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86 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
86 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Canoeboot project
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x-toc-enable: true
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...
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The *Canoeboot* project provides
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[free](https://writefreesoftware.org/learn) (*libre*) boot
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firmware based on coreboot, replacing proprietary BIOS/UEFI firmware
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on [specific Intel/AMD x86 and ARM based motherboards](docs/install/),
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including laptop and desktop computers. It initialises the hardware (e.g. memory
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controller, CPU, peripherals) and starts a bootloader for your operating
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system. [GNU+Linux](docs/gnulinux/) and [BSD](docs/bsd/) are well-supported. Help is
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available via [\#canoeboot](https://web.libera.chat/#canoeboot)
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on [Libera](https://libera.chat/) IRC.
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<img tabindex=1 class="r" src="https://av.canoeboot.org/t60logo.jpg" /><span class="f"><img src="https://av.canoeboot.org/t60logo.jpg" /></span>
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**NEW RELEASE: The latest release is Canoeboot 20241102, released
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on 2 November 2024.
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See: [Canoeboot 20241102 release announcement](news/canoeboot20241102.md).**
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Why should you use *Canoeboot*?
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----------------------------
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Canoeboot gives you [freedoms](https://writefreesoftware.org/learn) that
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you otherwise can't get with most other boot firmware, plus faster boot speeds
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and [better security](docs/gnulinux/grub_hardening.md). It's extremely powerful
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and [configurable](docs/maintain/) for many use cases. Canoeboot is a *special
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fork* of Libreboot, maintained in parallel to it by the same developer (Leah
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Rowe); Canoeboot complies with the GNU Free System Distribution Guidelines,
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ensuring that everything in the boot flash is *free software*. *Canoeboot* only
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supports a very limited subset of hardware from coreboot that is known to boot
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without binary blobs. Many other boards in coreboot require binary blobs for
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things like memory controller initialisation. Canoeboot *removes* binary blobs
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from coreboot and U-Boot, which are then provided "de-blobbed" in releases.
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*We* believe the freedom to [study, share, modify and use
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software](https://writefreesoftware.org/), without any
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restriction, is one of the fundamental human rights that everyone must have.
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In this context, *software freedom* matters. Your freedom matters. Education
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matters.
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[Right to repair](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_repair) matters.
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Many people use proprietary (non-libre)
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boot firmware, even if they use a fully free GNU+Linux distribution.
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Proprietary firmware often [contains](faq.html#intel) [backdoors](faq.html#amd),
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and can be buggy. The Canoeboot project was founded in October 2023, with the
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express purpose of making coreboot firmware accessible for non-technical users.
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The Canoeboot project uses [coreboot](https://www.coreboot.org/) for [hardware
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initialisation](https://doc.coreboot.org/getting_started/architecture.html).
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Coreboot is notoriously difficult to install for most non-technical users; it
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handles only basic initialization and jumps to a separate
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[payload](https://doc.coreboot.org/payloads.html) program (e.g.
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[GRUB](https://www.gnu.org/software/grub/),
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[Tianocore](https://www.tianocore.org/)), which must also be configured.
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*Canoeboot solves this problem*; it is a *coreboot distribution* with
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an [automated build system](docs/build/) that builds complete *ROM images*, for
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more robust installation. Documentation is provided.
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Canoeboot is not a fork of coreboot
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-----------------------------------
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<img tabindex=1 class="l" style="max-width:25%;" src="https://av.canoeboot.org/dip8/adapter.jpg" /><span class="f"><img src="https://av.canoeboot.org/dip8/adapter.jpg" /></span>
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In fact, Canoeboot tries to stay as close to *stock* coreboot as possible,
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for each board, but with many different types of configuration provided
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automatically by the Canoeboot build system.
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In the same way that *Trisquel* is a *GNU+Linux distribution*, Canoeboot is
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a *coreboot distribution*. If you want to build a ROM image from scratch, you
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otherwise have to perform expert-level configuration of coreboot, GRUB and
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whatever other software you need, to prepare the ROM image. With *Canoeboot*,
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you can literally download from Git or a source archive, and run `make`, and it
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will build entire ROM images. An automated build system, named `cbmk`
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(CanoeBoot MaKe), builds these ROM images automatically, without any user input
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or intervention required. Configuration has already been performed in advance.
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If you were to build regular coreboot, without using Canoeboot's automated
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build system, it would require a lot more intervention and decent technical
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knowledge to produce a working configuration.
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Regular binary releases of Canoeboot provide these
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ROM images pre-compiled, and you can simply install them, with no special
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knowledge or skill except the ability to
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follow [simplified instructions, written for non-technical
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users](docs/install/).
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