The Free Software Foundation (FSF) has awarded its Respects Your Freedom (RYF) certification to the Taurinus X200 laptop sold by Libiquity.
This is the first product of Libiquity to achieve RYF certification. The Taurinus X200 has the same architecture and certified software as the Libreboot X200, which was certified in January 2015. The Taurinus X200 can be purchased from Libiquity at https://shop.libiquity.com/product/taurinus-x200.
The Taurinus X200 is a refurbished and updated laptop based on the Lenovo ThinkPad X200, with all of the original low-level firmware and operating system software replaced. It runs the FSF-endorsed Trisquel GNU/Linux operating system and the free software boot system, Libreboot. Perhaps most importantly, all of Intel's Management Engine (ME) firmware and software has been removed from this laptop.
The RYF certification mark means that the product meets the FSF's standards in regard to users' freedom, control over the product, and privacy. The Taurinus X200 comes with the fast and secure Libreboot firmware and the FSF-endorsed Trisquel GNU/Linux operating system. Importantly, Intel's Management Engine (ME) firmware with its applications like AMT (remote out-of-band management/backdoor system, part of "vPro") and PAVP (audio/video DRM) have been removed from this laptop.
The laptop ships within the USA and may be purchased from the Libiquity Store.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 01 2015, @02:51AM
I can appreciate the work that went into this project. It's a refreshing contrast against a backdrop of endless companies that pretend to be pro-consumer while working to erode as many of our rights and freedoms as they can. I would argue that while the retail price is higher than it should be for kit of these specs, it's not actually the speed and performance that one is paying for. The killer feature is the philosophy of the people who worked to produce a consumer-ready product that offers you something that NONE of the other brands will. Respect for your rights... and we should be cheering these guys on instead of bashing them.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday October 01 2015, @01:07PM
Amen, amen! If we want the world, especially the tech world, to respond in a positive fashion to the deep crimes world governments and companies have committed against us, the people, then we absolutely need to positively support every effort to do so. If you instantly bash the guys trying to open a path to a better world, instead of sitting around endlessly and aimlessly bitching about how much this one sucks, then they will say, "Fuck it, why should I knock myself out trying to help these assholes? Let 'em rot in the prison they seem to prefer."
Is that the outcome you want, guys? Because that's the outcome you guarantee by behaving this way.
Washington DC delenda est.