Notes on Linux

   Replacing the proprietary BIOS firmware on most computers is a process that often can be frustrating. It's possible that your computer could be rendered unuseable in the process. Back in 2010 I managed to get coreboot working on the Gigabyte GA-6BCX motherboard and although the process went fairly smoothly it did consume a fair bit of time. Fortunately we now have an inexpensive way of obtaining a ready to go coreboot computer.

   There are sites that now offer Thinkpad X60, T60 and X200 series laptops with coreboot installed, although it seems that they are often out of stock. The simplest alternative to obtain coreboot is to buy a chromebook or a chromebox which are readily available from most computer stores.

   If you wish to replace ChromeOS with a Linux distribution you should read the info here.

   I had an occasion to use a Chromebook and I thought the keyboard was rather cheap so I recommend getting a Chromebox and supplying it with a good quality keyboard. The ASUS CHROMEBOX-M115U has an Intel Celeron 2955U Processor, 2GB DDR3 memory, 16G SSD for storage and Intel HD Graphics and sells for as low as $200 Canadian.

   There is also a Coreboot on Chromebooks community here.

Labels: coreboot