Wesnoth on A13-OLinuXino
The A13-OLinuXino is a single-board computer that does not depend on a nonfree BIOS. It can boot Debian and Android. Android requires nonfree software, but Debian can be used in freedom, if the user does not enable the nonfree repo.
I installed Wesnoth and found out that Wesnoth is playable without using any nonfree software. On x86 a nonfree BIOS is needed to boot in most cases.
I think that it is worth starting a Trisquel ARM port.
To get free WiFi one should use the Penguin Wireless N USB Adapter for GNU / Linux (TPE-N150USB) which Respects Your Freedom. The A13-OLinuXino-WiFi should be avoided because it ships with a nonfree Android and WiFi chip.
If you need 3D-graphics one can install the experimental lima-driver that Luc Verhaegen wrote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k16ve88d-L0
The FSF's SBC page ist at:
http://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/single-board-computers
Does the A13-OLinuXino have a web-site?
How much does the A13-OLinuXino cost, if it has been released yet?
I am a member!
This board is problematic and there are many problems to overcome.
From the FSF site:
"The AllWinner A1x platforms come in many boards such as the A13-OLinuXino, Cubieboard, Gooseberry and Hackberry.
The free startup software does not handle the internal memory; therefore these machines have to be booted from an SD card every time.
In addition, the GPU and the video decoding hardware are unusable in the free world, so these jobs must be done on the CPU.
The Cubieboard, Gooseberry and some versions of the A13-OLinuXino contain a WiFi chip that doesn't work without nonfree software. See the documentation of your board for information about using these USB devices with it.
People are working on free software support for the internal memory and the Mali GPU. Please contribute to these projects! The free software for Mali is Lima."
The company that develops OLinuXino is Olimex (https://www.olimex.com/). Unfortunately what Chris says is true for most or all OLinuXino devices.
The only devices which might be an exception are the iMX233-OLinuXino models. They aren't based on Allwinner SoC and don't have any GPU or good video-out. I don't know if they require any non-free software to boot properly. There is also an iMX233-OLinuXino model with an RTL8188CU Wi-Fi chip, which I think requires non-free software.
I've read the link at, and know that this board is problematic. I'm an owner of a A13-OLinuXino.
http://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/single-board-computers
You have to wait until free drivers come stable.
I tried to install the free driver, but it depends on a nonfree shader compiler. A free shader compiler has to be written.
The variant without WiFi does not have internal memory.
It can be used in freedom, if you do not use any graphics at all. If you do not use the internal memory, you can use the IO pins with external hardware.
If you use it as an Ogg Vorbis player, you do not need any nonfree software. It also run a Web-Server, once Linux-Libre is ported, and WiFi from ThinkPenguin us used.
I've found out that the board's design is "Open Source", but not Free as in Freedom, as they use the nonfree CadSoft EAGLE. Does anybody know a free replacement program that is easy to use and as powerful as EAGLE.
The GNUblin does not have a GPU nor a VPU, they use EAGLE too. http://gnublin.embedded-projects.net/index.php?module=content&action=show&page=hardware
Hmmm. Is this a fancy way of saying "The A13-OLinuXino is free, except for the parts that aren't"? Sounds problematic.
That is disappointing. It would be great to have a Free as in Freedom single board computer, where everything works with only free software.
Is there a Free as in Freedom single board computer?
I do not think so.
I usually design my PCBs using Fritzing which is free under the GPLv3. But I think you cannot use Fritzing to design a single board computer.
It might be possible to design a free as in freedom mobile Ogg Vorbis Player using Fritzing, the VS1000 - Ogg Vorbis Player System Circuit, and a charger for a LiPo bat.
Building an Ogg Vorbis player that meets the Respects Your Freedom hardware product certification might be possible, but I think that it can't be cheaper than an A13-OLinuXino.
Free as in Freedom hardware will cost less, if more people cared about freedom. The Letux 2804 smartphone which runs GNU/Linux costs about 800 EUR, because it is made in small batches of 100 units.