computers with Coreboot BIOS

[Peter Link]

Recently I inquired with Inatux Computers, which sells pre-installed
systems that include gNewSense and Trisquel, among others, about plans for offering
coreboot BIOS as an option.

After a few emails back and forth, they quickly added some information on their website on the following page: http://inatux.com/?gnu

(text is below)
<<<<
Free BIOS (Coreboot, etc.): 
---------------------------
Our
computers are not yet available with a Free BIOS, but we are very
interested in offering that option in the future. We can build systems
with Coreboot as the BIOS, but there will be some limitations as to
certain video cards (ATI for 3D), processors, motherboards, memory,
WiFi, and other areas as well. Please write us if you are interested.
> > > >

I think that this is good
 news, and I hope it gets
 around.

--pete link

[Joseph Smith]

On Fri, 30 Apr 2010 04:36:36 -0700 (PDT), Peter Link 
wrote:
> Recently I inquired with Inatux Computers, which sells pre-installed
> systems that include gNewSense and Trisquel, among others, about plans

for
> offering
> coreboot BIOS as an option.
>
> After a few emails back and forth, they quickly added some information on
> their website on the following page: http://inatux.com/?gnu
>
> (text is below)
> <<<<
> Free BIOS (Coreboot, etc.):
>
> Our
> computers are not yet available with a Free BIOS, but we are very
> interested in offering that option in the future. We can build systems
> with Coreboot as the BIOS, but there will be some limitations as to
> certain video cards (ATI for 3D), processors, motherboards, memory,
> WiFi, and other areas as well. Please write us if you are interested.

Yes that is good news Pete. 
I don't really get the part about "limitations" though, why would those
items have "limitations"?

[bari]

Joseph Smith wrote:
> > <<<<
> > Free BIOS (Coreboot, etc.):
> >
> > Our
> > computers are not yet available with a Free BIOS, but we are very
> > interested in offering that option in the future. We can build systems
> > with Coreboot as the BIOS, but there will be some limitations as to
> > certain video cards (ATI for 3D), processors, motherboards, memory,
> > WiFi, and other areas as well. Please write us if you are interested.
>
> Yes that is good news Pete. 
> I don't really get the part about "limitations" though, why would those
> items have "limitations"?

They probably meant that since there are no modern Intel chipsets or 
CPU's currently supported by coreboot that this will be limited to AMD 
only. Plus AMD DDR3 support is only ~1 week old.

-Bari

[Joseph Smith]

On 05/01/2010 10:12 AM, bari wrote:
> Joseph Smith wrote:
> > > <<<<
> > > Free BIOS (Coreboot, etc.): ---------------------------
> > > Our
> > > computers are not yet available with a Free BIOS, but we are very
> > > interested in offering that option in the future. We can build systems
> > > with Coreboot as the BIOS, but there will be some limitations as to
> > > certain video cards (ATI for 3D), processors, motherboards, memory,
> > > WiFi, and other areas as well. Please write us if you are interested.
> >
> > Yes that is good news Pete. I don't really get the part about
> > "limitations" though, why would those
> > items have "limitations"?
>
> They probably meant that since there are no modern Intel chipsets or
> CPU's currently supported by coreboot that this will be limited to AMD
> only. Plus AMD DDR3 support is only ~1 week old.

Yeah, your probably right. But the way it is worded implies major 
limitations. I would think if a vendor was going to offer coreboot as an 
alternative solution, they would spend some time developing coreboot to 
work 100% on their product.

Anyways it is a good start to see coreboot offered as an alternative. 
Maybe other PC vendors will catch on :-)

[Anders Jenbo]

I think that it sounds more like that they are offering it early at
request untill thy (or otheres) gets it to work 100% and at that point
they will just ship with it.

-Anders

lør, 01 05 2010 kl. 14:58 -0400, skrev Joseph Smith:
> On 05/01/2010 10:12 AM, bari wrote:
> > Joseph Smith wrote:
> > > > <<<<
> > > > Free BIOS (Coreboot, etc.): ---------------------------
> > > > Our
> > > > computers are not yet available with a Free BIOS, but we are very
> > > > interested in offering that option in the future. We can build systems
> > > > with Coreboot as the BIOS, but there will be some limitations as to
> > > > certain video cards (ATI for 3D), processors, motherboards, memory,
> > > > WiFi, and other areas as well. Please write us if you are interested.
> > >
> > > Yes that is good news Pete. I don't really get the part about
> > > "limitations" though, why would those
> > > items have "limitations"?
> >
> > They probably meant that since there are no modern Intel chipsets or
> > CPU's currently supported by coreboot that this will be limited to AMD
> > only. Plus AMD DDR3 support is only ~1 week old.
>
> Yeah, your probably right. But the way it is worded implies major 
> limitations. I would think if a vendor was going to offer coreboot as an 
> alternative solution, they would spend some time developing coreboot to 
> work 100% on their product.
>
> Anyways it is a good start to see coreboot offered as an alternative. 
> Maybe other PC vendors will catch on :-)