Hardware Product Certification Program: Respect Your Freedom

Hardware Product Certification Program: Respect Your Freedom

Hardware Product Certification Program: Respect Your Freedom

The known Free Software Foundation (FSF) hardware product certification program, LLAMADA "Respect your freedom" (Respects Your Freedom or RYF) offers a certification and official mark that can be displayed on hardware devices that qualify for it. This program encourages the creation and sale of hardware that promotes respect for our freedom and privacy, and control over it by us, the users (consumers).

The validity of this program is increasingly important, especially now that more and more recognized or new manufacturers and / or distributors of computers with Linux Operating Systems included, such as Systems76 or Slimbook.

For a computer or other equipment or device to currently obtain the RYF Certification Program, it must first run Free Software (SL), in addition to facilitating users to modify said SL, in addition to admitting different formats of data and free and open documents, and being efficiently manageable entirely with SL.

RYF Certification Program

And if they get the same, they can make visible use of the official mark of the RYF Certification Program, as well as using the FSF name and related materials in press releases and advertising, and benefiting from promotion through the FSF's own channels.

All about RYF Certification

What is needed to obtain the RYF Certification?

So that a manufacturer and / or distributor can obtain an RYF Certification from the FSF, you must comply with a series of guidelines such as:

  • Implement only SL on the product, that is, free, open, free and without DRM restrictions.
  • Provide users with access to the source code of all the implemented SL.

RYF Certification Program: Requirements

And meet the following requirements:

  • Delivery of free drivers (drivers and firmware).
  • Grant the possibility of having complete control over the operation of the device.
  • Support for the replacement of required drivers and firmware.
  • Support the implementation of GNU / Linux distributions completely free.
  • Only use non-proprietary software components and formats.
  • Offer free documentation.

In addition to promote and facilitate that any technical documentation of the product, such as user and developer manuals are published under a free license. If you want to read more about the criteria necessary for a manufacturer or distributor to obtain it, click on the FSF official link on RYF Certification criteria or just start with the official link of the RYF Certification for more information.

Example

A good example about like a manufacturer or distributor can make a Hardware, Device or Computer yours get from the FSF said RYF Certification, is the case of «LulzBot AO-3 100D Printer» sold by the company "Aleph Objects". This company supplies the equipment (printer) together with their respective hardware, software and documentation designs under free licenses. And to paraphrase its founder, Jeff Moe:

"When you buy a LulzBot AO-3 100D Printer, you get everything: source code, design documents and specifications - everything you need to control, modify, repair and improve all aspects of the printer."

And examples like this are obtained more, in the News section about RYF Certified products in the newsletter "Free Software Supporter" full FSF.

RYF Certification Program: Manufacturers, Distributors and Stores

How and where to get certified or preconfigured hardware for Linux?

Currently there are many manufacturers, distributors and stores around the world that offer both certified hardware for Linux, as well as free-friendly hardware for Linux and preconfigured with Linux. Among these we can mention:

  1. Dell
  2. emperorlinux
  3. Enter
  4. Fanless IoT Technologies
  5. Ina Tux
  6. LAC Portland
  7. Lenovo
  8. Libquity
  9. linutop
  10. Linux Certified
  11. linux now
  12. mini free
  13. purism
  14. slim book
  15. System76
  16. Technoethics
  17. Think penguin
  18. Tuxedo Computer
  19. Usefulness
  20. Vikings
  21. Zareason
  22. zerocat

Note: In Lenovo's special case, it is added to the list only because its Lenovo ThinkPads Laptops, especially its X and T series, are very free-friendly with Linux. For more information about Lenovo and the compatibility of your hardware with Linux you can access this online information. Finally, more information about Linux compatible hardware can be found at the following links:

RYF Certification Program: Conclusion

Conclusion

We hope this publication is very useful for those who are always looking for certified Linux hardware or at least Linux friendly. And help spread the ideals of the FSF through the RYF Certification so that more and more manufacturers, distributors and stores around the world incorporate certified products and the problems related to their freedom are mitigated.


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  1.   ricardoG08 said

    I think you are confusing free with the price, not necessarily free software must be free, it is a plus that is added to any program, that is already the decision of those who offer the software if they want to sell it or leave it as free, we are talking about free of freedom, do not take it the wrong way is only an opinion.

    1.    Linux PostInstall said

      Don't worry, you're right, I think the same. I don't know why the article gives you the opposite impression.