/tech/ - Technology★

Well ARM is already available for cheap, and you don't need GPU for some tasks, like running servers, or using Links browser.

>>909289 (OP)

Look up the "Hardware Removal of Botnet" (HRT) threads, there's a lot of info there but I haven't seen one in a while.

>>909318

Oh yeah I used to run one a long time ago on halfchan! *giggles*

I used to have a note with a bunch of stuffs i’ll Post it later when I get the chance to look for it and find it.

>>909303

That is a good point. You only need GPU if it’s a desktop or lappy. Of course the Mali driver would help a lot for librebooted or reflashed chromebooks.

Speaking of which, I saw something about the depthcharge coreboot on those things having a “factory reset” that can happen by pressing space during boot or something. Would it be possible to flash them with TianoCore or one of the other options?

I do know it’s really easy to reflash these things, with their write-protection screw.

Stop pretending to be cute, it just helps you come across as an annoying fag.

>>909289 (OP)

Old hardware doesn't have TrustZones Management Engines and Trusted Platform Modules. You want to avoid a certain brand, but it isn't black and white like this.

>>909289 (OP)

>Paths to getting off this train

Try getting hit by one

There's another thread in the catalog you LARPing faggot.

>>909419

>when I shitpost I know I can feel

>but when (you) larp you know it's not real, no

>>909376

Ironically enough, the Thinkpads so much revered around here have always been at the forefront of integrating botnet features such as fingerprint readers, TPM, or ME/AMT.

>>909431

Which is gutted with libreboot. I don't think anyone cares about the CPU architecture or brand. It just so happens this hardware is cheap.

>>909436

>trannyboot

>only select models are supported

>if trannyboot or coreboot disable ME than why is me_cleaner needed

>how can anyone be sure if any of this truly disables ME 100% if it's still largely undocumented

>>909444

The BIOS is completely wiped. Are you suggesting there is some other chip hidden from view which contains backup CIA BIOS? Perhaps a CIA BIOS inside the Core2Duo?

I have a MIPS creator I've still yet to do anything with, still gotta deal with powervr blobs as far as i remember however.

>>909289 (OP)

>>909540

You're probably the only namefag that I feel anything resembling postive emotions when I read the namefield of your posts. Most

ly because you actually talk about tech.

Having done a decent bit of research into the subject of non-botnet processors myself in the past, I'd say my conclusions rough

ly match up with yours. TALOS II seems quite good, but is simply too expensive to get as a normal desktop at this point. ARM itself seems okay, but it seems like most of the easily obtainable devices that use such processors have various issues, such as

some devices needing propietary blobs for boot, or for graphics (if I'm remembering correctly). The biggest issue I have with the Thinkpads is that they're a bit of a dead end, so to speak. Without truely being able to get rid of things like the intel ME, there's a very limited amount of devices that one can use in a free non-botnet computing setup among them, and using these devices instead of properly open-hardware platforms means less testing and funds going into gaining more legitimate options.

If I were to get/build a new system for use as a day-to-day desktop driver, I wouldn't need all that much as far as processing

power goes, but I'd like to be able to run linux, and have a basic setup with xorg and at least some simple window manager. Thi

s would let me do most of what I want to do on a daily basis on said machine, but the biggest issue is having good enough graphics support to handle a simple graphical setup.

>>909551

...You'll have to excuse the broken formatting. Copy-pasting from a text editor broke that, I guess.

>>909550

oh ok let me explain as best as I can

So coreboot doesnt actually disable the ME. It does have he ability to "neutralize" or "neuter" it by supposedly removing most of it, although its actually not a full fix and can still be an avenue for exploits according to a blackhat presentation.

Now what about removing it? well apparently in older versions of the ME, you could just completely get rid of it and the computer wouldn't complain. This I think is how Libreboot does it. However on Core-i series and other newer processors (read: everything after Core2), (((they))) decided to make the system to go into a reboot loop, force rebooting every 30 minutes if it doesn't have the ME.

Now Minifree, a website owned by Leah Rowe that sells preflashed libreboot lappys and related products and services, at one point had a preorder for the Libreboot X220, with the X220 being a sandybridge thinkpad. The page said that the project was working on a hack that would make libreboot possible on there, and that if they couldn't make it happen, they'd ship them with coreboot and allow ppl who didn't want that to cancel the order. It would appear that they couldn't make that happen.

>>909456

The ME code is ROM on the CPU itself, separate from the BIOS. It's firmware for the (tiny) CPU core that's running the ME.

>>909551

>You're probably the only namefag that I feel anything resembling postive emotions when I read the namefield of your posts. Mostly because you actually talk about tech.

OMG thanks you're so nice uwu

>using these devices instead of properly open-hardware platforms means less testing and funds going into gaining more legitimate options.

my thoughts exactly. Unfortunately theres not much in the way of laptops that is open-hardware, or even just not x86.

>>909553

speaking of which, I wrote the OP post in ed.

>>909558

Which brings me back to my original reply. Nobody's using Core2Duos for their awesome power. When I put libreboot on my T60 it couldn't even locate the hardware clock and threw PCI errors on the GPU. Perhaps neutralized is a better word than gutted though.

>>909431

"Around here" is kinda vague. I for one stopped caring about Thinkpads once Lenovo took over. The most recent one I enjoyed using was an R51e, without any of those crazy features. But that one belonged to work unfortunately. The last good ones I owned were T30 and R40. Yeah, those are quite old, and even had real serial and parallel ports...

Hi guise! I found that note!

I used to run a /hrt/ thread on halfchan and collaboratively we made this H U G E list that due to the character count limit on /g/ had to be split into like 4 posts. for 8ch I still have to split it!

it may be a bit inaccurate, but it should have a lot of stuff for you to check out

Here it is in full:

(1/2)

This general is dedicated to the creation of a list of hardware that is relatively botnet-free.

The Intel ME and other components are a serious threat to user privacy.

>"But what's the Intel ME, anon?"

I'm glad you asked! The Intel ME, or Management Engine, is a secondary co-processor in every single Intel chip in the last decade.

It runs a MINIX-based operating system and has full networking capabilities, drivers, and a goddamn web server in it.

https://www.networkworld.com/article/3236064/servers/minix-the-most-popular-os-in-the-world-thanks-to-intel.html

This page offers additional information, and explains that it can read your files and applications, act as a keylogger, capture the screen, inject rootkits, etc.

https://libreboot.org/faq.html#intelme

Very nasty stuff, and no, the HAP bit thing isn't a full fix

https://firmwaresecurity.com/2017/12/06/bheu-slides-on-intel-me-vuln-uploaded/

>"HAHA INTEL BTFO! SCREW YOU GOYS I GOT RYZEN!!"

AMD has its own botnet, called the PSP, or Platform Securiy Processor.

Here's what it is:

https://libreboot.org/faq.html#amd-platform-security-processor-psp

Here's Libreboot asking for it to be opened up in Ryzen:

https://libreboot.org/amd-libre.html

Here's Plebbit asking for it:

https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/5xvn4i/update_corebootlibreboot_on_amd_has_ceo_level/

Here's Edward motherfucking Snowden asking for it:

https://mobile.twitter.com/Snowden/status/837367956229206016

And here's AMD telling everyone to go fuck themselves:

https://yro.slashdot.org/story/17/07/19/1459244/amd-has-no-plans-to-release-psp-code

>"b-but how can I avoid this? Im scared, anon!"

That's the point of this thread. To highlight options that are out there that are relatively free of botnets.

This will include the typical Librebooted memepads and whatnot, but a big part of this is also exploring alternative architectures.

For inclusion into this list, if the processor is made by Intel Corporation or Advanced Micro Devices, the device must be 100% free as in Libreboot.

Otherwise, a less-extreme stance is taken, and something like Coreboot or U-boot will suffice.

Findings so far

x86 (Supported Distros: Basically all):

For desktops, there's lots of C2Ds and atoms listed, but also some very nice opterons and apparently an iMac

https://libreboot.org/docs/hardware/#desktops-amd-intel-x86

https://libreboot.org/docs/hardware/#serversworkstations-amd-x86

For Laptops, you have the CD and C2D memepads

https://libreboot.org/docs/hardware/#laptops-intel-x86

Purism doesn't do libreboot, but their roadmap includes this as a future goal.

https://puri.sm/learn/freedom-roadmap/

The last AMD chip that came without the PSP is Piledriver.

VIA also makes x86 processors. Proprietary BIOS, but maybe Coreboot potential?

ARM (Supported Distros: Most)

Obviously there's a shit ton of SBCs

One of these is EOMA68, which features 3D-printable housings, and potential RYF cert.

https://www.crowdsupply.com/eoma68/micro-desktop

iMX6 Rex is an education-based SBC that combines elements of a Pi and an Arduino. It uses U-Boot.

http://www.imx6rex.com/open-rex/

For a laptop option with an open firmware, try ARM Chromebooks.

I'm dead serious. Open it up, remove the write protection, reflash coreboot with different payload (Not seaBIOS or Depthcharge), install loonix of choice.

https://www.coreboot.org/Chromebooks

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1eGPMu03vCxIO0a3oNX8Hmij_Qwwz6R6ViFC_1HlHOYQ/edit#slide=id.p

Cavium makes some god-tier processors. Be on the lookout for that.

https://www.cavium.com/Table.html

Helios4 is an open-hardware NAS with U-boot

https://shop.kobol.io/

>>909730

(2/2)

In general, your biggest concern with ARM is the GPU drivers.

Mali is fucked. PowerVR too. Vivante GC and Qualcomm Ardreno are fine. Broadcom VideoCore is partial.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_and_open-source_graphics_device_driver#ARM

MALI MIGHT BE GETTING OPENED UP PRAISE LINUX TORVALDS TECH TIPS

https://lwn.net/Articles/738225/

Some anons have reported that lighter environments like XFCE are usable on stuff like Mali without the driver, but it's not ideal.

One anon said he couldn't remove the ChromeOS on his libreboot C201. This github issue talks about a solution.

https://github.com/altreact/archbk/issues/3

OpenPOWER (Supported Distros: Fedora, Debian, CentOS/RHEL, OpenSUSE, Ubuntu, BSDs):

Raptor Engineering sells POWER9 workstations, that may soon be getting RYF certification.

They're expensive as fuck, but probably the most powerful non-botnet computers that exist. Comparable to Xeons/Epyc.

https://www.raptorcs.com/TALOSII/

PowerPC (Supported Distros: Gentoo, Free/Open/NetBSD)

The company that still makes this is NXP

https://www.nxp.com/products/microcontrollers-and-processors/power-architecture-processors

Here is a project for a Libre PowerPC laptop using NXP, shooting for RYF certification.

https://www.powerpc-notebook.org/faq/

EmbeddedPlanet has several PowerPC SBCs, most using NXP.

https://www.embeddedplanet.com/product/single-board-computers/

If you have old PowerPC Apple products, they use OpenFirmware, which is here

https://code.coreboot.org/p/openfirmware/source/tree/HEAD/

Recommended models if you want to buy one: late PowerBook G4, PowerMac G5

MIPS (Supported Distros: Debian, Gentoo, NetBSD):

The /csg/ of desktops. Lemote is a chink company that sells libre MIPS boards, using PMON firmware.

http://www.lemote.com/html/product/

A German anon on this board says he is going to work with Lemote to resell their stuff.

EmbeddedPlanet also has MIPS boards with processors from Cavium with U-boot firmware.

https://www.embeddedplanet.com/single-board-computers/processor/cavium-oceteon-ii/

GnuBee has two low power NAS devices. They're cheap, they use MIPS, and they're going for RYF!

https://www.crowdsupply.com/gnubee/personal-cloud-1

https://www.crowdsupply.com/gnubee/personal-cloud-2

SPARC (Supported Distros: *BSD, Gentoo, Illumos):

Legit server stuff here. Open ISA and Open Boot firmware.

https://code.coreboot.org/p/openboot/source/tree/1/

Below link is a big list of options, from ancient 80s shit, to modern servers released this year with 5.0GHz and 32 cores

And of course, everything in between

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPARC#Implementations

RISC-V (Supported Distros: FreeBSD):

Only SBCs here. SiFive has some.

https://www.sifive.com/products/freedom/

There's also LowRISC

http://www.lowrisc.org/

For Routers, check out LibreCMC and its supported list.

https://librecmc.org/

https://gogs.librecmc.org/libreCMC/libreCMC/wiki/Supported+Hardware

>>909730

>EOMA68

Is that actually released? The components to make it a laptop look insanely expensive for the specs, but it seems it would only be ~$120 to get the computer card + desktop housing, which seems reasonable. I just can't tell from the site whether it is already out or not.

>>910118

afaik they release them in batches. so yeah it's out.

bumpity bump~

>>910143

Awesome, I think I'll order one, then. Should be interesting to see how well it works.

I've heard before that ARM is also botnet. It has this "trusted platform with cloud" much like the trusted execution, AMT/PSP/ME on the PC.

If you can find a free bios then that's all you'll ever need. There's also novena which is ARM laptop without the botnet (the schematics is even made public)

>>911956

>If you can find a free bios then that's all you'll ever need

So reflashing an ARM chromebook then, possibly with a different payload than depthcharge?