Libreboot

Libreboot (briefly known as GNU Libreboot^[3][4]) is a free and open-source software project based on coreboot, aimed at replacing some of the proprietary BIOS or UEFI firmware on supported x86-64 and AArch64 computers. Libreboot performs the basic machine setup such as CPU initialization or memory controller initialization necessary to load and run a 32-bit or 64-bit operating system, such as Linux or FreeBSD.

Libreboot

ThinkPad X200 running Libreboot
Original author(s)	Leah Rowe
Developer(s)	Leah Rowe
Initial release	12 December 2013; 11 years ago (2013-12-12)
Stable release	20240612[1]  / 12 June 2024; 11 months ago (12 June 2024)
Preview release	20241008 (October 8, 2024; 7 months ago (2024-10-08)) [±][2]
Repository	codeberg.org/libreboot/lbmk
Written in	C, Shell, Python
Type	Open-source firmware
License	GNU General Public License, version 3
Website	libreboot.org

Characteristics

Libreboot is established as a distribution of coreboot, but with some^[5] proprietary binary blobs removed from coreboot.^[6] Libreboot makes coreboot easy to use by automating the build and installation processes.^{[7][8][9][10]}

On some devices, Libreboot developers have reverse engineered the firmware from Intel and created a utility to create a free firmware that meets the specifications from Intel.^[11] Hardware support includes but is not limited to the ASUS KGPE-D16,^[12] ThinkPad T400,^[13][14] X60^[7][8] and X200.^[14][15] Libreboot is officially endorsed by the upstream coreboot project.^[16]

History

The Libreboot project was started in December 2013^[6] as a distribution of coreboot, which excludes non-free binary blobs. Coreboot began as LinuxBIOS in 1999 at Los Alamos National Labs (LANL), and was renamed "coreboot" in 2008.^[17]

Libreboot has been endorsed by the Free Software Foundation, and was an official part of the GNU Project starting in May 2016. In January 2017, the project's maintainer Leah Rowe pulled Libreboot from the GNU Project, after a months-long dispute with the Free Software Foundation which oversees GNU.^[18][19]

Reception

In 2015, Kyle Rankin stated in Linux Journal that Libreboot "greatly simplified and automated" the flashing process, "with a few caveats".^[7][8] In 2016, Bryan Cockfield stated in Hackaday that Libreboot installation was "harrowing" and "not as easy as you'd think".^[9]