Pop quiz: Is System76 a Linux distribution developer, a hardware maker, or an open source company? The correct answer is all of the above, but a passion for open source permeates every facet of System76’s business. Speaking of which, if you like what the Pop OS and Thelio PC creator has done with Coreboot recently, you’ll love the tease they just dropped on Twitter.
System76 wants to make AMD Ryzen PCs even better with Coreboot
System76 / Kate Hazen“I have seen the light of the great @LisaSu,” writes System76 engineer Jeremy Soller. “Today begins my journey to port coreboot to Matisse and Renoir. See you on the other side!”
In a word, this is magnificent. But why should you care?
What Is Coreboot, Anyway?
Coreboot is an open source project that aims to strip out all the proprietary firmware that ships with a computer and replace it with a lean, lightweight firmware that has the bare minimum amount of code to load an operating system.
Think about that BIOS screen you have to load up from to time. On my Lenovo ThinkPad P53, for example, there are dozens of options controlling everything from Secure Boot to graphics and virtualization and performance options.
This also means proprietary blobs, an inclusion many open source enthusiasts would prefer to do without. But Coreboot isn’t all about just embracing a philosophy; it’s also about speed.
Leaner code means less delays. That translates to neutralizing Intel Management Engine, resuming from sleep almost instantly and booting up noticeably faster. The advantage of Coreboot became clear when comparing the System76 Lemur Pro laptop to the Tuxedo Computers InfinityBook S 14.
The aforementioned systems are cut from the same cloth (i.e. chassis) and boast identical hardware. But because the Lemur Pro boasts Coreboot and System76 EC (embedded controller), the System76 laptop gets the edge when it comes to boot and resume times.
(System76 also added Coreboot to its new generation of Oryx Pro laptops.)
Coreboot is also about user control. Because it’s open source, it can be audited and edited, giving you more control — more ownership — over your PC.
Right now, however, there is no variant of Coreboot for AMD’s Matisse and Renoir chipsets — what we know as Ryzen 3000 and Ryzen 4000 processors, respectively. That’s what makes Jeremy Soller’s upcoming work so important.
“We will be the only ones in the universe offering these processors with open source firmware if it works out,” Soller tells me.
System76 offers multiple systems with AMD Ryzen chips, but its efforts to port Coreboot to Renoir gets me ridiculously excited. Could this foreshadow a System76 laptop like the Oryx Pro or Lemur Pro with Ryzen 4000 CPUs? After all, I have to admit surprise at the fact that both Slimbook and Tuxedo Computers beat System76 to the punch in that department.
Right now Soller says the company has nothing to formally announce. But Coreboot on any current or future AMD Ryzen-equipped System76 PC will be worth the wait. It’s not a guarantee nor a promise at this point, but I’ll keep you posted as this exciting effort progresses.
The Link LonkJuly 26, 2020 at 06:14PM
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