2023-07-10 15:43:08 +00:00
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---
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2023-10-26 00:10:41 +00:00
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title: Canoeboot project
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2023-07-10 15:43:08 +00:00
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x-toc-enable: true
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...
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2023-10-26 00:10:41 +00:00
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The *Canoeboot* project provides
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2024-05-10 07:32:59 +00:00
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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/hardware/),
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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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2023-10-27 13:22:16 +00:00
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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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2023-07-10 15:43:08 +00:00
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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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2024-06-12 09:32:34 +00:00
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**NEW RELEASE: The latest release is Canoeboot 20240612, released
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on 12 June 2024.
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See: [Canoeboot 20240612 release announcement](news/canoeboot20240612.md).**
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2023-10-26 00:10:41 +00:00
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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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extreme cleanup / grandiose gesture
make canoeboot a truly GNU FSDG compliant coreboot distro,
by removing all overly positive reference to Libreboot;
what remains is technical in nature, so as to provide
historical context since Canoeboot is a fork of Libreboot.
I've stated before that I wish to take a more neutral tone
toward the FSF, in contrast to the *coldboot war* of 2023
when GNU Boot started.
Canoeboot was heavily linking to Libreboot, even going so far
as to call itself "inferior" and tell the reader to use
Libreboot.
From now on, Canoeboot will be maintained as though I actually
believed in FSF propoganda. I don't, but its users do. Treat
them with respect. My reason for providing Canoeboot is
precisely that I wish for such people to have a high quality
coreboot distro, much unlike the inferior *GNU Boot* project;
inferior because to this day, it's still based on very old
Libreboot, with not much changed (of any real substance)
relative to the Libreboot 20220710 release on which it forked.
In general, I've also found a lot of stragglers from when
Canoeboot started, where paragraphs referred to Libreboot that
should have actually referred to Canoeboot, or paragraphs
with Libreboot-specific information that does not make sense
in the Canoeboot project e.g. references to vendor scripts.
The resulting canoeboot.org will now look no different to any
typical reader than a typical FSF-aligned project.
There is a next stage to this, which will become apparent to
everyone if I have my way.
Signed-off-by: Leah Rowe <info@minifree.org>
2024-05-10 02:12:44 +00:00
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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://yewtu.be/watch?v=Npd_xDuNi9k) 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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2023-07-10 15:43:08 +00:00
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extreme cleanup / grandiose gesture
make canoeboot a truly GNU FSDG compliant coreboot distro,
by removing all overly positive reference to Libreboot;
what remains is technical in nature, so as to provide
historical context since Canoeboot is a fork of Libreboot.
I've stated before that I wish to take a more neutral tone
toward the FSF, in contrast to the *coldboot war* of 2023
when GNU Boot started.
Canoeboot was heavily linking to Libreboot, even going so far
as to call itself "inferior" and tell the reader to use
Libreboot.
From now on, Canoeboot will be maintained as though I actually
believed in FSF propoganda. I don't, but its users do. Treat
them with respect. My reason for providing Canoeboot is
precisely that I wish for such people to have a high quality
coreboot distro, much unlike the inferior *GNU Boot* project;
inferior because to this day, it's still based on very old
Libreboot, with not much changed (of any real substance)
relative to the Libreboot 20220710 release on which it forked.
In general, I've also found a lot of stragglers from when
Canoeboot started, where paragraphs referred to Libreboot that
should have actually referred to Canoeboot, or paragraphs
with Libreboot-specific information that does not make sense
in the Canoeboot project e.g. references to vendor scripts.
The resulting canoeboot.org will now look no different to any
typical reader than a typical FSF-aligned project.
There is a next stage to this, which will become apparent to
everyone if I have my way.
Signed-off-by: Leah Rowe <info@minifree.org>
2024-05-10 02:12:44 +00:00
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In the same way that *Trisquel* is a *GNU+Linux distribution*, Canoeboot is
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2023-07-10 15:43:08 +00:00
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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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2023-10-26 00:10:41 +00:00
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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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