I like the Acer Chromebook C720(P)'s solution to this. By default, the firmware is locked, but there's a (warranty voiding if you're outside of the EU, which I

I like the Acer Chromebook C720(P)'s solution to this. By default, the firmware is locked, but there's a (warranty voiding if you're outside of the EU, which I don't mind) screw on the bottom of the machine, which allows you to flash your own firmware. This solves one of the problems(upgrading firmware when vendor support runs out). One of the things that would be nice to explore is creating "flashing keys" on first boot. Maybe put them on a password-protected USB key or cloud share that can be held on to until you want to upgrade or modify firmware. Another solution might be the ability to take out that screw, load your own key, then reinsert the screw(tripping some sort of hardware fuse to lock it to that key, maybe). I don't like the tone of this article, it downplays the importance of hobbyists, and presents a false dichotomy: firmware which can't be modified by the owner of the device, versus firmware that can be modified by anyone, including remote attackers. We can have our cake and eat it too, we just need to stop giving up so early.