Re: [libreplanet-discuss] Reverse Engineering

[Fabio Pesari]

On 02/06/2016 06:50 AM, Koz Ross wrote:
> 
> With respect to Libreboot, no amount of reverse engineering will help -
> the Intel ME is cryptographically signed, and no replacement we make
> will ever run, full stop, unless Intel gives us the signing keys. While
> I admire your desire to help, it's important to understand what *can*
> and *can't* be helped - and this particular thing *can't* be helped.

That's why I say we should build our computers from hardware components
with libre designs.

I think reverse engineering can be a waste of time, if what it achieves
is being able to run free software on a single outdated, underpowered
and out-of-production device after many months of research.

That's my main criticism of Libreboot. Instead of freeing old boards,
the community should focus on building its own. Yes, that's expensive
and needs experts and it's more about hardware than software, but there
is no "Free Hardware Foundation" and the free software community should
be able to fund its own research just like corporations do.

Reverse engineering in the future will only become harder, thanks to
cryptography and DRM, and more and more people won't be able to switch
to a free GNU/Linux distro simply because they'd have to throw out their
machines.

I see no reason to be at the mercy of hardware manufactures and/or be
stuck on old devices, especially because recommending old devices to
newcomers will reinforce the stereotype that free software is dated and
clunky compared to shiny Windows 10, which works on all new computers
out-of-the-box.