Trisquel on non-x86 systems

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jxself
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Joined: 09/13/2010

https://trisquel.info/en/issues/24694

Maybe commenting on this will help show interest?

aloniv

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Joined: 01/11/2011

Shouldn't Trisquel focus on timely releases for x86 (which most people use) before supporting other architectures? The latest version of Trisquel is based on a two and a half old release of Ubuntu (which means a lot of software is outdated). The priority should be on releasing a new version of Trisquel based on Ubuntu 18.04 before supporting other less popular architectures.

jxself
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Joined: 09/13/2010

I think you misunderstand.

Check out https://jxself.org/titanic.shtml

This is to address the problem of libreboot-supported systems drying up. For an example, try finding a PDP-10 computer today. That's what the future holds for librebootable x86 machines. Since most aren't in production anymore they'll become harder and harder to find as time goes on. It's a sustainability problem for us in the Free world, and is more fundamental than how current the version of a program is (i.e., how new your clothes are.)

Note that I haven't proposed any particular schedule/order though i.e. add these first before Trisquel 9. Although they don't necessarily have to be mutually exclusive either.

Also note that the FSF is putting out calls for distros to support other stuff too, like
http://lists.nongnu.org/archive/html/gnu-linux-libre/2018-05/msg00057.html

So: The evacuation alert is being sounded. "Abandon ship -- abandon ship", says the voice over the loudspeakers to everyone onboard. *Could* evacuation of the Titanic wait while we all go put on new clothes (i.e., new software versions) below deck? Sure; but it needs to be addressed before the ship finishes sinking, and by some measures the water on the boat deck is already up to our knees. Don't let changing clothes delay you to the point that you end up sinking in your fancy new clothes instead of getting off the ship.

aloniv

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Joined: 01/11/2011

Trisquel has never supported other architectures even if those offered freer computers, such as the Lemote Yeeloong MIPS based laptop (which was supported by gNewSense). This might have been partially due to Ubuntu focusing on x86 releases compared to Debian.

I understand the logic regarding the need to leave the x86 architecture. However, a non-rolling libre distribution should first and foremost provide timely releases with up to date software/libraries. Trisquel has suffered greatly from postponed releases which has led to users migrating to other libre distributions such as Parabola and Hyperbola (or simply using other distributions with the minimal amount of non-free packages). I think this should be the primary concern of Trisquel before it considers adding support for other architectures which most users will not use until computers using those architectures are sold in their local computer shops.

gd_scania
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Joined: 09/13/2017

Here, Parabola instead needs to discontinue i686 and extend to more arm ports, due to its rolling benefit.
For Trisquel since it's LTS we can still try to liberate Raspbian to become our Trisquel ARM.

andyprough
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Joined: 02/12/2015

How about supporting the ASUS Chromebook C201? It's supported by libreboot, and there should be some of them available.
https://libreboot.org/docs/hardware/c201.html

Would it be possible to get Trisquel working on that kind of hardware, with the Rockchip SoC and all? Delete all the Google bits, and fully replace it with Trisquel?

If that could be done, more Chromebooks could be taken on as libreboot ends up working on more of them.

onpon4
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Joined: 05/30/2012

The SoC used by the C201 is actually a very good one, in fact it's one of the SoCs lkcl is looking at for the next EOMA68 computer card.

Libreboot is not needed for Chromebooks, by the way. They come with Das U-boot installed. The only concern is how well the SoC works with Linux-libre (some SoCs need special kernel versions to work and many require proprietary firmware for various components, especially the GPU and wireless).

jxself
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Joined: 09/13/2010

Right; the full free software option on that device is described on https://libreboot.org/docs/hardware/c201.html
The "TL;DR" summary is that the WiFi (which is soldered on) and the graphics need proprietary junk. The workarounds would be to unsolder the WiFi and replace it or use a USB one and to use software rendering instead of hardware accelerated graphics. It'll be slow but hey...

calher

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Joined: 06/19/2015

So THAT'S why it's as slow as a wretched Yeeloong... :-(

calher

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Joined: 06/19/2015

On Mon, 2018-08-13 at 06:12 +0200, name at domain wrote:
> How about supporting the ASUS Chromebook C201? It's supported by
> libreboot,  
> and there should be some of them available.
> https://libreboot.org/docs/hardware/c201.html

Ew.  Those things are worse than, or just as bad as, a Yeeloong!