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March 2019

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Classic ThinkPad chassis, modern components
by Ben Finney 22 Mar '19

22 Mar '19

Howdy all, Many in the free-software community know that a ThinkPad (made while they were still IBM's design and standards) were a good choice for both hardware quality and software freedom. That's been less true for a long time now; the actual freedom-respecting ThinkPads are now ageing and relatively low-powered. What if modern components got installed into a ThinkPad chassis? This article reviews a “ThinkPad X210”, an unofficial model name that means “a ThinkPad X201 chassis with modern components”. (An earlier model from the same vendor is named the “ThinkPad X62” because it is in a ThinkPad X61 chassis.) Linux worked out of the box. I had to install non-free drivers for the Broadcom wireless card, then tweak a few module options to get better power saving. […] I managed to get PC7 idle by upgrading my kernel to 4.18 and replacing the r8168 module with r8169. Battery life has increased significantly. I now get 6 hours with the flush battery and 10 hours with the extended battery. […] The X210 isn’t perfect. It’s made by a group of enthusiasts, not a big company. With that comes some disadvantages: […] <URL:https://geoff.greer.fm/2019/03/04/thinkpad-x210/> It's a damned shame that we still can't get freedom-respecting Bluetooth on a modern motherboard. Does anyone know of any other issues with software freedom in these computers? -- \ “It is always a silly thing to give advice, but to give good | `\ advice is absolutely fatal.” —Oscar Wilde, _The Portrait of Mr. | _o__) W. H._, 1889-07 | Ben Finney

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"Australian Free" Software
by Michael Verrenkamp 01 Mar '19

01 Mar '19

Good day, A very interesting development in relation to how people are reacting to the Assistance and Access Bill. In the release notes for an API being produced by Intel they put a little note in there stating they are "now Australian-free". Part joke, part statement on what is going on. It is in the second paragraph of the release. https://branchfree.org/2019/02/28/paper-hyperscan-a-fast-multi-pattern-rege… Cheers Michael -- Committe Member Free Software Australia/Melbourne Advocating for freedom in computer software. www.freesoftware.org.au

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