this post was submitted on 22 Jul 2024
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Libreboot + GNU/Linux-Libre Guix System
Please, more details
Irony? Hahah
No I genuinely want to know
Well for libreboot i had to program the bios eprom (SOIC-8 SPI programable). For that i used a chinese CH341a programmer which didn't work (IMPORTANT: first i had to fix the chinese design hardware problem that the ch341a has were it uses 3.3v as vdd but 5v as high level for digital spi signals) because of the shitty cables of the kit. I tried with a rpi pico with the same cables and also didn't work. Then i literally knitted cables one by one in each of the eprom pins in order to program it and it worked. My advice: don't use cheap chinese SOIC clips/cables. The CH341a can be fixed but if you can, also don't use it. They have a bug in their hardware design and they don't fix it.
After that i just installed Guix system iso in a pen and proceeded with the installation. I did a full encryption install (FULL all /boot included) because with libreboot you can have grub in your eeprom which is awesome. So basically i have a permanent bootloader that launches at start (besides all the other stuff libreboot does about neutering intel management engine, etc)
Then i followed more or less this in order to create the config file of the system. Once the config file is created you gust run guix and it does everything: configuration, compiling software if needed, etc.
And basically that's it. Well i also searched for a pci wifi card that had free software drivers in h-node.
Libreboot is very cool. You can change bios "variables", like for example modifiying your laptop hardcoded company MAC address for a random one (which I did). You have to do that when you are compiling the image that you will write into the eeprom.
Ah and btw Linux-Libre is just the default kernel for guix system. Basically 0 bloat. There are people channels that have guix system with bloat, but Guix by default is bloat free (well in reality only if you install libreboot too like i did :) ). That's why i bought a libre software compatible wifi card.
But Guix system can also be build with Linux, systemd ( the initd is shepherd) and other stuff if you configure it like so. But in order to do that you will have to read the Guix manual probably.
Basically a hobby project. I wanted to have a fully free computer. So i bought a x220 on ebay and did all that to have the fully free laptop.
Guix can be used as a kind of package manager in any other distro. And it has super cool features. It's worth checking out just for that. It follows the classical GNU filosofy of "hack with your computer as much and deeper as you want".
Guix system is perfect if you want to mess around, because you can just revert back in time your whole system.
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