The FreeBSD Foundation's Laptop Support and Usability Project
| Program Name |
Laptop Support and Usability |
| Funding Body |
FreeBSD Foundation, and Quantum Leap Research |
| Funding Status |
Approved on September 27, 2024 |
| Program Sponsor |
Ed Maste |
| Program Manager |
Alice Sowerby |
| Objectives |
Deliver a package of improved or new FreeBSD functionality that, together, will ensure that it runs well “out of the box” on a broad range of personal computing devices. |
| Organization goals |
Laptop support and accessibility is a strategic priority for the FreeBSD Foundation to accelerate developer and corporate adoption, through: |
- Improving endpoint security for organizational users
- Improving the FreeBSD Committer experience for the project community and also Vendors whose products are based on FreeBSD.
- Reducing the barrier to FreeBSD adoption by users – individual, corporate, and contributors.
|
| Output | Updates to FreeBSD 14.x and/or above that deliver contemporary WiFi, full audio, modern suspend and resume, improved graphics, Bluetooth, and other identified features. Documentation, and how-to guides for the new functionality. |
Quick links
Latest Updates
Project Roadmap
Work in Progress
Work Done
Explore scope by area of functionality
Laptop and Desktop Working Group - (community owned)
Join the Desktop mailing list
Foundation blog about the Laptop Project
Discussion threads
We have created discussion threads in the Desktop mailing list for key areas of the project:
[FF-laptop-LSU] Power Discussion Thread
[FF-laptop-LSU] Hardware Discussion Thread
[FF-laptop-LSU] Audio Discussion Thread
[FF-laptop-LSU] Graphics Discussion Thread
[FF-laptop-LSU] WiFi Discussion Thread
[FF-laptop-LSU] System Management Discussion Thread
[FF-laptop-LSU] Security Discussion Thread
[FF-laptop-LSU] User Testing Discussion Thread
Please come and join the discussion!
FAQs
How much is being invested in this work?
In total, $750,000 has been committed to a program of work to improve the experience of laptop users who run FreeBSD.
How long is this program due to run?
The program will start in Q4, 2024 and will likely run for 1-2 years.
How was the scope of the work decided?
The high-level scope was outlined by the FreeBSD Foundation with input from the community, including users such as program co-funder, Quantum Leap Research, and from laptop vendors including Dell, AMD and Framework.
What exactly is covered in the planned work?
The scope will be unpacked month by month as we make progress, focusing on where the most high-value functionality can be achieved with the resources and support that we have available. Our roadmap will contain work items that are candidates for future months.
Are the dates on the roadmap guaranteed?
No, these are high-level placeholders to help us visualise our intended order of work and to help share our plans with the community. The actual date of delivery on any item will be subject to change based on project progress and other factors.
Who will be doing the work?
The Foundation will be managing staff and a group of contracted FreeBSD developers to work on different functional areas to deliver regular updates to the laptop experience.
How can I share my views on what would make the laptop experience better?
The FreeBSD community hosts a Laptop and Desktop Working Group where all interested parties can share their experiences, work in progress, and offer and receive help and support. You can also join the Desktop mailing list for more general updates. At present there is not a dedicated Laptop mailing list, this may change if there is community support for it.
Who is the target user for the functionality being delivered?
Our target user is developers. However, we hope to be able to improve the experience for all users by reducing the need to "go under the hood" to set up, manage, and use FreeBSD on a laptop.
Are desktop users being considered as part of this work?
Broadly speaking this work is focused on laptop user experience. However, many of the areas that apply to laptops will also benefit the desktop user experience. We recommend engaging with the Laptop and Desktop Working Group to advocate for any desktop-specific work items.
Is overall UX being considered, or is it mainly just technical updates?
We are mindful that UX is an important part of making FreeBSD functional and enjoyable for laptop users. We are framing the work as “user stories” that describe what a user wants to be able to accomplish and why. This is a user-focused approach to defining functional requirements.
How can I keep up to date with the work in progress and any new releases?
There are several ways to keep yourself in the loop.
- Read the monthly updates that are posted into this repo.
- Attend the Laptop and Desktop Working Group meetings. Work done as part of the program will be shared in these calls (these will also be recorded).
- Check out the public roadmap on GitHub. We are developing a practice of keeping the program work up to date and available for anyone to see.
- Sign up to the Desktop mailing list.
- Sign up to the FreeBSD Foundation newsletter. All announcements about the program will be included in our updates.
- Attend, or watch recordings of, the FreeBSD Foundation's Technology Team updates that are given at developer summits cohosted at conferences such as BSDCan, EuroBSDCon, and AsiaBSDCon.
How is this repo being used by the Foundation for this project?
We are using this repo and associated GH project board as tools for capturing the roadmap and progress on work items at a high-level. We are not using it for source code management. The repo and project are read-only for the public.
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