system-on-module featuring the NXP Layerscape LS1028A processor and 16GB of DDR4 RAM. LS1028A has 2x ARM Cortex-A72 cores and a Vivante GC7000UL GPU. LS1028A can drive external GPUs (adapter required). It can be used in the MNT Reform open hardware laptop or in any other custom device. Design files of this processor module are published under the CERN OHL.

This one supports specifically:

  • Ability to boot the system without any binary blobs (see next section for caveat)

That is highlighted on the product page:

But doesn’t “Out of Stock” mean that this option is not available, unless there are used items from former buyers in the market? It is possible to order it through the crowdsupply page itself.

328

Very nice but no pci-e or pci slots :slight_smile:

329

Meanwhile a bad news

I read all products are “out of stock”, is the project failed or not more maintained?

Personally I consider this product the top of the top. Two only defects: no liquid cooling, price really high.

330

Yes it a failed project because Linux Opensource. You know Opensource doesnt care about real freedom computer,systems and user.

I am completely disillusioned with the existence of opensource and hows destroying the freesoftware mission.

Linux is not Gnu anymore. So FSF need to save GNU from Linux and use it AI if so to help to build and speedup gnumach development to Gnu System ASAP.

We deserve something better than Linux. :enraged_face:
where users and computers true matter…

:pirate_flag:

Linux: How Think. :zipper_mouth_face:
GNU: What Think. :smiley:

331

In my opinion is failed because w was too expensive. I don’t know in USA but in Europe I know very few people which can spent 11000€ for a pc! Usually people spent 300-500€ for an economic pc, 800-1500€ for a good pc, 2000-3000€ for a powerful machine. But 11000€ is the price for an economic car, not for a pc.

332

Kinda.

But this mean also to move from x86 to ppc or even more harder ppc-be? so it is not like kgpe-d16 scene.

Nor Raptor is making a good air cooling, i tweaked but still no safety for power sforza, so disabled and reconfig gnu gnulinux for ondemand.

I pretty busy on superpowerpc. Today i requested to gnu gcc team to bring back power spe extension as removed from gcc 7, as this extension it is critical for a old powerpc computer made on 2024, also linux removed hard-coherent a feature needed on ppc to enable hard accel.

I :heart: PowerPC

333

So i enabled ssh access to my PowerPC-Computers-Farm to Power Community and Programmers to speedup Big-Endian Development.

NODEJS do not support BE as need for Firefox Core.

So i can not compile Firefox to PPCBE. :crying_cat: then for gnu icecat.
I has been motivated to develop a fancy modernized-energized logo for gnu icecat on big-endian ppc Milestone.

334

@carlosgonz , do you use the old OpenGL nouveau or the new Vulkan nvk driver (with zink OpenGL on top of Vulkan) with an Nvidia GPU? Does any of them support Big Endian now? I know that nouveau only supports 4KiB page size. Will NVK support 64KiB page size for OpenPOWER?

335

@riabenko on Litlte-Endian i use nvk+zink
On Big-Endian radeon r300

GTX745, GTX750, Quadro k1200

Nouveau do not support big-endian for now, but there is wip to suppport big-endian on nouveau, nv30,nv50 gpus so this will enable gnu-system big-endian as on powerbook-g4 12inch

336

Despite the non big-endian support on upstream nodejs, i still have 3 more way to get compiled nodejs for ppcbe.
I mean nodejs is available on debian ppc64be port but is broken because it was compiled on libicu76 and libicu76 it no more available because it was upgraded to libicu78.

I will try it just now…however FF compilation will take 6 hours on 4GHz i guess, if FF ppcbe-port get compiled i may use purism forum and any website from ppc big-endian.

So the ppcbe firefox porter do not have a ppc big-endian computer so all work did is from simulation,
But the superemotion part from this port it is not that enabled big-endian, jit, wasm, it is that it even enabled pre-vsx acceleration which fully help to move the firefox big-monster on old ppc computer like powermac-g4 - g5, x5000, x1222, more…

Other challenge is 64Kpagesize on ppcbe-le, i did a nouveau 64k test on gnu gnulinux 7.2 little-endian which the test failed, but it enabled me to boot the system without video, but before it was impossible booting, it needed to remove the nouveau gpu.

337

I 101% sure it was because superevil opensource which forced gnu to remove it, so i need to invest more time to TRAP opensource.
There is a Power computer made on 2025 which critical depend on powerspe as not shipping poweraltivec

Yes because superevil opensource, but i pulll it a nodejs version that still support bigendian, however it appeared others bugs, so nodejs still not compiled but very close.

Why i hate so much opensource? because it ship proprietary idea seen on window-os and mac-os which taint the gnu systems.
So a program could be opensource by just 1% libre and 99% proprietary so the user may easily deceived, opensource also enable a libre program to fully proprietary.

Also opensource love obsolence as microsoft and apple.
Also opensource handshake with vendor not for user, it even use: honeypot, for user.
Also opensource it lies too much for users.

As all i said, opensource confidence is zero to me

338

New update for Kgpe-d16 liquid cooler. The old Zalman were too stincky I have replace it with this one, the “mount” is compatible.

Thermaltake Water 3.0 ARGB

The advantages:

  • pc stop to smell of glicolate

  • is more recent than Zalman

Temps seems good, in idle

sensors|egrep --color temp[178]|head -3
temp1: +46.0°C (high = +70.0°C, hyst = +65.0°C)
temp7: +29.0°C (high = +60.0°C, hyst = +56.0°C)
temp8: +29.8°C (high = +60.0°C, hyst = +56.0°C)

under stress (w report 32)

sensors|egrep --color temp[178]|head -3
temp1:        +49.0°C  (high = +70.0°C, hyst = +65.0°C)
temp7:        +46.5°C  (high = +60.0°C, hyst = +56.0°C)
temp8:        +50.5°C  (high = +60.0°C, hyst = +56.0°C)

To obtain a compatible bracket (I decline any responsibility for hardware damage) for Kgpe-d16 socket (g34) this is the original for amd (am2/am3 socket) from a zalman lq-310/315

1
1182×178 22.7 KB

This is the modified version for g34 (the right and left "parts” must be removed)

1
1182×178 30.1 KB

The bracket is perfectly compatible with Thermaltake Water 3.0

NOTE: to avoid errors (some Thermaltake water 3.0 are different in bracket) the part number is CL-W232-PL12SW-A

339

Finally compiled nodejs

ca71056042@power5:~/Escritorio/node-v20.19.5/out/Release$ ./node -v
v20.19.5
ca71056042@power5:~/Escritorio/node-v20.19.5/out/Release$ uname -a
Linux power5 7.1.8+deb14.1-powerpc64-64k Debian 7.1.8-2  ppc64 GNU/Linux
ca71056042@power5:~/Escritorio/node-v20.19.5/out/Release$

However the history do not end, as i have more questions than answers about all of this nighmares. I still to get compile firefox-ppc64be

So i think that Ladybird will replace all firefox and chromes browser as shipping very very very fancy next-gen software.

340

I found a AIO liquid cooler native compatible with c32 (!) and g34 socket, the Alphacool Eisbaer Aurora LT240 CPU AIO

https://www.ebay.it/itm/298401388584

I’m not interest to buy it, I spent a lot of money and now is 90% ok (I think I have to replace the other old Zalman-lq 310, too stinky with a more recent aio, I was thinking about another Thermaltake water 3.0), I report it just for information and because is one of the very rare AIO Liquid cooler for g34 and c32 socket

341

thanks, looks premium liquid cooler.

I maybe config a KGPE-D16 because gnu gnuboot.

Can you a share full photos of you gnu computers a.s.a.p?

Thanks

342

Next week.

Consider gnuboot gave me a lot of problems, sometimes I had to turn off and turn on pc even 10-15 times before a successfully boot, is 100% a ram problem. Can happen also with coreboot, but more rarely.

343

So firefox-ppc64be still not compiling finish after 900 minutes runtime.
After compile still can be crash or hang, it what is.

Any powerpc user here?? :pirate_flag:
..seems like i am alone.

I really want it ASAP, because retain real new Altivec, and libreboot in theory and huge more unique things.

344

2500 minute compile runtime on firefoxppc64be and still do not finish…howerver the power cores started to running at 100% now so i think is close. stay tune for this huge milestone.

Yes by Gnu-Chamber of course, no llvm.

Is slow because thanks to opensource multiplatform withch make a bottleneck caused by flooding RAM and SWAP space, so i had 8 real ram and no swap memory, however due to massive firefox flooding i added swap 20gb quickly, however it did a bottleneck.

Edit:

FF failed. :cry:

“firefox-bin” received signal SIGILL, Illegal instruction.

Is a bug on security/nss/lib/freebl/ as bad instruction for power5 but power7

The problem is not the bug, it is how to real recompile with so-much less time. So i need to make a superbasic mozconfig, just to pass boooting first, and dedicated power5 to target firefoxpcc64be missin quickcompile.
Despite the failed booting still it is a milestone.

IT IS OK FOR NOW, HOWEVER I FULLLY OBSESSED WITH PPCBE, GNU

Edit2:

You know what? i did ccache so i can patch it and quick recompile.

345

So i fixed all bugs for firefoxppc, however due to failed firefoxppc hang, i switched to linux 4k from debian, debian provides both 4k and 64k for linux-ppc, but as far i know provides many pagesize on same system it is not safe. So i rerun fixed firefoxppc, however 3 hours later i remembered it was in 4K, and i wanted it in 64K, so i stopped the compilation at 3am, so i was tired,

So i checked all linux version installed, so i uninstalled last only 4k linux that was on runtime. So 5 hours later i turn on computer with 64k-linux, so surprise is not boot. So at 3am i not sure what i uninstalled, however i pretty sure that there is a tested 64k linux, but not booting…as i have a tricked gpu i can not get gnu grub, so i can fix on many ways. Ironically the best way to fix it from root is to visit Microsoft because they are the only ones who have a burner to this gpu to do a cross-burn to get gnu grub forever. = (
Thanks to new improvements on gnu gnulinux, i can pull gnu grub via nouveau and go to gnulinux ssh. as no video on 64k yet on nouveau.

There are many reason why i am desperate to get Firefox BIG-ENDIAN work well, most because Freescale e6500 as i really want it, but also Power4,5,6,7 even 8,9,10,11,12, even and why not on power3.

If ffppc64be get work, it will booost ppcbe and ppc64be.

EDIT:

Ok i know what happed last light which broken next booting, so on ppc every grub update core, it must be updated manually to bootloader directory; otherwise, it wont boot, so on rolling like oses, grub it need to be on HOLD, to prevent a autoupdate.

So refixed, booted and started rebuild ffppcbe.

346

The site 15h.org is offline, I need the latest coreboot rom with opt-vga roms, I don’t know why the old bios stop to work, I have the image blob free, but no video card is initialized, give error about loading video bios