Posts by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
(DIR) Post #B3ghHCCn3BCguXXtEu by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
2026-02-25T10:34:28Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@lxo except it's clearly *not* equivalent to a hardware circuit, that's just an assertion you've made. And in your repeated mentioning of replacing ROMs I'm becoming concerned that you don't actually know much about hardware.
(DIR) Post #B3gmNffwtPyzot5jGa by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
2026-02-25T18:14:46Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@lxo yes, it's a fantastical example that's intended to demonstrate that your argument is non-sensical. Your position seems to be that if the box is closed then it's not software, but if someone were to figure out how to open it it would become software. That's clearly not how any of this works.
(DIR) Post #B3gniRgQD9hoSUmZVI by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
2026-02-25T19:13:16Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@lxo it makes no retroactive difference - it is software, it always was software, all the normal ethical considerations should apply. Now, in the same way that free software published in a book can't be modified in place, there may be practical considerations that would limit exercise if those freedoms - in which case we should argue that implementations that make their exercise easier are preferable to ones that don't
(DIR) Post #B3gq5nJy80CG8UXdtw by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
2026-02-25T19:29:10Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@lxo yes, you have come up with an incorrect model in order to avoid admitting you're running non-free code.
(DIR) Post #B3gs2fkK2E53gMVVPE by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
2026-02-25T19:58:42Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@lxo if you're willing to call them programs, why do the four freedoms not apply? At minimum, why do you not deserve the right to know what these programs are actually doing?
(DIR) Post #B3gs39mUMjdgplkewq by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
2026-02-25T20:09:30Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@lxo (the program in your hard drive can, by the way, be updated by the vendor - but it's different to the microcode case because it's in mutable storage and never in ROM and so the update is permanent)
(DIR) Post #B3h8JXCie5JhNZqt96 by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
2026-02-25T20:12:30Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@lxo the firmware in your WiFi card isn't doing your computing, but RYF insists that the program running there must either be in ROM or free. Why is it different to your hard drive?
(DIR) Post #B3hIxnQck5tUp5C1A0 by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
2026-02-25T23:21:17Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@lxo That's not what RYF says:"The exception applies to software delivered inside auxiliary and low-level processors and FPGAs, within which software installation is not intended after the user obtains the product" Hard drive firmware is intended to be installed after the user obtains the product. Vendors routinely ship bug fix and reliability updates and won't provide support unless you install it. Hard drives don't meet the RYF guidelines.
(DIR) Post #B3hIxxC6QwDj6wTYum by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
2026-02-25T23:27:27Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@lxo this is important, because people have absolutely reverse engineered this and identified security issues that wouldn't be known if the code was invisible or ignored
(DIR) Post #B3hLWpnE8uc8CTbIIq by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
2026-02-26T01:18:11Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@lxo It's intended that the software be updated and so the exception doesn't apply, and so it needs to be free software to meet RYF. It's not, so doesn't. Sorry, I didn't write the rules.
(DIR) Post #B3hMmYkLOAfnv2JXM0 by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
2026-02-26T01:43:09Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@lxo what? The device provides an interface to update the software included in it, and it is intended that this occur after the user purchases the device. It's the extremely clear and plain reading of the language. The guideline doesn't say "It's fine if the user chooses not to do this".
(DIR) Post #B3hQLfamEDfV9GGyEC by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
2026-02-23T19:19:31Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
They shouldn't have to, but that's the choice that exists in the real world - anyone using an Intel CPU is placing trust in Intel not to have backdoored it in some way (which is true even for non-microcoded CPUs). The threat you're describing is one where Intel is initially trustworthy but becomes untrustworthy - we have no evidence to say that's ever happened, so you're protecting against a theoretical threat while leaving yourself open against a demonstrated threat
(DIR) Post #B3kPrLeiN0ji6SXI12 by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
2026-02-27T09:37:08Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
Every single ACPI vs Device Tree argument needs to start with the observation that I can boot a modern Linux kernel on an arbitrary x86 board from 1998 and it will probably suspend and resume correctly, and I can't do that with an arbitrary Arm board from 2026
(DIR) Post #B3kPrcFoepv9aA194C by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
2026-02-27T09:37:54Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
It's unfair to say 1996? Ok provide an alternative year where it becomes true for Arm
(DIR) Post #B3pA1XFRUv4xTZLmZU by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
2026-03-01T20:04:18Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
I have two eeros (A and B) connected with a set of amazon.com/dp/B09XWD61JB, with eero A connected to my wired infrastructure. eero B believes it's connected to my wired infrastructure. This is all fine, except if the wireless bridge goes down B transitions to wireless backhaul, and when the bridge comes back up there's now a network loop and why after fixing that did I just have to ping every address on my network to get broadcasts working properly again
(DIR) Post #B3pA1kmBCVzRQrlbu4 by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
2026-03-01T20:05:12Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
(The reason to use the Arris things is that my eeros don't have 6GHz and so use 5GHz wireless backhaul and the difference in this environment is ~300MBit vs hitting gigabit line speed)
(DIR) Post #B4AmH0cATMN9TZwa80 by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
2026-03-12T06:07:22Z
2 likes, 1 repeats
Way back in the day a friend had to move an Apple Xserve across London to get it racked, and because massively rich South Africans are stingy with money he couldn't expense a cab so took it on the underground and someone looked at him, looked at the Xserve, looked back at him and said "That's a fucking big iPod"
(DIR) Post #B4SIem7JbykDP7LpYG by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
2026-03-20T17:10:51Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
Who do I know who's going to be in town for bsides or RSA?
(DIR) Post #B4SIq9amfgDPOfYorY by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
2026-03-20T17:22:47Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@Forestofenchantment only one RSA next week
(DIR) Post #B4SmrhhqJs1s76W9ce by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
2026-03-20T22:59:27Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
It's the kind of day where it makes sense to write a PKCS#11 module that speaks to an SSH agent so Chrome can make use of SSH keys