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1. Embed this notice
   Phoronix (phoronix@masto.ai)'s status on Wednesday, 29-Jan-2025 01:26:42 JST Phoronix

   System76's New Linux Mini PC Pairs Intel Meteor Lake + Dual 2.5G Ethernet + Coreboot

   System76 this morning announced the 2025 version of their Meerkat mini Linux PC. This new mini PC designed for Linux pairs an Intel Core Ultra "Meteor Lake" SoC with dual 2.5G Ethernet and booting using Coreboot for a intriguing combination whether it's for a lightweight Linux desktop PC or a small office/home server...
   https://www.phoronix.com/news/System76-Meerkat-2025

   • Embed this notice
     Bricky (thatbrickster@shitposter.world)'s status on Wednesday, 29-Jan-2025 01:26:41 JST Bricky

     in reply to
     @phoronix >debuts 76's open firmware
     Finally a worthy SFF system. :cume:
     kaia likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     翠星石 (suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com)'s status on Wednesday, 29-Jan-2025 21:21:12 JST 翠星石

     in reply to

     • Bricky
     @thatbrickster @phoronix >open firmware
     The boot software is proprietary software
     
     Intel's proprietary init software init's the hardware and then jumps to coreboot, which merely jumps to the bootloader payload.
     
     Unfortunately all modern Intel CPUs are handcuffed by the Intel ME - they won't init without proprietary signed ME software.
     
     The peripheral software of Intel's ARC GPUs is handcuffed too.
     
     
     It's not worthy unless it can be GNUbooted.
   • Embed this notice
     翠星石 (suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com)'s status on Wednesday, 29-Jan-2025 23:50:39 JST 翠星石

     in reply to

     • Bricky
     @thatbrickster There is a solution, but you won't like it.
     
     https://www.gnu.org/software/gnuboot/web/docs/hardware/ga-g41m-es2l.html can be used to make a nice SFF computer with a nice pizza box or small case, but if that isn't enough RAM or cores for you, then; https://www.gnu.org/software/gnuboot/web/docs/hardware/kcma-d8.html is only ATX size.
     
     Quite a lot smaller than full SSI-EEB glory of the KGPE-D16 still.
   • Embed this notice
     Bricky (thatbrickster@shitposter.world)'s status on Wednesday, 29-Jan-2025 23:50:40 JST Bricky

     in reply to

     • 翠星石
     @Suiseiseki If you're just complaining without offering anything towards a solution, your opinion is likely to be discarded.
     
     Give me something to work with or STFU.
   • Embed this notice
     翠星石 (suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:18:54 JST 翠星石

     in reply to

     • Bricky
     • Yomiel
     @yomiel @phoronix @thatbrickster >The best you get with GNU boot is like a Core 2 Duo or something.
     You can use Core 2 Quads for intel hardware and that's not even the best you can get.
     
     You can get a KGPE-D16 with dual 6282 SE's (32 cores) and 256GB ECC DDR3.
     
     
     Coreboot + ME cleaner on such hardware is less than 10% less proprietary than 100% proprietary BIOS's, as >90% of the BIOS is still proprietary software (such situation is somewhat similar to using a proprietary BIOS with GNU GRUB), although the BIOS still ends up being 100% absolutely proprietary in the end.
     
     A quarter step towards freedom, then never any further (since digital handcuffs) and then 87,000 steps towards proprietary slavery isn't what I would describe as "better".
   • Embed this notice
     Yomiel (yomiel@new.asbestos.cafe)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:18:55 JST Yomiel

     in reply to

     • 翠星石
     • Bricky
     @Suiseiseki @phoronix @thatbrickster
     You have to admit this is a much better compromise. The best you get with GNU boot is like a Core 2 Duo or something.
     
     Coreboot + ME Cleaner is still far better than 99% of computers yet is run-able on modern hardware.
   • Embed this notice
     Bricky (thatbrickster@shitposter.world)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:30:51 JST Bricky

     in reply to

     • Yomiel
     @yomiel System76 moved their system design in-house so you'd be paying for their R&D, etc. costs as well. I'm struggling to find work so can't justify buying one, even though it fits some of my requirements.
     
     I'm holding out for a low-power ARM server that's performant, accessible and affordable.
   • Embed this notice
     翠星石 (suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:30:51 JST 翠星石

     in reply to

     • Bricky
     • Yomiel
     @thatbrickster @yomiel >low-power >performant >accessible >affordable.
     You can pick 2 at most.
     
     You'd probably be best off finding the best Aarch64 SoC you can find, porting free software to it and then spamming them onto the biggest PCB you can get PCB companies to make, while spamming RAM slots and I/O ports and GPIOs and enjoy the 5 years of PCB design and software porting.
   • Embed this notice
     Yomiel (yomiel@new.asbestos.cafe)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:30:52 JST Yomiel

     in reply to

     • Bricky
     @thatbrickster @phoronix
     I've really thought about getting a System76 desktop for a while. PopOS is vile, but their hardware seems pretty good, I just don't think I can justify their prices though, and I'm not a prebuilt enjoyer.
     
     Maybe they should sell corebooted motherboards, though maybe the demand for that is far too low.
   • Embed this notice
     翠星石 (suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:38:10 JST 翠星石

     in reply to

     • Bricky
     • Yomiel
     @yomiel @phoronix @thatbrickster There is nothing wrong with using DDR3 in 2025 - it works just as well as it did in the previous years.
     
     ECC DDR3 is a much better experience than non-ECC DDR4.
     
     It's odd that you would deem a possible slight reduction of memory throughput that at worst makes RAM-heavy processing task slightly slower something that makes a computer unusable (I reckon the KGPE-D16 could be faster in some situations, as it has quad memory channels per CPU, while typical "productivity" computers have dual DDR4 channels).
     
     
     There is no middle ground between freedom and proprietary slavery unfortunately - you either have freedom or you don't - although you can be at a further or shorter distance from freedom.
   • Embed this notice
     Yomiel (yomiel@new.asbestos.cafe)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:38:15 JST Yomiel

     in reply to

     • 翠星石
     • Bricky
     @Suiseiseki @phoronix @thatbrickster
     Yes, more freedom is better than no freedom and worse than even more freedom but you have to compromise a little.
     
     You must realize it sounds silly to say 'just use DDR3 in 2025 bro'? Coreboot therefore is a very good middle ground.
   • Embed this notice
     翠星石 (suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:39:22 JST 翠星石

     in reply to

     • 𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙
     • Bricky
     • Yomiel
     @yomiel @sally @phoronix @thatbrickster Probably bait, but do you know how many fully maxed out KGPE-D16 systems that could get you, but instead you funded the enemies of humanity?
   • Embed this notice
     Yomiel (yomiel@new.asbestos.cafe)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:39:23 JST Yomiel

     in reply to

     • 翠星石
     • 𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙
     • Bricky
     @sally @Suiseiseki @phoronix @thatbrickster
     It's too late, I just ordered the $3,299 one to my door.
   • Embed this notice
     𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙 (sally@freesoftwareextremist.com)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:39:24 JST 𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙

     in reply to

     • 翠星石
     • Bricky
     • Yomiel
     @yomiel @Suiseiseki @phoronix @thatbrickster
     
     Don't get soystem76 hardware, it's just random proprietary and crippled hardware with some hipster Crapple-appealing makeup on top of it.
   • Embed this notice
     翠星石 (suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:42:59 JST 翠星石

     in reply to

     • 𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙
     • Bricky
     • Yomiel
     @yomiel @sally @phoronix @thatbrickster Enough to kill you from obesity.
     
     There's quite a difference between a crap proprietary burger that you consume and it's gone and a computer than you'll be able to use for decades.
   • Embed this notice
     Yomiel (yomiel@new.asbestos.cafe)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:43:02 JST Yomiel

     in reply to

     • 翠星石
     • 𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙
     • Bricky
     @Suiseiseki @sally @phoronix @thatbrickster
     Do you know how many McDonalds saver menu burgers that could get you?
   • Embed this notice
     翠星石 (suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:44:39 JST 翠星石

     in reply to

     • Bricky
     • Yomiel
     @yomiel @phoronix @thatbrickster >a man who has to work or his family will starve, or a slave?
     Both are slaves, although the wageslave can pick his master.
   • Embed this notice
     Yomiel (yomiel@new.asbestos.cafe)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:44:40 JST Yomiel

     in reply to

     • 翠星石
     • Bricky
     @Suiseiseki @phoronix @thatbrickster
     
     "There is no middle ground between freedom and proprietary slavery unfortunately - you either have freedom or you don't - although you can be at a further or shorter distance from freedom."
     
     Literally a contradictory statement.
     
     Who's free-er, a man who has to work or his family will starve, or a slave? I'm sure you'd agree the former, but neither are yet free.
   • Embed this notice
     翠星石 (suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:53:11 JST 翠星石

     in reply to

     • 𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙
     • Bricky
     • Yomiel
     @yomiel @sally @phoronix @thatbrickster GNU/JIHAD AGAINST "OPEN SOURCE" AND ALL OTHER FORMS OF PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE!!!
     
     Recipes are not restricted by copyright, meaning recipes have freedom and that the "open source definition" cannot be applied to any recipe.
     
     
     I will not eat a foodstuff if there are no ingredients listed, the chef cannot be trusted and the chef refuses to tell me what's in it - as clearly such food is likely laced with proprietary poison.
     
     Proprietary food isn't really a problem anymore, as companies are required to list most ingredients and aren't allowed to put lead in anymore (as there is consequences for poising the food), although in many cases you're better off eating unprocessed or home-cooked food
     
     
     Meanwhile, proprietary software companies unfortunately almost always get away with putting proprietary poison in their software, as they're not required to even list the ingredients.
   • Embed this notice
     Yomiel (yomiel@new.asbestos.cafe)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:53:12 JST Yomiel

     in reply to

     • 翠星石
     • 𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙𝅙
     • Bricky
     @Suiseiseki @sally @phoronix @thatbrickster
     Will you not eat something if the recipe isn't open source?
   • Embed this notice
     翠星石 (suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:54:35 JST 翠星石

     in reply to

     • Bricky
     • Yomiel
     @yomiel @phoronix @thatbrickster Both have different levels of nonfreedom - to have freedom they would have to be free of shackles.
   • Embed this notice
     Yomiel (yomiel@new.asbestos.cafe)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:54:36 JST Yomiel

     in reply to

     • 翠星石
     • Bricky
     @Suiseiseki @phoronix @thatbrickster
     But you see that they have different levels of freedom despite the fact they are both in chains?
   • Embed this notice
     翠星石 (suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 01:10:59 JST 翠星石

     in reply to

     • Bricky
     • Yomiel
     @yomiel @phoronix @thatbrickster I'd rather die. Give me freedom or give me death.
   • Embed this notice
     Yomiel (yomiel@new.asbestos.cafe)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 01:11:03 JST Yomiel

     in reply to

     • 翠星石
     • Bricky
     @Suiseiseki @phoronix @thatbrickster
     
     I'm asking a hypothetical, if you couldn't achieve 'full freedom' would you rather be a wageslave or a slave?
   • Embed this notice
     翠星石 (suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 01:11:04 JST 翠星石

     in reply to

     • Bricky
     • Yomiel
     @yomiel @phoronix @thatbrickster I would focus on full freedom, no matter what it takes, no matter how many people say it can't be done.
     
     I wouldn't take a detour on the wrong road to the wrong place with such handcuffed hardware unless an extremely skilled mathematician is about to totally break the handcuffs, as the handcuffs make such hardware a dead end - instead I would focus on hardware without handcuffs.
     
     I have achieved full freedom, as I haven't taken the proprietary road to the wrong place.
   • Embed this notice
     Yomiel (yomiel@new.asbestos.cafe)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 01:11:05 JST Yomiel

     in reply to

     • 翠星石
     • Bricky
     @Suiseiseki @phoronix @thatbrickster
     Perhaps, but then say you can't have full freedom, wouldn't you rather pick less non-freedom than no freedom at all?
   • Embed this notice
     翠星石 (suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 01:13:22 JST 翠星石

     in reply to

     • Bricky
     • Yomiel
     @yomiel @phoronix @thatbrickster I'd rather use GNUboot and that's what I'm using.
   • Embed this notice
     Yomiel (yomiel@new.asbestos.cafe)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 01:13:23 JST Yomiel

     in reply to

     • 翠星石
     • Bricky
     @Suiseiseki @phoronix @thatbrickster
     I think you're being annoying on purpose. I think you'd 100% rather use coreboot than a standard BIOS.