FreeBSD on Intel Compute Stick ???

I have a small laptop that has almost the same hardware as the stick, so it should not be a problem.

But would me interest too.
 
I have one of these that I bought for no reason at all... I didn't know you could install an OS on them.
EDIT: Never mind, mine is a Neural Compute Stick, which appears to be a totally different thing.
 
Its worth a try but I thought I would throw this out there.
The Z3735 processor used on these had a weird setup.
Many used a 32-Bit UEFI instead of the normal 64 bit UEFI firmware.
So FreeBSD never supported the 32 bit UEFI. So that will not work.

When I looked at the compute stick I see this statement on a support page.
"Intel® Compute Stick STCK1A32WFC only supports 32-bit based Operating Systems."
So it looks like that particular stick probably uses 32 bit UEFI.
Maybe there are other models other than STCK1A32WFC that will work with FreeBSD.
It is just a mini computer so it should work. The BIOS (32 Bit or 64 bit UEFI) is the sticking point.
The CPU is fully 64 bit but some manufacturers used 32-bit UEFI for the firmware. Maybe it was cheaper?
 
There were Apple computers (not Mac minis, I think it was Mac Pros) that had 64 bit processors and 32 bit (U?)EFI and somewhere on the Forum there was a way to boot FreeBSD on them. So, all may not be lost.
 
There was a Intel Compute Stick 2 but I wonder about it looking at the comments here.

"There is an option to choose between a 32 and 64-bit OS in case you want to install a 64-bit OS, make sure to change this and perhaps other settings if you are going to install a fresh OS instead of the included Windows 10 32-bit."
So maybe 32 bit Windows had something to do with the 32-bit UEFI that was used.
 
They might be a bit of dead end, though, if Intel stopped making them in 2020? Maybe a fun project for those so inclined, but no real long-term future. But think some of us are talking about the Compute Stick 1 and some of us are talking about the Compute Stick 2.
 
There were Apple computers (not Mac minis, I think it was Mac Pros) that had 64 bit processors and 32 bit (U?)EFI and somewhere on the Forum there was a way to boot FreeBSD on them. So, all may not be lost.
Apple's EFI is different from UEFI. Very different.
 
I've just recently started delving into what I can do with my Compute Stick... BTW it is NOT an Intel device but based on the same thing.

I've found that it is possible to boot from a USB stick, but out of 20 tried I was only able to boot from Void Linux and Arch - not sure why. Must be something to do with the EFI partition. Maybe there is some multiboot system which would be recognisable... Maybe I'll try unetbootin...
 
Not impossible to roll FreeBSD into a 32-bit UEFI installer, but OP is a bit on his own on that. I don't think that there are official images for Intel Compute Stick... I actually used to own one, but got nowhere with it - I think you're better off buying a mini-PC (like a Gigabyte Brix) that has specs (and price) comparable to a rig built from aftermarket parts. Yeah, Windows will boot on that device, and you may be able to surf the web using your TV as computer screen - but that's the extent. Even that limited functionality has a pretty limited-grade experience... 😒
 
I've recently had success with a 64bit z3000 series system that had a 32bit efi using OpenBSD. But it isn't as fantastic as FreeBSD. But it is a BSD so...it's still super. Maybe at BSDCan some folks can get that 32bit efi ported over to FreeBSD. If things were only that easy.
 
I've recently had success with a 64bit z3000 series system that had a 32bit efi using OpenBSD. But it isn't as fantastic as FreeBSD. But it is a BSD so...it's still super. Maybe at BSDCan some folks can get that 32bit efi ported over to FreeBSD. If things were only that easy.
I am able to boot NetBSD on my Compute stick - OpenBSD won't boot.

Looking at the EFI partition on NetBSD I see a bootia32.efi. I don't really know what this file does precisely, but wonder what would happen if I copied it to a FreeBSD img file...

Given that NetBSD is open source, can't the source for this file be adapted to work on FreeBSD?
 
I am able to boot NetBSD on my Compute stick - OpenBSD won't boot.

Looking at the EFI partition on NetBSD I see a bootia32.efi. I don't really know what this file does precisely, but wonder what would happen if I copied it to a FreeBSD img file...

Given that NetBSD is open source, can't the source for this file be adapted to work on FreeBSD?
OpenBSD should have an efi boot partition as well. You'll need to install gpt rather than mbr. Mbr assumes you have a bios or legacy support. The efi just tells the system where to boot from I guess. I don't honestly know too much about it other than I don't like when it doesn't work. Anyway, I hope you can get it to work, if you can I would love to install FreeBSD on my 32bit efi system.
 
I was mistaken previously when trying to boot OpenBSD... there was some fault with the media. After trying again, I see that it also does have a bootia32.efi and is able to boot from it, so I'm puzzled why both NetBSD and OpenBSD have such a file whereas FreeBSD doesn't. Could there be any technical reasons for not having such a file?

I wonder how similar the source code is for both systems..
 
I was mistaken previously when trying to boot OpenBSD... there was some fault with the media. After trying again, I see that it also does have a bootia32.efi and is able to boot from it, so I'm puzzled why both NetBSD and OpenBSD have such a file whereas FreeBSD doesn't. Could there be any technical reasons for not having such a file?

I wonder how similar the source code is for both systems..
IIRC, in the past, FreeBSD did offer images for the Itanium arch... which seems to be what you have on your stick...
 
Yeah, OpenBSD is kind cool. They even have drm-kmod based on 6.1 in their latest 7.3 release. How do they do it?! They should be sharing more frequently with FreeBSD.
 
I help financially but I don't have the needed programming skills for these things.
Making tax-deductible donations to the respective Foundations is great, but developing programming skills and getting a handle on the development process - that's an effort that requires time and dedication. Gotta have a handle on git, patching, compiling, submission, and generally earn your way in. Yeah, the crowd of ppl that actually does the development - they can get snarky on the dev emailing lists, but that's because they do expect a rather high level of knowledge.

There's a good proverb that captures that sentiment:
"One fisherman recognizes another from afar."

I see it in action even on these Forums - ppl with similar levels of expertise tend to have livelier conversations, and can understand each other to a much greater extent than when levels of expertise are vastly different. That crowd may not have the skills to actually solve the problem at hand - but they sure will have a lively conversation.

Same idea applies to OpenBSD dev lists - if a noob tries to participate but ultimately has nothing useful to add, or starts messing around - they will get a reaction that reflects that behavior.
 
Making tax-deductible donations to the respective Foundations is great, but developing programming skills and getting a handle on the development process - that's an effort that requires time and dedication. Gotta have a handle on git, patching, compiling, submission, and generally earn your way in. Yeah, the crowd of ppl that actually does the development - they can get snarky on the dev emailing lists, but that's because they do expect a rather high level of knowledge.

There's a good proverb that captures that sentiment:
"One fisherman recognizes another from afar."

I see it in action even on these Forums - ppl with similar levels of expertise tend to have livelier conversations, and can understand each other to a much greater extent than when levels of expertise are vastly different. That crowd may not have the skills to actually solve the problem at hand - but they sure will have a lively conversation.

Same idea applies to OpenBSD dev lists - if a noob tries to participate but ultimately has nothing useful to add, or starts messing around - they will get a reaction that reflects that behavior.
If I were to contribute code it would take me at least a couple of years. I have no experience other than interpreted languages. Actually, that's not entirely true. But I only did compiled for electron and android apps, web apps. That's incredibly simple and requires no more than following simple guidelines and examples to accomplish standard things. When it comes to contributing drivers or anything hardware related I have no experience. I would guess a minimum of two years of learning before I would feel comfortable attempting a contribution.
 
If I were to contribute code it would take me at least a couple of years. I have no experience other than interpreted languages. Actually, that's not entirely true. But I only did compiled for electron and android apps, web apps. That's incredibly simple and requires no more than following simple guidelines and examples to accomplish standard things. When it comes to contributing drivers or anything hardware related I have no experience. I would guess a minimum of two years of learning before I would feel comfortable attempting a contribution.
Yeah, seems like you're getting the reality of things. And actually, same ideas apply to software, not just hardware. Just being able to compile stuff and install it according to a 10-step list of instructions is not enough, you gotta have a handle on a truckload of stuff beyond that. It's like the difference between barely knowing how to swim at all and being able to surf on a professional level.

For me, that's motivation to practice, practice, and practice again.
 
They should be sharing more frequently with FreeBSD.
This sort of stuff triggers me - they are giving their time and valuable skills freely, so there's not really any "should" here.

I too donate what I can - like you, it's going to be money rather than any code - but feel it must be annoying for open source developers to be told what they "should" do. That's just my feelings, I don't claim to have any inside knowledge or speak for anyone other than myself. I know, I know, it is just a word.

Sorry, very OT. 🤐
 
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