At Frankenstein Machines, we support open-source technologies that promote security and privacy and coreboot is such a project.

The coreboot project replaces the stock, proprietary firmware that comes on a motherboard with a light-weight, secure alternative. The boot firmware (also called the BIOS) is responsible for initializing and preparing the various hardware components on the motherboard for hand-off to the operating system.

The project was started in 1999 at the Los Alamos Laboratory in an effort to control and maintain large computing clusters but has since grown to support embedded systems, servers, laptops, and desktop PCs.

Why does the proprietary firmware need to be replaced? What's wrong with the pre-installed BIOS that comes from the manufacturer? In addition to all the benefits of being open source, the coreboot website lists several other compelling reasons including security, safety, flexibility and performance.