Nostr notes by Leah Rowe ist kein Roweboter

Been a bit ill the last few weeks. I'm back at work fully as ...

2026-05-04T14:02:04Z

Been a bit ill the last few weeks. I'm back at work fully as of today. And with that, I say.

I sell Libreboot, and Libreboot accessories:

https://minifree.org/

I'm Libreboot's founder and lead developer. Sales fund the project. It replaces proprietary BIOS/UEFI firmware, providing faster boot speeds, better security and better configurability.

Debian Linux preinstalled, or you can ask for a different distro or a BSD.

Free Software democratises computing, giving you control of the machine.

I have important news: my LibreWolf port for OpenBSD now *works ...

2026-04-16T13:10:25Z

I have important news: my LibreWolf port for OpenBSD now *works perfectly*!

See: https://codeberg.org/vimuser/librewolf-openbsd-port

Latest patch: https://codeberg.org/vimuser/librewolf-openbsd-port/commit/b66909dff671dfae9350b3db84c60b0a32cff9e9

I compiled the master branch on OpenBSD -current (7.9 snapshot).

I rewrote the port again, this time making only the most surgical changes relative to www/mozilla-firefox.

LibreWolf uses mozconfig, so OpenBSD CONFIGURE_ARGS has no effect; I provide a patched mozconfig at build time.

*Everything works*. I rocked out to some tunes, and read some news.

i'm british, and diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum, ...

2026-04-13T17:16:48Z

In reply to nevent1q…65v7
_________________________

i'm british, and diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum, but my results on that test say i'm 42% autistic and 69% german.

update regarding my librewolf port for OpenBSD: it works ...

2026-04-06T10:33:26Z

update regarding my librewolf port for OpenBSD: it works perfectly. i screwed up the branding, so the menu icons (e.g. lxqt menu) say firefox. easy fix (just have to enable librewolf branding in the build process; accidentally removed it earlier)

https://codeberg.org/vimuser/librewolf-openbsd-port

will update for openbsd 7.9 soon (current package is 7.8) and then also for CURRENT. debating whether or not to maintain a temporary package repo, until openbsd merges it. i plan on sending to the openbsd ports team for review.

I sell Libreboot, and Libreboot-Accessories: ...

2026-02-28T12:32:56Z

I sell Libreboot, and Libreboot-Accessories:

https://minifree.org/

Libreboot is a Free Software BIOS/UEFI replacement, provided as a coreboot distro. It provides many unique security features that you rarely find elsewhere, e.g. true Full Disk Encryption. Faster boot speeds, better customisation und new stable releases every 6 months.

Free Software democratises computing, giving you control. Debian Linux preinstalled.

I'm Libreboot's founder, and lead developer. Sales fund the project.

Prices reduced on Libreboot laptops: https://minifree.org/ - ...

2026-02-08T08:41:10Z

Prices reduced on Libreboot laptops: https://minifree.org/ - Debian Linux and Libreboot preinstalled plus upgrades.

T480 base price was £498 GBP, now £398. T580 base was £758, now £598.

Libreboot is a Free Software BIOS/UEFI replacement (coreboot distro). Free Software democratises computing, giving you control. Libreboot provides many unique security features that you rarely find elsewhere, e.g. true Full Disk Encryption.

I'm Libreboot's founder, and lead developer. Sales fund the project.

I sell Libreboot, and Libreboot accessories: ...

2026-02-07T07:27:37Z

I sell Libreboot, and Libreboot accessories: https://minifree.org/

Libreboot is a Free Software BIOS/UEFI replacement, provided as a coreboot distro. It provides many unique security features that you rarely find elsewhere, e.g. true Full Disk Encryption. Faster boot speeds, better customisation and new stable releases every 6 months.

Free Software democratises computing, giving you control. Debian Linux also preinstalled.

I'm Libreboot's founder, and lead developer. Sales fund the project.

Libreboot T580 now available for pre-order on Minifree. Shipping ...

2025-12-22T10:58:25Z

Libreboot T580 now available for pre-order on Minifree. Shipping in January 2026:

https://minifree.org/product/libreboot-t580.html

Same CPU/RAM/GPU as the Libreboot T480, but it has a bigger screen and a full sized keyboard.

I'll start shipping these in January 2026. You can pre-order now however, and I will take your order. ETA shipping from mid January.

Libreboot is free/opensource BIOS/UEFI firmware that I maintain based on coreboot. Sales fund the work. Debian Linux comes preinstalled.

Shipping worldwide!

I have added my Matrix account information here: ...

2025-12-13T02:27:38Z

I have added my Matrix account information here:

https://libreboot.org/contact.html#matrix

I joined a Matrix chatroom earlier, and someone there then DM'd me on IRC to ensure that I am indeed the real Leah Rowe (will I stand up??)

I do indeed confirm: I am Leah Rowe ist kein Roweboter (npub1uzs…gkxp):matrix.org within the Matrix network. I've added this to the Libreboot contact page.

It is therefore now quite feasible to verify my identity on the Matrix nettwork. Thank you.

Step 1: say totally mundane and boring thing step 2: ? step 3: ...

2025-12-12T10:05:45Z

Step 1: say totally mundane and boring thing

step 2: ?

step 3: some guy on youtube rants about you for 10-20 minutes, and what he says is about 0.01% accurate, and then he asks his viewers to pay him money

i recently saw this with two of my friends. same youtube guy, and he made a video about them.

maybe i should say something boring too. thoughts?

the guy in question is... insane. a cringe low quality rip-off of alex jones or something and he specifically covers people/orgs in open source.

if someone has a #libreboot t480 or t480s, please report to ...

2025-12-10T22:46:43Z

if someone has a #libreboot t480 or t480s, please report to #libreboot irc on libera.

https://web.libera.chat/

there is a patch i want to test, relating to thunderbolt functionality. i will also test this myself, but having another user present will help too.

this patch: https://review.coreboot.org/c/coreboot/+/88490

i will send you a rom to test

I sell Libreboot, and Libreboot accessories. ...

2025-12-09T14:39:13Z

I sell Libreboot, and Libreboot accessories.

https://minifree.org/product/libreboot-t480.html

FUN FACT: Today it's December 9th. I'm making sure that orders ship before December 15th where possible - any orders nearer then will likely ship between December 15-18th.

If you want yours before December 25th, best order before December 15th.

Libreboot (free software BIOS/UEFI replacement) pre-installed offering many security benefits, with Debian Linux. I'm Libreboot's lead developer and founder. Sales fund the project.

i heard a sentence in german today that i understood, without ...

2025-10-30T05:42:56Z

i heard a sentence in german today that i understood, without having to look up any words:

"dass sie lachen, das ist voellig klar" - literally translated, it is "it's obvious that they are laughing" (that they laugh, is fully clear".

the speaker/context is irrelevant.

i laughed too. i wrote it down and stuck it on my monitor.

i'm still learning german - at unhuman speed. native germans who wish to help me practise, would be greatly appreciated. talk to me about whatever you want (in german).

@npub1d57…t4pd showed me this meme today, and it's ...

2025-10-08T11:05:07Z

Jane the Motherfucker (npub1d57…t4pd) showed me this meme today, and it's absolutely correct, and i love it. this made my day.

This post is dedicated to a very nice organisation, that I bet ...

2025-10-07T22:02:27Z

This post is dedicated to a very nice organisation, that I bet you've heard of: the Internet Archive! internetarchive (npub1umd…wfr7)

https://archive.org/

Want to play Sonic the Hedgehog in MAME in your browser?

Or read that website from 1998 that no longer exists?

Or download that file you really, really need or its ur ass but it vanished in 2005?

*Internet Archive saves your bacon.*

It often comes under attack, and costs a lot to run. Perhaps donate? Here:

https://archive.org/donate?origin=iawww-TopNavDonateButton

I just sent $50.

Fun fact: did you know passports were not required for travel ...

2025-09-19T07:50:33Z

Fun fact: did you know passports were not required for travel before WW1?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passport#History

During WW1, governments made them mandatory to monitor their borders more closely. After WW1, there was even talk of abolishing them!

But WW2 came and afterward, they became entrenched.

So next time you hear about government doing deals with each other for immigration/trade, note that they are merely giving you back a subset of freedoms that they already took away themselves.

#AbolishPassports

your post made my day. thank you.

2025-09-09T14:55:48Z

In reply to nevent1q…4me5
_________________________

your post made my day. thank you.

Libreboot has joined Software in the Public Interest (SPI) as a ...

2025-09-08T10:52:22Z

Libreboot has joined *Software in the Public Interest* (SPI) as a member project:

https://libreboot.org/news/spi.html

SPI is one of the oldest, largest fiscal and legal sponsors for Free Software projects. They support Debian.

Libreboot's page on SPI:

https://www.spi-inc.org/projects/libreboot/

This was the resolution, for inviting Libreboot:

https://www.spi-inc.org/corporate/resolutions/2025/2025-07-14.js.1/

SPI's board meeting was held on IRC, and the vote to accept Libreboot was *unanimous*:

https://www.spi-inc.org/meetings/logs/2025/2025-07-14.txt

Thank you SPI! You've made me very happy :)

I sell Libreboot, and Libreboot accessories. Shipping worldwide: ...

2025-09-06T08:00:29Z

I sell Libreboot, and Libreboot accessories. Shipping worldwide:

https://minifree.org/

These computers come with Libreboot pre-installed, which is a Free Software project that replaces proprietary BIOS/UEFI. It offers greater security and customisation than what most people are used to, and faster boot speeds.

I'm the founder of Libreboot, and its lead developer. Sales fund the project.

Your choice of Debian Linux, other Linux distro or a BSD. A warranty is also provided on every order.

I must say, that was the smoothest Debian version upgrade ...

2025-09-02T08:48:19Z

I must say, that was the smoothest Debian version upgrade I've ever done. I updated my own personal workstation from Debian 12 to the new Debian 13 release several days ago; 13 came out in early August, but I've been so busy.

No major issues. I run a *lot* of weird shit on my machine. I usually am down for half a day when I upgrade.

I did have to re-build LXDE. Ended up just using the one from apt for now, but I normally run my own modified one built from source.

I love Debian. It's the best.

I am the owner of Minifree Ltd: https://minifree.org/ Minifree ...

2025-08-30T11:30:45Z

I am the owner of Minifree Ltd: https://minifree.org/

Minifree sells Libreboot computers to fund development of Libreboot; I'm Libreboot's founder and lead developer.

Libreboot is a free software project, replacing the proprietary BIOS/UEFI firmware on supported computers. It offers many security and performance benefits compared to most proprietary firmware, and it's highly configurable.

Your choice of Debian Linux, other distro or BSD.

tll;dr I selll LIbreboot, and Libreboot accessories.

I'm back at the lab now, shipping orders all week. Was on ...

2025-08-26T09:49:09Z

I'm back at the lab now, shipping orders all week. Was on leave (family stuff). I sell Libreboot and Libreboot accessories.

https://minifree.org/

Libreboot is a free/opensource boot firmware project, replacing proprietary BIOS/UEFI firmware on supported hardware. More specifically it is a coreboot distro; it provides coreboot, with payloads like GNU GRUB or SeaBIOS, emphasising ease of use.

Your choice of Debian Linux, other distro or a BSD.

I'm Libreboot's founder. Sales fund development.

https://lgbtqia.space/ This is a mastodon instance. I have every ...

2025-08-14T17:36:24Z

https://lgbtqia.space/

This is a mastodon instance. I have every respect for it, but I don't use it. It's one of several to recently start blocking British users.

I can still interact with its users through mas.to.

This is because of the UK's new Online Safety Act of 2023. It requires site owners to moderate content "considered harmful" to minors; meaning, anything the government doesn't like.

Extremely orwellian law and I have mad respect for lgbtqia's banner they now serve to UK visitors:

Interesting. https://kde.org/linux/ KDE Linux was brought to my ...

2025-07-31T18:43:19Z

Interesting.

https://kde.org/linux/

KDE Linux was brought to my attention recently. It's a Linux distro by the KDE project, with Arch Linux as the underlying base OS. They apparently do a lot of the pre-configuration for you.

I haven't tried it yet, since if I want Arch Linux, I'll just install Arch... but my assumption is they make a lot of things really easy for low-skilled users.

KDE is what I recommend to most people (irrespective of distro) because it's very powerful and user-friendly.

Summer sale! From this day, 17 June 2025, my ...

2025-06-17T11:39:15Z

Summer sale! From this day, 17 June 2025, my Libreboot-preinstalled computers (Libreboot T480 and Libreboot 3050 Micro) are £40 cheaper than usual (£298 base price, instead of £338):

https://minifree.org/product/libreboot-t480.html

https://minifree.org/product/libreboot-3050-micro.html

Libreboot is my open source project, replacing proprietary BIOS/UEFI. Debian Linux preinstalled, or your choice of other distro / BSD.

Libreboot is for free software enthusiasts who want something secure out-of-the-box.

I sell Libreboot, and Libreboot accessories.

at least it's not golf

2025-06-17T08:59:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…sj63
_________________________

at least it's not golf

i thought of that too. indeed, such a project would rely on the ...

2025-06-16T15:04:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…resg
_________________________

i thought of that too. indeed, such a project would rely on the strength of its expertise anyway, so the first step would be finding interested parties.

So, like, what if I were to just, you know, maintain a denazified ...

2025-06-16T14:30:22Z

So, like, what if I were to just, you know, maintain a denazified parallel fork of XLibre? And coordinate between other devs.

I don't really know much about Xorg internals (yet), but I'm sure there are lots of disgruntled people out there who weren't able to work on Xorg in the past, because the preference there was to wind down development in favour of Wayland.

I can't in good conscience promote XLibre itself, because its creator is a neo-nazi, yet I see merit in continuing X11 development.

I sell Libreboot, and Libreboot accessories.

2025-05-06T11:08:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…m8hm
_________________________

I sell Libreboot, and Libreboot accessories.

I've decided to offer 512GB NVMe SSDs, instead of 240GB ...

2024-12-21T22:23:04Z

I've decided to offer *512GB* NVMe SSDs, instead of 240GB NVMe, on the base specs for all computers sold at https://minifree.org/

1TB/2TB NVMe upgrade also available like before. The 512GB option is the same price as the 240GB option was.

Libreboot pre-installed, replacing proprietary BIOS/UEFI firmware. Your choice of Debian Linux, other Linux distro or a BSD system.

Libreboot offers better security and boot speeds than the vendor firmware. I'm Libreboot's founder; sales fund development.

4k screen upgrade now available on the Libreboot T480. This is ...

2024-12-17T04:37:10Z

4k screen upgrade now available on the Libreboot T480. This is the *ThinkPad T480* with Libreboot preinstalled, which recently added T480 support.

Check it out! https://minifree.org/product/libreboot-t480/

I had to research/test first so the initial launch was 1080p-only. 1080p is still available (and cheaper).

Libreboot replaces proprietary BIOS/UEFI, offering greater security and fast boot speeds. Your choice of Debian Linux, other distro or a BSD.

I run the project, and fund it myself; sales fund development.

I'm happy to announce the Libreboot 3050 Micro: ...

2024-12-13T04:57:23Z

I'm happy to announce the *Libreboot 3050 Micro*:

https://minifree.org/product/libreboot-3050-micro/

This is a Dell OptiPlex 3050 Micro with Libreboot pre-installed, replacing Dell's proprietary UEFI firmware. Your choice of Debian Linux, other distro or BSD.

Libreboot offers greater security and faster boot speeds than Dell's firmware. This is a 7th gen mainboard; it replaces the larger Libreboot 9020SFF.

I'm Libreboot's founder / lead dev. Sales fund Libreboot.

Libreboot T480 also launched:

https://minifree.org/product/libreboot-t480/

I'm happy to announce the Libreboot T480: ...

2024-12-12T22:41:30Z

I'm happy to announce the *Libreboot T480*:

https://minifree.org/product/libreboot-t480/

ThinkPad T480 *with Libreboot pre-installed*, to replace proprietary BIOS/UEFI firmware. Your choice of Debian Linux, other distro or BSD.

Libreboot offers greater security and faster boot speeds than Lenovo firmware. T480 is 8th gen (Kabylake Refresh), replacing Libreboot T440p, which was 4th gen (Haswell).

I'm Libreboot's founder / lead dev. Sales fund Libreboot.

LIbreboot 3050 Micro also launched: https://minifree.org/product/libreboot-3050-micro/

btw today is libreboot day. first release ever was on 12 december ...

2024-12-12T07:36:52Z

btw today is libreboot day. first release ever was on 12 december 2013

today is 12 december 2024. therefore, today is libreboot's 11th birthday!

https://libreboot.org/

it's the free/opensource bios replacement that i maintain, based on coreboot.

Yes, you can use flashrom, which is in OpenBSD ports, or compile ...

2024-12-12T03:32:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…eefr
_________________________

Yes, you can use flashrom, which is in OpenBSD ports, or compile the newer flashprog.

To use flashrom/flashprog, first you boot boot OpenBSD with kern.securelevel=-1

See: https://man.openbsd.org/securelevel

Libreboot recommends flashprog these days, which is a modern fork of flashrom lead by Nico Huber, though you can still use flashrom if you wish.

Libreboot T480 and Libreboot 3050 coming soon on ...

2024-12-11T13:50:18Z

*Libreboot T480 and Libreboot 3050 coming soon* on https://minifree.org/ - they are the ThinkPad T480 and Dell OptiPlex 3050 Micro, with Libreboot pre-installed.

I've now discontinued *every* computer product currently sold on minifree.org:

* Libreboot T440p/X230/W541 (T480 to replace them)
* Libreboot 9020SFF (3050 to replace it)

Libreboot is the free/opensource BIOS replacement I maintain:

https://libreboot.org/

Working on current orders first; new products to launch within a few days.

Arch Linux on a Librebooted Dell Latitude E6230 -- installed ...

2024-11-20T18:29:35Z

Arch Linux on a Librebooted Dell Latitude E6230 -- installed using the recently added U-Boot payload.

U-Boot provides a 64-bit UEFI environment on x86 in Libreboot. All of the photos below are of UEFI booting, in Libreboot!

U-Boot on x86 is still quite imperfect on real hardware, but can work well. A lot more testing needed; the way I do it is I load U-Boot from flash, via SeaBIOS ESC menu.

Simon Glass has been helping me. This will be available on most machines in the next Libreboot release.

Reminder: Libreboot machines heavily discounted: ...

2024-11-07T14:51:36Z

Reminder: Libreboot machines heavily discounted:

https://minifree.org/

I'm Libreboot's founder and lead developer. Sales fund Libreboot. Libreboot (preinstalled) is free/opensource firmware replacing proprietary BIOS/UEFI.

New stable Libreboot release coming soon, by November 15th.

Your choice of Debian Linux, other distro or BSD.

Libreboot 9020 price further reduced; was £218, then 138, now 118. I'll discontinue the 9020 next week and will launch new, better products. All 9020's must go!

Nostr event nevent1qqsthu6x2hlq6ap392xsjpqjxgpzt8uyz8etne9s40u9y43ut3nxlqqzyrs2pv8e2ndk7eyk28ux9tz9xa5h8wf2vpxc4yvzgcehc5cfltc2u4hak2k

2024-10-30T10:43:39Z

New release of Libreboot, soon.

Reminder: all Libreboot machines are currently on a heavy ...

2024-10-15T10:33:37Z

Reminder: all Libreboot machines are currently on a heavy discount, on Minifree:

https://minifree.org/

I'm the founder and lead developer of the Libreboot project. Sales fund Libreboot. Libreboot (preinstalled) is free/opensource firmware replacing proprietary BIOS/UEFI on supported hardware. I did a release recently, namely Libreboot 20241008.

Your choice of Debian Linux, other distro or a BSD.

I'm raising money for some planned work in November, hence price cut going for increased sales.

I'm doing a clearance sale of the Libreboot 9020. Heavy ...

2024-10-10T11:43:42Z

I'm doing a clearance sale of the Libreboot 9020. *Heavy* price reduction:

https://minifree.org/product/libreboot-9020-sff/

I'll have two new products in November, but I still have a lot of 9020 in the lab. *All 9020's must go!*

The base 16GB RAM and 240GB SSD Libreboot 9020 setup with i5 is £138, plus shipping/VAT.

It's quite a nice Haswell (Intel 4th gen) machine with free initialisation including raminit.

Libreboot preinstalled, replacing proprietary BIOS/UEFI. Your choice of Linux/BSD setup (Debian by default).

If I'm bored again this weekend, I'll write a simple ...

2024-10-04T08:08:48Z

In reply to nevent1q…ae2h
_________________________

If I'm bored again this weekend, I'll write a simple little shell script to extract these ext2 images, for fun.

My buddy said to me, "I'll never look at my sampler the same way again!"

Now that's a different kind of product testimonial.

Thanks also go [@qeeg](https://mas.to/@qeeg ) who helped me.

GPL violations as blatant as these are common.

Anyway, 7z x the .exe then look in the early parts of update.img in hexdump -C for fd 37 7a, that's where the compressed ext2 image is. 7z x from there. mount it and have fun.

Was chatting with one of my buddies on jitsi meet. he showed me ...

2024-10-04T07:48:20Z

Was chatting with one of my buddies on jitsi meet. he showed me this:

https://www.akaipro.com/mpc-one

Music sampler thingy.

I was super bored so I went to their downloads section:

https://www.akaipro.com/mpc-software-firmware-downloads.html

I started gutting it; the Windows updater app contains lzma archive inside. Inside *that*, from a specific offset, another lzma archive. extracted it and it was a ext2 file system image. Mounted it

It's Linux. with glibc and busybox. No source code or written offer of source. GPL violation anyone?

I've had extensive talks via email with Stenzek aswell as ...

2024-09-22T09:22:03Z

In reply to nevent1q…wkmh
_________________________

I've had extensive talks via email with Stenzek aswell as several of his contributors. I won't publish those emails without permission, but it got quite heated indeed.

Some of them weren't too happy, but an equal number of them confirmed my suspicions: DuckStation is violating the GPL with its recent change.

I have nothing against Stenzek personally. He's an extremely intelligent and skilled young man. Passionate. He will be free to contribute to my new project when it launches.

Hah. Our man @npub1ns5…ah7f is at it again: ...

2024-09-22T09:13:08Z

Hah. Our man Brodie Robertson (npub1ns5…ah7f) is at it again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhSCs-Bkauo

I've hinted at it in previous posts:

I'm working on a new fork of DuckStation from before it went proprietary, and I will have it ready in a few days.

I've heavily archived everything from Duckstation, even pull requests, wikis etc - I can't re-publish all of it, e.g. wiki text has no license.

A number of contributors have reached out to me, who indeed confirm they *did not* authorise DuckStation's recent licensing changes.

Been playing with macOS for a new opensource project I'm ...

2024-09-21T11:53:48Z

Been playing with macOS for a new opensource project I'm working on.

I only care about Linux/BSD, but the code I'm working on has Linux, Mac, Windows and Android ports, so I need to handle those.

I'm teaching myself how to build software on macOS. I don't see how anyone stays sane using it.

Windows is next. I've never used MacOS except briefly in 2007. I haven't used Windows since 2009.

I now appreciate my Debian LXDE setup much more. So much simpler and easier to use. Superior in every way.

I have something very, very special planned to coincide that ...

2024-09-17T11:03:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…9gwf
_________________________

I have something very, very special planned to coincide that release, but you'll just have to wait and see. Gotta get all my ducks in a rowe.

Nostr event nevent1qqsvsvur0nse3kfza3sjptfkrn9llsxn2sejtrgkrr8fgqfrlsth6kczyrs2pv8e2ndk7eyk28ux9tz9xa5h8wf2vpxc4yvzgcehc5cfltc2ujfhcq7

2024-09-17T10:24:52Z

New Libreboot release soon.

I'm just pissed off that I spend my Saturday dealing with ...

2024-09-14T10:49:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…9l8u
_________________________

I'm just pissed off that I spend my Saturday dealing with this. But this is important. The danger specifically is that many people don't understand what free/opensource means, or about the ideology behind it.

The danger is that this continues. The re-licensing was two weeks ago. If I can convince them first to change it back, that'd be great - but I'm doing research and auditing of their repository.

That is so I have something to report to https://gpl-violations.org/ and SFC, *just in case*.

I've been informed that a popular PlayStation emulator, ...

2024-09-13T18:12:20Z

I've been informed that a popular PlayStation emulator, called DuckStation, became proprietary software (was GPLv3, now PolyForm Strict 1.0.0 which restricts non-commercial usage and modification).

DuckStation was Free Software. I've decided to archive DuckStation from before the license change. Please see:

https://codeberg.org/vimuser/duckstation

If you were using it, please ask the devs to change it back to GPL.

Hardware preservation matters, as is preserving that preservation in a free-as-in-freedom way.

I watched this excellent speech today, though it was made in ...

2024-09-13T09:34:39Z

I watched this excellent speech today, though it was made in 2019:

https://ar.al/2019/11/29/the-future-of-internet-regulation-at-the-european-parliament/

In it, Aral Balkan (npub1p09…m5vl) makes the case in favour of smaller, more federated communication infrastructure within Europe, making use of p2p protocols like ActivityPub (which mastodon uses). He's talking to representatives within the EU parliament, on the issue of how best to fund investment in communication technology, warning against funding companies like FaceBook.

The points he makes there are still true in 2024.

NLnet is great, and they've existed since the 90s if I'm ...

2024-09-12T15:29:19Z

In reply to nevent1q…l48e
_________________________

NLnet is great, and they've existed since the 90s if I'm not mistaken. I would argue for the creation of a body similar in concept to, say, the W3C, but geared to free software, open source hardware and right to repair. Member-led, fully democratic and transparent.

What NGI actually does is amazing but we can't trust the Commission. The fact that NGI isn't on Horizon 2025's budget proves this fact even if it's later added to the budget; the EC can still cancel it later.

A better question is: do we want critical funding for a large ...

2024-09-12T15:18:27Z

In reply to nevent1q…5w6h
_________________________

A better question is: do we want critical funding for a large number of free software projects to be subject to the whims of the European Commission, who are not directly elected by citizens and whom our adversaries have much more sway over?

I think it should be national governments paying into a consortium that we control, diversifying the fund; national government is more accountable.

NGI is great but the EC is a huge single point of failure, and the EU has been fracturing.

Saw this meme the other day and thought it was amusing. And ...

2024-09-12T07:28:25Z

Saw this meme the other day and thought it was amusing. And accurate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbhoAr8GV98

Switzerland does not have a minimum wage, and yet the very lowest ...

2024-09-11T18:41:41Z

In reply to nevent1q…093e
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Switzerland does not have a minimum wage, and yet the very lowest earners on average make about £40,000 per year, versus £20,000 in the UK - cost of living is also higher, but Switzerland also has much lower levels of taxation, and lower unemployment - ergo, the cost of government is lower (and the state also runs budget surpluses). Competition drives up wages.

All of which is precisely because Switzerland does *not* have a giant government. Businesses can flourish freely.

I had a debate with a socialist, and he told me: British wages ...

2024-09-11T18:37:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…srd2
_________________________

I had a debate with a socialist, and he told me: British wages should be increased by "decreasing corporate profits".

When I asked for clarification, I was eventually told:

* Caps on CEO bonus/wages

* Increasing the minimum wage

* Limits on prices for various key goods and services

He did not understand that this would merely lower the corporation tax revenues, and stifle investment, leading to higher unemployment.

Competition and productivity improvements are better.

Maybe one day we'll learn as human beings that we don't ...

2024-09-11T18:26:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…nfs6
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Maybe one day we'll learn as human beings that we don't need giant governments telling us what to think. In fact, we need the exact opposite. We only need government to run basic public services (overseen by democratic citizens councils and ruled by referendum), and to protect property rights, break up monopolies, etc.

If you have to legislate basic human rights, you've already failed. I look at trans rights from a libertarian lens:

Government has no business telling me who I am.

Posted on IRC earlier and I'm repeating here: <leah> i ...

2024-09-11T18:19:09Z

Posted on IRC earlier and I'm repeating here:

<leah> i have a vision for america
<leah> land of the free, home of the gay
<leah> make america gay again

We were saying how much of a jackass Trump is, and I pictured an alternative reality where America's politicians defend LGBT rights, instead of A) attacking it directly like the republicans do or B) paying weak lip service to it like the democrats do (while passing KOSA which will censor LGBT info on the internet)

american politicians are lame

The context is that I've been transitioning a Mac user over ...

2024-09-10T10:43:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…07fa
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The context is that I've been transitioning a Mac user over to Linux recently. But here's the twist: the UI in Debian's KDE Plasma desktop is also much easier to use than the Mac OS desktop interfaces.

E.g. Discover is great for Linux novices running KDE: https://apps.kde.org/discover/ - I've tested this with non-technical people and they can install software easily, without needing my help.

KDE Plasma is great. That's what I always advise Linux novices. Very intuitive, especially with Windows users.

I was telling a Mac user something, which I realised was ...

2024-09-10T10:39:42Z

I was telling a Mac user something, which I realised was profound:

Linux/BSD is easier to use than any Windows or Mac system, because the underlying software is simpler; the terminal seems more complicated to novices, but you can do on sh in 5 seconds what would take about a minute of clicking in a GUI.

With a unix shell, unix utilities, and especially a good C compiler, you can do 100% of things. The UI does 2%. And MacOS is unix too but in practise you don't use the terminal for most things.

I've sorted through the lab and realised I have 240GB SATA ...

2024-09-06T15:31:50Z

I've sorted through the lab and realised I have 240GB SATA SSDs I'm not using.

For a limited time while I have them, I'm offering a cheaper version of the Libreboot 9020, as seen here:

https://minifree.org/product/libreboot-9020-sff/

I normally ship 1TB NVMe or 2TB NVMe. These are still available.

For a lower price, you can choose 240GB *SATA* SSD; the lowest spec with this is currently £158.

Libreboot replaces proprietary BIOS/UEFI. Your choice of Debian, other distro or BSD.

EDIT: 240GB now available on laptops.

Fun fact: Minifree still provides Linux-libre distros on request, ...

2024-08-27T14:14:58Z

Fun fact: Minifree still provides Linux-libre distros on request, e.g. Trisquel. It even still provides Atheros WiFi cards (linux-libre compatible), when asked.

This has never not been true, it's just that Intel WiFi became the default.

I *finally* had one email too many, as of today, asking about this, so I decided to simply mention it everywhere on minifree.org.

Also see:

https://minifree.org/product/intel-ax210-wireless-card-upgrade-for-9020-mt-sff/

On this page, you can select Intel AX210 WiFi, but you can alternatively request Atheros WiFi.

I've been a busy bee. Got all my Minifree orders done for the ...

2024-08-20T12:51:42Z

I've been a busy bee. Got all my Minifree orders done for the week, except two send-ins I'm dealing with now.

https://minifree.org/

These computers have Libreboot installed, which is free/opensource boot firmware replacing proprietary BIOS/UEFI. I'm Libreboot's lead developer and founder; profits fund the project.

Your choice of Debian Linux, other distro or a BSD e.g. OpenBSD, FreeBSD.

I reduced the prices about two weeks ago. The discount shall continue, until some time around September.

It should go without saying, but I would politely ask that all my ...

2024-08-14T17:38:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…cv8d
_________________________

It should go without saying, but I would politely ask that all my American readers please vote for the Democratic Party in your country's national elections, to be held in November 2024.

I have plenty of criticism reserved for the Democrats as well, but they are peace-loving... well, they are democrats. It's in the name.

The right to abortion, an education, healthcare, to decent employment, fair wages, the right to vote, you know, those sorts of things, are things that the Democrats stand for.

Fun fact for my American readers: Project 2025 training videos ...

2024-08-14T17:33:48Z

Fun fact for my American readers: Project 2025 training videos were leaked, now hosted on ProPublica's website:

https://www.propublica.org/article/video-project-2025-presidential-training-academy-trump-election

Project 2025 is a far-right plan for what neo-nazis running the GOP plan to do if Trump is re-elected.

P25 is run by Heritage Foundation and basically guts democratic institutions within the USA. E.g. they'll sequester the DoJ, put loyalists in key positions, *completely ban abortion*, etc. Trans rights? They want trans people dead.

It's called fascism, btw.

I've further reduced the Libreboot 9020 SFF price on ...

2024-08-07T13:12:33Z

I've further reduced the Libreboot 9020 SFF price on Minifree:

https://minifree.org/product/libreboot-9020-sff/

This is an Intel Haswell platform (i7-4790k upgrade available) that comes with 16GB or 32GB RAM, with your choice of Debian Linux, other distro, or a BSD operating system.

Libreboot pre-installed. Libreboot is free boot firmware, replacing proprietary BIOS/UEFI. It offers many security and performance benefits over the original firmware.

I'm Libreboot's founder and lead developer; profits fund the project.

I can buy any Google Chromebook today and build coreboot for it. ...

2024-08-02T14:08:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…qp5r
_________________________

I can buy any Google Chromebook today and build coreboot for it. It comes under the GNU GPL.

That coreboot port isn't the result of reverse engineering. It's Google's own code. The **vendor BIOS** is coreboot.

I can add that chromebook to libreboot, with GNU GRUB, SeaBIOS, Tianocore, Linuxboot, whatever the hell I decide, and sell it on minifree.org

I can make it better, and sell my improvements.

I can't do that if it uses a FUTO license, which thankfully it does not!

This is precisely why I've spoken out against FUTO. ...

2024-08-02T13:59:40Z

In reply to nevent1q…ptrc
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This is precisely why I've spoken out against FUTO.

Unfortunately, their marketing is indeed quite slick and they can deceive a lot of people into thinking that they are free software activists; there's a very strong bias against corporations in our community, the irony being that FUTO is itself a for-profit corporation trying to sell you software with proprietary restrictions...

I'm also aware that exposing their lie requires many more words than their slick marketing.

But I'm not interested in the FUTO that exists today; I'm ...

2024-08-02T13:55:01Z

In reply to nevent1q…d6qc
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But I'm not interested in the FUTO that exists today; I'm concerned about what it will be in 10 years, if people enable them now, and if enough people become deceived by them.

When they talk about fighting big tech, it's all a load of nonsense. It is a lie. Even if they do in fact provide privacy-respecting software (and they currently do), that's not the aim.

They want only themselves to be able to make money.

They are developing and intend to sell proprietary software.

That's actually how most successful scams work; the scammer ...

2024-08-02T13:50:01Z

In reply to nevent1q…wjm0
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That's actually how most successful scams work; the scammer aligns themselves with legitimate parties and yes, sponsors them financially in a lot of cases.

Then all it takes in a good word or two from even one of them, and others start repeating the narrative, and a certain idea builds up as to what they are.

I know better, because I've been around for longer.

I see the false virtue and the false promises. FUTO doesn't care about "Big Tech"; they too want to be Big Tech.

FSF has no money, so FUTO is putting its money where the ...

2024-08-02T09:08:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…0c8k
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FSF has no money, so FUTO is putting its money where the FSF's mouth is.

Anyway, unlike the FSF, I put my money where my mouth is. Observe ...

2024-08-02T09:05:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…xcy7
_________________________

Anyway, unlike the FSF, I put my money where my mouth is. Observe the following Libreboot and Canoeboot website changes:

https://codeberg.org/libreboot/lbwww/commit/cba73bc3828107af880fc8d9b06a7e22d1457a06

https://codeberg.org/canoeboot/cbwww/commit/bc0215908fcfbe6ae34f9982ca9d1b2cc03efb39

The homepages were promoting Right to Repair. They still do, but instead of linking to Rossman's introduction video, they now link to the wikipedia article about right to repair:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_repair

Rossmann promotes FUTO's proprietary software license, so I'm boycotting Rossmann.

I will die on this hill.

Google also doesn't actively promote an overt campaign or ...

2024-08-02T08:48:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…lr0q
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Google also doesn't actively promote an overt campaign or initiative against the free software movement; yes, it may use ffmpeg on its YouTube platform and not pay the ffmpeg developers a dime, but so what?

What if I told you that it's not even true, what he says? For example, here is a list of organisations that Google sponsors:

https://opensource.google/organizations-we-support

Yes, ffmpeg is listed, and I give you all a homework assignment:

git shortlog -sne | grep google.com

Do that, on linux.git

I don't mind that FSF takes money from Google; it may ship ...

2024-08-02T08:42:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…f3de
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I don't mind that FSF takes money from Google; it may ship some proprietary code, as does FUTO exclusively, but Google also:

* Hires free software developers, to work on free software. Every chromebook boots coreboot. Free Intel video initialisation in Libreboot exists *because* of Google

* Google actually releases free software, and promotes open standards

Rossmann rails against Google in his propaganda, but Google is morally superior to his FUTO corporation.

FSF are cowards.

And there is one more entity, that I will not let off the hook; ...

2024-08-02T08:28:12Z

In reply to nevent1q…m333
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And there is one more entity, that I will not let off the hook; to do so would be a dereliction of duty to the movement, and so:

https://vimuser.org/coward.html

An organisation so corrupt so as to barely deserve recognition, yet one which still holds some sway in our communities, accepts money from FUTO, as indicated by FUTO's list of grant recipients.

FUTO is promoting use of a proprietary software license and is an existential threat to Free Software; FSF should not take their money.

What do you find disappointing and why?

2024-08-02T05:34:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…7haf
_________________________

What do you find disappointing and why?

Brodie Robertson @npub1eur…upha interviewed FUTO: ...

2024-08-01T20:15:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…pcyn
_________________________

Brodie Robertson Brodie Robertson (npub1eur…upha) interviewed FUTO:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb2hMLPnUP8

FUTO's says big companies like Google use free software heavily but don't pay devs, so they want to stop that.

It's a ruse. FUTO wants to be the big tech instead. *They* will be Google instead. It's about control. *Their* control. Not yours.

What if FUTO fails, and you want to fork it? Brodie even asks this, and got the response, and I paraphrase: we can't fail because we have millions of dollars.

That made me laugh.

I'm about to do something controversial: ...

2024-08-01T19:39:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…m85h
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I'm about to do something controversial:

https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.en.html

Linking this article is controversial because people will know of my history with the FSF as an organisation, but I will say to you all what I've said to many others, many times before:

The four freedoms are absolute.

To be truly free, you *must* be able to freely use, study, modify and share the software, even commercially.

List of free software licenses:

https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.en.html

FUTO says source first.

I say: freedom first

I would argue that non-commercial source-available licenses, such ...

2024-08-01T19:35:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…a0qg
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I would argue that non-commercial source-available licenses, such as FUTO licenses, are actually *worse* than typical proprietary software; all FUTO-license software is proprietary software, but the source code is available.

Windows/MacOS is more clearly against your freedom to study, share and modify, due to lack of source code, so you know to reject it.

New people who are uneducated about rights given by free, libre and open source software, will see FUTO and wrongly think they have freedom.

I've been made aware of FUTO's "source first" ...

2024-08-01T19:31:03Z

I've been made aware of FUTO's "source first" licensing. FUTO is headed up by Louis Rossmann.

I'm issuing this warning as a public service announcement to the both the *free software* and *open source* movement:

Do not use FUTO licenses. They are non-free, proprietary software licenses, because they restrict commercial usage.

Freedom to make money is *good*. Freedom to *fork*, including for profit, is a fundamental right that everyone must have. Our movement thrives *because* of this freedom.

I have a history with FSF, as some of my readers know. Well, ...

2024-07-30T19:54:50Z

I have a history with FSF, as some of my readers know. Well, *FSFE* != FSF, and so:

https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240719-01.en.html

I'm linking this guide they made, for how to lobby the European Commission about NGI (Next Generation Internet).

NGI is a funding scheme that supports many free and opensource projects.

The EC is *removing* NGI from 2025's Horizon budget. This would completely derail a lot of projects. Please write to the EC asking NGI to continue. I've already done so, despite not being an EU citizen.

Nostr event nevent1qqsq6kce4w40r6ukt7rmfw5eje9xvpegmqyag59kwn0a7axgcjuvmaqzyrs2pv8e2ndk7eyk28ux9tz9xa5h8wf2vpxc4yvzgcehc5cfltc2um70nqa

2024-07-17T00:57:44Z