Coreboot 25.03 Released With Support For 22 More Motherboards (phoronix.com)
- Reference: 0176921573
- News link: https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/25/04/04/0718233/coreboot-2503-released-with-support-for-22-more-motherboards
- Source link: https://www.phoronix.com/news/Coreboot-25.03-Released
> Coreboot 25.03 delivers display handling improvements, a better USB debugging experience, CPU topology updates, various improvements to the open-source RAM initialization for aging Intel Haswell platforms, improved USB Type-C and Thunderbolt handling, various embedded controller (EC) improvements, better RISC-V architecture support, DDR5-7500 support, and many bug fixes across the sprawling Coreboot codebase.
More details, including a full list of the supported boards, can be found [2]here .
[1] https://www.phoronix.com/news/Coreboot-25.03-Released
[2] https://blogs.coreboot.org/blog/2025/04/03/coreboot-25-03-has-been-released/
Still designed to load big fat OS? (Score:1)
I have an alternative idea: why not design an OS to fit in ROM. If a RTS multitasking OS could run comfortably from a 320KB disk with a 64KB load, then why not fit a modern OS in a 1 MB or so? Have we somehow lost the ability to write small?
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Sure, put the OS in ROM so that any security issues can be memorialized for all time...or at least until the ROM dies from heat death or an owner with a gun.
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We could go back to the days of loading microcode from roms or even floppy disks.
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The processor you are using likely has microcode in it.
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If the OS was in EEPROM of even flash, it could still be updated, when YOU want it to, with a disconnect the write-enable pin, simple hardware switch. Otherwise, a virus would be a temporary thing the system could shrug off--water from a duck's back. : )
We do microcode and UEFI updates now, but there is no switch for it.
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I feel some nostalgia to the Commodore 64 too. But frankly, I have moved on.
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I was not speaking of the Commodore 64, so I guess the only older computer you know anything about is one. The thing I have nostalgia for is a computer that is ours, one that doesn't take minutes to boot, one that doesn't doesn't double the amount of code in its UEFI for graphic charts showing fan speed tables and logos, one that is efficient, one that leaves the memory for my usage.
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A friend of mine had a Tandy IBM clone that booted DOS from ROM.
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"we" includes you, so it seems you could answer this yourself by doing it
but I'm very much curious what kinds of workloads you envision doing on an OS that clocks in under 1MB
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The CPU, GPU, RAM, etc. determine mostly determine the speed of the computer, but in the case of Microsoft Windows, yes it does cost to run a big, bloated OS.
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I will spend yet another day learning assembly. I am trying.
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Part of the problem is: even Unix was never meant to be on microcomputers.
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> I have an alternative idea: why not design an OS to fit in ROM. If a RTS multitasking OS could run comfortably from a 320KB disk with a 64KB load, then why not fit a modern OS in a 1 MB or so? Have we somehow lost the ability to write small?
kinda yeah. most programers now days are used to programing in much higher level languages using bulky frameworks rather than righting small fast efficient code.
Where's The Full List? (Score:2)
The link to the supposed full list of supported boards seems to only list boards added in this recent version. I was unable to find any complete list of supported boards.
Where's the full list?
Also: Editors, if you could do things like add a description. Most people don't know what CoreBoot is and you know full well that even fewer will click through to teh article and read the first two sentences that explain that CoreBoot is an open source BIOS firmware.
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I think this is the list, though it doesn't have the boards listed in the announcement. [1]https://doc.coreboot.org/mainb... [coreboot.org]
[1] https://doc.coreboot.org/mainboard/index.html
What is it? (Score:2)
Cuz I did not know.
"coreboot is an extended firmware platform that delivers a lightning fast and secure boot experience on modern computers and embedded systems. As an Open Source project it provides auditability and maximum control over technology. "
Re: What is it? (Score:2)
Itâ(TM)s the boot firmware used for chromebooks. Other people can try to replace their manufacturers firmware with it but I donâ(TM)t know why (Google doesnâ(TM)t use it on their datacenter servers).
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System76 uses Coreboot on some of their Linux PC and laptop offerings. It's basically an open-source implementation of UEFI.
It's an important project because without it open-source hardware isn't really possible.
Sounds like Coreboot can work work with RISC V also, which is great news. Having a standardized boot environment makes RISC V more usable. Wish more ARM devices and PCs would support Coreboot to boot generic kernels from any device instead of having to use forks of uboot and configure everything i
MrChromebox (Score:2)
Coreboot is awesome! There is a guy going by the moniker [1]MrChromebox [mrchromebox.tech] that has made firmwares for a large number of Chromeboxes (generally set top boxes) and Chromebooks. In short, it turns chrome devices them into normal x86 computers. For $80 (from ebay) I was able to get a Chromebook that I can use as my laptop. Sure, it only has 32GB of storage and 2GB of RAM but that's plenty for running Linux. The great thing is that if you lose the A/C adapter that you just need to by a simple $15 USB-C charger instea
[1] https://docs.mrchromebox.tech/
Unsexy (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm profoundly grateful for the people in the open source movement who spend their days grinding away at unsexy support projects like motherboard drivers. Without these unsung heroes the entire movement would wither and die. Thank you!