MALIBAL, short for Modular Adaptable Long-Lasting Innovations for Business and Leisure, is a computer hardware company based out of Las Vegas that offers laptops equipped with Windows and Linux across a wide range of hardware configurations.
In a recent blog, they shared that going forward, they won't be working on providing coreboot-equipped hardware due to the many issues they faced when they attempted to do so.
Let's find out what went wrong. 😳
MALIBAL Outlines Their Issues
If you didn't know, coreboot is an open source firmware alternative to the likes of BIOS, which offers many benefits over the latter, like being faster, more secure, and lighter.
coreboot supports popular CPU architectures like x86, Arm, and RISC-V, with Google's Chromebook line of PCs being the most well-known implementation of the platform.
When MALIBAL set out to implement coreboot on their laptops, they found out that the documentation was inadequate and that getting a coreboot consultant was the only way they could proceed with their undertaking.
MALIBAL then shared their experience with two consultants and one project leader, after they hit a roadblock in their coreboot porting process.
First, they contacted 9Elements (based out of Germany), whose owner reportedly said that MALIBAL's existing work was incomplete and that it would take 20 days to handle it as this would be more work than just debugging the code (as requested by MALIBAL).
They then assigned an inexperienced firmware developer who couldn't get his bearings with the project, resulting in delays. After MALIBAL had a conversation with him, it was found that the developer was only working a few hours a day in the office.
Following some back and forth, MALIBAL decided to move away from 9Elements and banned Germany, no longer shipping MALIBAL products to the country.
They then moved to another consultant, 3MDeb (based out of Poland), where they encountered similar issues with delays and some pricey quotes for their Dasharo product.
Furthermore, the non-branded implementation of such a customized firmware project was said to result in even greater expenditures. After disagreements on ethical and pricing grounds, MALIBAL moved away from 3MDeb and banned Poland for life.
Eventually, they raised a complaint with coreboot leadership to see if they could help them out with their predicament. First, they had a conversation with David Hendricks, who reportedly said that they (the leadership) cannot dictate terms to the coreboot consultants.
Then, MALIBAL got into a conversation with another member of the coreboot leadership, Matt DeVillier, who works for AMD, and is based out of Texas. After some back and forth, they agreed to work together to get the job done.
According to MALIBAL, Matt was always delaying the work and had damaged a laptop sent by them during the course. As a result, they also banned AMD and the state of Texas for life.
At the end of their blog post, MALIBAL points out that:
In all of our correspondence with these coreboot developers, we went out of our way to get along. But despite our best efforts, and putting up with all of their nonsense, we were ultimately thrown to the curb like trash.
Which is why anyone who supports the coreboot project after the post date on this article, including contributing code, being a member of their boards, or donating will be banned for life without exception.
MALIBAL also pointed out that if they had been successful in porting coreboot support for their laptops, they had planned to help out other companies by showing how to get it done without others having to endure “the same incompetence and cartel-like dealings”.
Closing Thoughts
If the events described by MALIBAL took place like that, then the coreboot project needs to reevaluate their consultants and their communication because, as professionals, they shouldn't be treating their clients like that.
On the other hand, MALIBAL banning entire regions doesn't seem like a well-thought-out decision either. It's like cutting off ties with the entire country of New Zealand because one didn't spot a Hobbit; it’s absurd.
💬 Do you own a MALIBAL device? How has your experience been so far?
Here's why you should opt for It's FOSS Plus Membership
- Even the biggest players in the Linux world don't care about desktop Linux users. We do.
- We don't put content behind paywall. Your support keeps it open for everyone. Think of it like 'pay it forward'.
- Don't like ads? With the Plus membership, you get an ad-free reading experience.
- When millions of AI-generated content is being published daily, you read and learn from real human Linux users.
- It costs just $2 a month, less than the cost of your favorite burger.
