My Intel  NUC is old but it works with Linux Libre and MESA with Vulkan and GL 4.6.

On Nvidia, just a step over AMD/Radeon with a BIG propietary firmware and userland ( NV libGL).

At least there are lots of libre games playable even under a GL 2.1 card as the one I own on my Celeron (Intel, free drivers and Linux-libre).

There's Minetest, Trigger Rally, Slashem, FreeCiv, UfoAI, Flare, Crispy Doom + FreeDOOM...

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation UHD Graphics 605 (rev 06)

It is not true that Intel graphics does not need firmware: Kabylake or Skylake does indeed have non-free firmware-blobs. And this situation is not going to be better at all. Intel is not supporting free and libre hardware, same as the others also.

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page= … ware-Blobs
https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page= … C-Firmware

I doubt you will note problems, nevertheless to point the rising development with a bit worries included. The time to come staying critical as all known companies don't give anything about free hard- and software at all. Intel even pushed more DRM into the Linux-kernel with their HDCP, to point out as there was no need to that but nevertheless it was accepted and included.

GNU/Linux-libre is a bit of compromise and it gets even more complicated to be free from blobs from version to version. So it is more or less just an amount of time until this is rendered completely useless and broken at a point or any hard-fork is no longer an option but a need. As told: Compromises are okay at a point, but we have lost that point long ago and FSF like others did nothing about it in a general way. They just claim more marketing efforts or telling us about hardware being that expensive no user can afford that (https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/clos … -tech-team). And to be honest: They could have done more like forking Libreboot official and investing more into that instead now telling us to use "Osboot". To quote:

Dreamcastles and illusions, that's all they've got. Yes, coreboot is quite cool but includes non-free firmware also and so on a compromise, not the bad one. But they are telling nonsense therefore: Libre hardware and no support from the FSF or just a bit of marketing? Oh come on, FSF. But okay? You want to use a machine for round about $9000 and support that again with a strange development about the Linux-kernel (without GNU). Nice looking, but only that, nothing more. And we have not talked about the energy-consumption and problems for the future with those machines getting bigger and bigger without boundaries.

It is the same one like on that libre linux GPU kernel driver from Nvidia: Looks like good news, but the reality beyond marketing? Oh well.

Coreboot is absolutely fine, especially when it comes to so-called "after-market hardware" and support for that. So no problems with that. My criticism above is just about centralized towards the FSF, because they are doing smoke and marketing, but nothing more. Projects like Libreboot had bunch of problems over the years also, so for now it seems we have another stable release (not final test from me for the moment as I need first to rebuild the R400 for that case). Nevertheless: I think the concurrent situation should be used to have something in the backhand. The coreboot-maintainers wrote about worries that coming hardware from Intel and AMD won't be even possible to be in usage with coreboot or any free BIOS / UEFI.

And ARM or RISC-V sounds nice on the paper, but that's it besides ARM is also not "free" per definition and in need for firmware-blobs. Conclusion would be: Have in reach for "after-market hardware" at best and making a mirror of what to get from Hyperbola or others in favor. I think computing is a field of a problem for years to come as people have no further understanding for "free culture" and FLOSS in general. Sounds like I make fun of them or want to have them look bad. The opposite: It is understandable because there is no just recognizable influence at a point when some data is misused. But we should never stop on mentioning that free culture and free / libre soft- and hardware is essential needed.

Free hardware needs to be affordable and especially oriented onto the basics for a future without big amount of waste being done in respect for our environment and the climate. That would be my definition. You may for sure disagree, but the point is: Buy something new? You create the known points about "consume". And many hardware offered is way more expensive than it should be for sure in any way. For example "Talos". Under all that named points: ARM has TrustZone for example and is non-free as you cannot implement your own CPU without getting the license for that. For RISC-V: Seems better, but here again ... either that kind of expensive without any further outcome for the next years or free software is missing at all. We have a circle therefore and from my point of view we should first stay where we have a good chance of a better outcome instead of waiting for some dreamcastles or further expensive promises.

I share all the hope, but I am also oriented to go stepwise and we should not forget first that free systems and projects like Hyperbola have the best chances to get technical emancipation to people with not much income and being not able to afford freedom-oriented hardware that expensive. Also it is better for our environment in the end: Buyng used instead new. Yes: Older perhaps, not the fastest also. But here comes the most problematic point: In our global society especially those are named as "bad". Being slower than others means not coming with. Without having the need we have defined disgusting rulesets to define individuals as "not needed". So all in all: There is much work to do.

Going therefore also for the original topic: As long as manufacturering companies only see their own "profit" and "benefit" as long there won't be any further solution at all. Projects iike "Mnt reform" will always need them to accomplish and so they have to accept the maximum on free parts those companies will give them. The point to decide is in the end always on their side. And under those points I personally right away go very much back again from the starting point: We need for sure other circumstances so "Mnt reform", Coreboot and many others can work better. You can see that especially at NVidia: Their so-called "free GPU kernel driver" is only for newer generations. What about the older ones? Left alone. Had Nouveau a better chance for getting support? Also: No. Marketing and nothing more in the end. That's a pity.

There are for sure different ARM-definitions and so the link is interesting - thanks for that. But ARM itself is first not the trust I would bet onto and second not final implemented completely onto BSD. So we won't be able to provide a stable HyperbolaBSD in the future on ARM also - only with more financial support and a complete interested team of people to maintain that for the future. See, it is also not only to implement one CPU-architecture. You need to maintain it within further development. And therefore x86 is for example more or less feature-complete or better to be called a more stable base as others are for the moment.

Speaking for the GPU itself: Yes, there was much work and effort done from the Nouveau-team. But also here: It is quite better to have the original code for driver and firmware as to do reverse engineering. Doing especially that for drivers can get complicated, especially within the context when the codebase is "moving" and has the need to do (meaning implementation of interfaces for the kernel, mesa-integration further and more). All in all: The promise of NVidia was and is a foul and toxic one. As already known from those companies.

Reverse engineering is also not without risks. I know dozens of projects being removed, closed or taken down because someone stated they have "stolen the code". A clean implementation from scratch is way better. Not meant to disrespect the work of the people doing reverse engineering, but we are not talking about some older game or application here. Until the hardware is also defined as free we always walk on risks or the manufacturers have no further interest because it is too old. So that would be my guess and stay for sure.

The first link you have posted is from my point of view absolutely full with flaws. You cannot study closed firmware - or being more precise not study without much amount of knowledge and time, without breaking laws and more as reverse engineering is about a risk. The point ends just at the simple issue of all: Being even more and more depending on external services, on the "internet" itself (which is a flaw by itself), you will always have growing attacking vectors. There is no chance at all to be fully secure or secure as possible. Yes, trying to be and mitigate and prevent what is known. But you will always have a moving information. And I won't go with that picture that article is stating, to quote:

Okay, cool: So again the on-going "please buy newer and newer and throw the rest on the trash"-thought in the end.

Besides: The X200 was distributed between 2008 and 2010, the X60 between 2006 and 2008, the T400 from 2008 and 2010, the T500 from 2008 and 2010 and so on. Nice that someone has not made the homework (meaning the person created the article).

There is a reasoning for and a right to have a machine in which mostly parts being a problem are reduced or mitigated when not further possible for the moment. Sorry, but on the worldwide network there are literally uncountable views and persons wanting our attention. The above link shows me personal someone I personally don't either want to read or follow within views. The ideal situation ("Free and libre hardware being the same way secure and compatible") is not possible at the moment, from different reasonings. Nevertheless: Coreboot and Libreboot is the best to be done and systems like ours here are doing the best possible. If someone has another better idea with the same amount of freedom and possible security? Okay, get here for a talk. If not? Please write blogs of whatever, but no further attention from me onto that. GNU/Linux is right out of that reasoning going to be unusable: Because of endless pragmatism!

You should accept that someone else has the "right" to modify the hardware you own, at any time and without your own control. Your only point is to "consume", to "use in the way decided from others" and then "buy something newer when time comes". That is the mentioned "pragmatism" and there is no GPU from AMD for example running without unfree firmware. The other link is exactly underlining that, but it is not "censorship". It is just the point about dictation and that is what our times are about. foremost. Dictation in form of the decision for "capitalism" as others decide what we can copy, we can "own", build or modify, and what we can't. That's why copyright is the worst way to do. And that's why this thread here demonstrates one way companies do some illusioning, nothing more. And Mr. Stallman has from my point nothing to do with anything. The FSF has failed to communicate clear enough or doing more for possible ideal devices. They have failed on many ways, but nevertheless some sticker like "Respects your Freedom" is also not really needed. But the first article has a good summary:

Oh yes, and here it is: The known "where would we have been without the companies"- or "the market is doing everything and correcting"-fails. How would it be to get behind the EC-firmware for example and go with enforced laws so all hardware has to made public? All drivers? And more of the rest. But the author is not able to bring up especially that point by making the difference between free software running and hardware itself. That's the reasoning at all why we are here in that situation. Because of "pragmatism" we ignore everything and that's why we should never get into that mode. Going with logic fallacies like "the faster the better" or "more progress at any costs" will never be good. Someone has posted therefore the own position, good thing and interesting for a read but nothing more. Personally I come to a different position, but good to know more about some people behind "Alpine Linux". Besides all is up to also own interpretation from me at the mentioned points - I can and want be false onto them: People using for sure old hardware doing that out of different points and reasons. Recommending to be "pragmatic" ends up especially there where the Linux-kernel is today.

And now I think it is time to stop that part of the discussion: It is about NVidia and we should not bring the discussion more and more into off-topic as we are doing right now.

And between we can take some recommendations like Framework with. Nevertheless also that is very expensive at all. As said: Free hardware should be always affordable for earthlings and not something defined as luxury good.

Besides to mention that the FSF is recommending the "phone" defined hardware from Purism and so doing the opposite of they are telling. But well? People like illusions.

Just to mention it: The pure definition of the FSF is so far okay. But their way to communicate and state it in reality is full with flaws. They are not recognizing the problems of the device and computer they are recommending as Purism is NOT any kind of helper in that situation. Selling smoke and illusions: Yes, some more "free" devices, but first they are very expensive and second the system around is not free and libre (PureOS itself has flaws). Being connected for values and strict principles instead of doing the opposite.

Hmm, no: Nothing was moved or removed from any threads here in the forums ever since. Only doubled postings deleted on the wish of creators. Everything else stands like it was. Perhaps you have read elsewhere? But interesting to read about that device: I personally have never heard from that until today. Nevertheless: Perhaps someone has written here about that device (without mentioning the name), but in another topic. A wide search brought no result.

But hey: We won't delete something when it is not against something democratic or harassing others. And for sure protecting the privacy of users is one of our values here. Just to underline for everyone reading: We will for sure delete hatred and harassment as they have no place here (please read therefore our Social Contract Point 10). Criticism can be made without insults, hatred, harassment or something else like called "trolling" (meanful for provocation). No need for that here, not meant for attendees on this thread, more for all readers (especially when I talk about "democratic"). Therefore the warning: Dear anonymous readers, don't think "freedom of speech" is "freedom of responsibility" here. Makes me sad, but in those times? Needed to mention more than once and not meant to you, zapper. People react sometimes very strange when reading keywords. Happens to all of us, so I used that point to mention our clear stance!