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What CPU is it running? Because last time I checked the Intel microcode wasn't open source

by BrainInAJar 12y ago

IThoughtYouGNU 12y ago
The FSF doesn't care if microcode is open source.
MichaelGG 12y ago
Nor are the actual Intel or AMD chip designs overall.
- BrainInAJar 12y ago
  Exactly. Unless it's running an opencores CPU (or OpenSPARC), it's not anywhere near a "philosophically pure laptop"
serf 12y ago
an i7, which while proprietary doesn't necessarily have to be bundled with the typical Intel AMT, which the FSF dislikes[1]. Besides the CPU, it contains proprietary nVidia chips. Another company which doesn't have too stellar of a 'open' record. [1]: https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/active-management-technology https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/active-management-techno...
- minthd 12y ago
  The chip this uses , the i7-4770HQ , uses vt-d. According to invisible labs[1], vt-d can allow certain malware attacks. Afaik, even after being informed of this by invisible labs researchers, intel did nothing(afaik) to solve this. [1]http://theinvisiblethings.blogspot.co.il/2011/05/following-white-rabbit-software-attacks.html http://theinvisiblethings.blogspot.co.il/2011/05/following-w...
  - walterbell 12y ago
    It was mitigated in software and fixed in post-2011 hardware, http://xen.1045712.n5.nabble.com/Xen-security-advisory-CVE-2011-1898-VT-d-PCI-passthrough-MSI-td4390298.html http://xen.1045712.n5.nabble.com/Xen-security-advisory-CVE-2...
- Decade 12y ago
  Also, they're no longer using the Nvidia chip. They say it's because they decided that VT-d was very important, and the i7-4770HQ needed for the VT-d required them to use the Intel GPU. Honestly, I prefer the Intel GPU. I don't play a lot of 3D games, and the Iris Pro GPU is so much faster than many discrete GPUs I've used, and the Intel graphics driver team actually tries to cooperate with the open source community. Unlike the Intel network driver team.

What CPU is it running? Because last time I checked the Intel microcode wasn't open source

IThoughtYouGNU 12y ago

The FSF doesn't care if microcode is open source.

MichaelGG 12y ago

Nor are the actual Intel or AMD chip designs overall.

BrainInAJar 12y ago
Exactly. Unless it's running an opencores CPU (or OpenSPARC), it's not anywhere near a "philosophically pure laptop"

serf 12y ago

an i7, which while proprietary doesn't necessarily have to be bundled with the typical Intel AMT, which the FSF dislikes[1]. Besides the CPU, it contains proprietary nVidia chips. Another company which doesn't have too stellar of a 'open' record. [1]: https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/active-management-technology https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/active-management-techno...

minthd 12y ago
The chip this uses , the i7-4770HQ , uses vt-d. According to invisible labs[1], vt-d can allow certain malware attacks. Afaik, even after being informed of this by invisible labs researchers, intel did nothing(afaik) to solve this. [1]http://theinvisiblethings.blogspot.co.il/2011/05/following-white-rabbit-software-attacks.html http://theinvisiblethings.blogspot.co.il/2011/05/following-w...
- walterbell 12y ago
  It was mitigated in software and fixed in post-2011 hardware, http://xen.1045712.n5.nabble.com/Xen-security-advisory-CVE-2011-1898-VT-d-PCI-passthrough-MSI-td4390298.html http://xen.1045712.n5.nabble.com/Xen-security-advisory-CVE-2...
Decade 12y ago
Also, they're no longer using the Nvidia chip. They say it's because they decided that VT-d was very important, and the i7-4770HQ needed for the VT-d required them to use the Intel GPU. Honestly, I prefer the Intel GPU. I don't play a lot of 3D games, and the Iris Pro GPU is so much faster than many discrete GPUs I've used, and the Intel graphics driver team actually tries to cooperate with the open source community. Unlike the Intel network driver team.