Libreboot 26.10, codenamed "Ominous Olive," has been released by Leah Rowe, with full UEFI support. The release is available via rsync at rsync.libreboot.org or through mirrors. Libreboot is free, open source boot firmware that replaces proprietary BIOS and UEFI firmware on supported Intel, AMD and ARM64 hardware. It initialises core hardware such as the CPU and memory controller so that operating systems like Linux or BSD can boot, and Microsoft Windows is now also compatible thanks to a new UEFI payload based on Mr Chromebox EDK2.
The project's goal is to remove proprietary software from computers and to offer firmware that non-technical users can understand, with greater security and customisation than proprietary alternatives. This release includes 233 Intel and AMD Chromebooks, all imported from the Mr Chromebox coreboot distro. Baytrail (Kip) has been tested, while the other boards still need testing. These boards are source-only, so users must build them from source.
The release also brings major design changes that may affect many existing setups. EDK2 is now the default payload, with GRUB and SeaBIOS provided in flash as EFI builds for backward compatibility. Libreboot has modified the upstream Mr Chromebox build by applying its own purple background and rainbow logo, setting the HAP bit by default to disable Intel ME, and unlocking IFD regions as read-write at build time. A CSMWrap layer lets SeaBIOS run inside EDK2, and Mem Test86+ is included.
The most significant change is a new strongly anti-AI policy, added in a file called AGENTS.md in the lbmk repository. Users are advised to read the full changelog carefully before upgrading.
Source: Hacker News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing