Single-board computers and software freedom
by
libby
Contributions
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Published on
May 23, 2013 03:56 PM
Single-board computers (SBCs) are computers delivered as one circuit board that are powerful enough to run a real operating system. SBCs are typically inexpensive and versatile, making them an exciting tool for a wide range of applications, from education to scientific research. But there's a problem; all of the SBCs currently available have major flaws -- hardware that doesn't work without running a nonfree program.
We have created a new resource page for single-board computers. With the help of volunteer Paul Kocialkowski (you might be familiar with his work on Replicant), we have catalogued a number of workarounds for existing SBCs and noted which are fatally flawed. When single-board computers that are free software compatible become available, they will be added to this resource page as well.
So, if you've been dying to play around with SBCs but are concerned about their software freedom shortcomings, you won't want to miss this new resource!
Please send feedback on this list to hardware@fsf.org.