A challenge for community to go beyond what's already rule

[thiago]

   Hey there!

   Although I do support this kind of initiative (of new Libreboot laptop
   stores), and I am a supporter of libreboot / coreboot as well as Free
   Libre / Open Source Hardware, I would like to ask you all here:

   Couldn't we have more popular prices? What do we have to do to boost
   more popular projects?

   I mean, it's awesome the new store, but after opening it, I felt the
   same disappointment from before. I still wait for more popular & fair
   options. Who can & will pay for a retro with such prices? I can't, so
   seeing such stores feels like a distant dream.

   I am from a foreign country, with its money devalued in comparison to
   your currencies. These prices are for rich gringos, for your own people
   and not for a broader community. I will never have the chance to get a
   Librebooted ThinkPad from any of the sellers I know (and I would like
   to support you) simply because it becomes too expensive. I bet there
   are lots of young (or older) free software/hardware enthusiasts fom the
   UK that can't pay for these laptops, and no relativisms can make such
   prices seem fair.

   The community, I guess, lacks very much options for getting popular
   Librebooted ThinkPads. How to help expanding free software and hardware
   in scenarios like this? These prices are over, so we will never support
   your stores because we can't. We can just try to do it ourselves,
   paying fair prices getting used pieces (just as yours) from people that
   doesn't know that there are companies selling it for much more because
   it is "libreboot".

   Even when it comes to offering the service of installing Libreboot or
   whatever, I just see obscene prices. I buy a compatible ThinkPad with
   less than you (several stores) want to charge just for the service.

   Where are we going? Do we want to make things more popular and make the
   whole strong, or do we want a small community of FSF members and
   Librebooted laptop owners?!

   Best regards,

   Thiago

   05:59, November 20, 2020, "Leah Rowe via libreplanet-discuss"
   <libreplanet-discuss@libreplanet.org>:

     Hi everyone!
     I forgot to link this on the libreplanet list, but my company
     selling
     FSF-endorsed Libreboot laptops with Trisquel came back online on 10
     November 2020. It's me Leah Rowe, Libreboot founder. I simply
     renamed
     the store.
     Check it out!
     [1]https://retrofreedom.com/
     As some may know, the company was offline for a while when it ran
     into
     supply issues earlier in the year - and then covid happened. I made
     a
     series of fundamental changes to the way the company operates, which
     you
     can read about here (in addition to backstory on the period of
     hiatus
     that preceded the re-launch):
     [2]https://retrofreedom.com/company-relaunched/
     I use profits from sales to provide funding to Libreboot, as I've
     done
     for many years. Some of the proceeds are also donated to the FSF,
     every
     year.
     I've already been in touch with RMS, and he posted a link to it
     recently
     on stallman.org
     I have also contacted the FSF, asking them to re-endorse my laptops.
     Previously the domain name was minifree.org but has been re-branded
     and
     redirects to retrofreedom.com now. FSF removed the site from their
     RYF
     page when it went offline earlier this year.
     So far sales are good! I've been shipping laptops to people non-stop
     since the company re-launched. I made sure to be fully prepared for
     the
     re-launch. Got a big shipping out today in fact.
     At the time of this email, the company is well-stocked. I make sure
     machines are packed ready to ship before sale these days, rather
     than
     assembling to order like I use to; this means I've simplified the
     options on the website, to make the company easier to operate and
     ensure
     that shipments are quick.
     I'm currently building up huge stock for December. I'm well-stocked
     for
     the rest of November. My supplier has managed to source around 100
     laptops for me, for me to sell in December, and probably those will
     also
     last into the first half of January aswell. I will have those 100
     soon
     and will make sure to have them all ready for December. It's a
     mixture
     of X200 and T400 laptops, plus a few X200 Tablets (the tablet
     version is
     really hard to find)
     Anyway yes, just thought I'd drop this here.
     Happy hacking!
     --
     Leah Rowe,
     Company director.
     And now, a song:
     [3]https://blog.vimuser.org/free-firmware-song.html
     Minifree Ltd, trading as RetroFreedom,
     Registered in England, No. 9361826,
     VAT No. GB202190462, Registered Office:
     19 Hilton Road, Canvey Island, Essex SS8 9QA, UK

     _______________________________________________
     libreplanet-discuss mailing list
     [4]libreplanet-discuss@libreplanet.org
     [5]https://lists.libreplanet.org/mailman/listinfo/libreplanet-discus
     s

   Thiago José Bezerra Cavalcanti
   Antropólogo, Mestre em Sociologia
   Doutorando Interdisciplinar (Humanidades e Sociais) - HCTE/UFRJ
   SysAdm+dev GNU/Linux&*BSD
   Bio&CV: https://thiago.softwarelivre.net.br

References

   1. https://retrofreedom.com/
   2. https://retrofreedom.com/company-relaunched/
   3. https://blog.vimuser.org/free-firmware-song.html
   4. mailto:libreplanet-discuss@libreplanet.org
   5. https://lists.libreplanet.org/mailman/listinfo/libreplanet-discuss