Re: GuixSD and free hardware

[Efraim Flashner <efraim@flashner.co.il>]

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On Fri, 16 Oct 2015 12:01:52 -0400
Mark H Weaver <mhw@netris.org> wrote:

> ludo@gnu.org (Ludovic Courtès) writes:
> 
> > Hello!
> >
> > Gammel Holte <gammel.holte@gmail.com> skribis:
> >  
> >> I would like to draw your attention to new Rockchip ARM machines (e.g. Asus
> >> C201). These are very cheap, easy to reflash and can be run without any
> >> blobs (except 3D acceleration, unless the Lima driver gets finished). They
> >> don't even need CPU microcdes. Paul Kocialkowski (of Replicant fame)
> >> recently added Libreboot support to the C201 [1].
> >>
> >> In my opinion, it'd be really nice to have GuixSD polished on this
> >> architecture, so that users can buy one and get things going with minimal
> >> effort. Sort of a few reference devices like what BSD does with some
> >> Thinkpads. If running linux-libre, and wishing to have libreboot as a
> >> bootloader, there are not that many choices.  
> >
> > I think many of us are interested in having GuixSD on those devices.
> >
> > Mark recently ported GuixSD to mips, which allowed him to identify
> > architecture-specific assumptions need to be addressed.  That was an
> > important first step.
> >
> > There’s also the question of whether we can use GRUB on these platforms,
> > since GuixSD pretty much relies on it.  Latest GRUB reportedly works on
> > (some) ARM platforms:
> > <https://wiki.linaro.org/LEG/Engineering/Kernel/GRUB>.  
> 
> If I understand correctly, GRUB has been ported to the 'arm-uboot'
> platform, but not yet 'arm-coreboot'.

Poking around github a bit I came across rockchip's github codedump account,
and they have a u-boot repository for some of their rk3X88 (and rk3066)
chips. https://github.com/linux-rockchip/u-boot-rockchip If I understand the
boot process correctly, depending on the board, the "boot order" is u-boot =>
"ZImage" kernel => rootfs.

> 
> > It would be good to see if GRUB can be used as the LibreBoot payload on
> > the C201, as a replacement for ‘depthcharge’.  

This I don't know anything about

> 
> I guess this won't be possible until either GRUB is ported to
> 'arm-coreboot', or u-boot is ported to the C201.

If the chromebook is anything like my arm board (which is probably a big
assumption) then all we need to do is worry about getting the C201 to boot
up, and the kernel/electricity/magic will get all the "peripherals" powered
up and ready for instructions from the kernel. Since the C201 has an RK3288,
it might already be ready.

> 
>       Mark
> 
Efraim

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Efraim Flashner   <efraim@flashner.co.il>   אפרים פלשנר
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