Re: [coreboot] A new, modern coreboot long-term support laptop

[Paul Menzel]

Am Montag, den 24.03.2014, 22:36 -0700 schrieb David Hendricks:
> On Mon, Mar 24, 2014 at 9:10 PM, mrnuke  wrote:
> > Chose the hardware. Set up a github temporary fork. Send me the hardware. I
> > got Pomona, I got SPI, I got USB debug, and I got the burning desire to
> > make this happen.
>
> I like your attitude. See if there's a laptop that looks doable in the
> ~$500 range, buy two of 'em, and tell me how to reimburse you.
>
> Note: $$$ would come from my own pocket and has nothing to do with my
> employer.

David, thank you for that offer.

Vladimir also hinted in #coreboot, if the hardware would be given to him
he *could* try a port (with no promises of course). He was on vacation,
so I waited to bring this up on the list. I am sure more people would
sponsor such an effort. The question is how to best do that, so people
do not get problems with taxes and so on?

A Kickstarter/something similar campaign?

If at least Alex and Vladimir participate, we’d need two to four
laptops, depending how critical a second model is to have for
development.
> Note 2: This might be a good place to start:
> https://chromium-review.googlesource.com/#/c/188275/

The other question is to decide on a laptop. Only the HP Elitebooks seem
to have a long shelf life, but these do not look like consumer products
and look more to be for companies if I am not mistaken.

http://www.heise.de/preisvergleich/hp-probook-6475b-b5u26aw-b6p75ea-a798418....
http://www.heise.de/preisvergleich/hp-probook-655-g1-h5g82et-a1034671.html
http://www.heise.de/preisvergleich/hp-probook-455-g1-h6p57ea-a962206.html

I had my hands on a Asus U38N-C4010H which was very well manufactured in
my opinion and a nice consumer laptop.

http://www.heise.de/preisvergleich/asus-vivobook-u38n-c4010h-90ntia212n12925...

In the IRC channel #coreboot also the Lenovo X131e was mentioned. I have
no idea what to make of that AMD E1-1200 processor.

http://www.heise.de/preisvergleich/lenovo-thinkpad-x131e-3372-1a6-a998573.ht...

Thanks,

Paul

A new, modern coreboot long-term support laptop

[David Hendricks]

On Tue, Mar 25, 2014 at 1:05 AM, Paul Menzel <
[e-mail]> wrote:
> Am Montag, den 24.03.2014, 22:36 -0700 schrieb David Hendricks:
> > On Mon, Mar 24, 2014 at 9:10 PM, mrnuke  wrote:
> > > Chose the hardware. Set up a github temporary fork. Send me the
>
> hardware. I
> > > got Pomona, I got SPI, I got USB debug, and I got the burning desire to
> > > make this happen.
> >
> > I like your attitude. See if there's a laptop that looks doable in the
> > ~$500 range, buy two of 'em, and tell me how to reimburse you.
> >
> > Note: $$$ would come from my own pocket and has nothing to do with my
> > employer.
>
> David, thank you for that offer.

Happy to help if it gets people focused on more productive things.
> Vladimir also hinted in #coreboot, if the hardware would be given to him
> he *could* try a port (with no promises of course). He was on vacation,

That doesn't sound very reassuring. Let's let him chime in if/when he wants
to commit to something.
> The question is how to best do that, so people
> do not get problems with taxes and so on?

I am not a tax attorney or accountant so please don't take what I have to
say into consideration when filing your taxes.

That said, the "gift exclusion" on taxes in the US is $14,000USD in 2013:
http://www.irs.gov/uac/2013-Inflation-Adjustments-to-Various-Tax-Benefits

I have no idea what it is in Europe, or what it is if transferring money
from the US to EU. Perhaps it's best not to ponder such minutia on a
mailing list.

If at least Alex and Vladimir participate, we'd need two to four
> laptops, depending how critical a second model is to have for
> development.

Whoa there, this ain't the Oprah Winfrey show.
> > Note 2: This might be a good place to start:
> > https://chromium-review.googlesource.com/#/c/188275/
>
> The other question is to decide on a laptop. Only the HP Elitebooks seem
> to have a long shelf life, but these do not look like consumer products
> and look more to be for companies if I am not mistaken.
>
> http://www.heise.de/preisvergleich/hp-probook-6475b-b5u26aw-b6p75ea-a798418....
> http://www.heise.de/preisvergleich/hp-probook-655-g1-h5g82et-a1034671.html
> http://www.heise.de/preisvergleich/hp-probook-455-g1-h6p57ea-a962206.html
>
> I had my hands on a Asus U38N-C4010H which was very well manufactured in
> my opinion and a nice consumer laptop.
>
> http://www.heise.de/preisvergleich/asus-vivobook-u38n-c4010h-90ntia212n12925...
>
> In the IRC channel #coreboot also the Lenovo X131e was mentioned. I have
> no idea what to make of that AMD E1-1200 processor.
>
> http://www.heise.de/preisvergleich/lenovo-thinkpad-x131e-3372-1a6-a998573.ht...

Some of those seem quite expensive and/or already dated. It would probably
be cheaper and easier to find something newer, so long as it's likely that
future revisions will use same/similar EC code.