Coreboot and Linux Hardware: Inside Star Labs with Sean Rhodes

How do you design and ship coreboot and Linux hardware that actually works in the real world? In this episode of Nerding Out with Viktor, I sit down with Sean Rhodes from ‪@starlabssystems‬ to explore what it takes to build Linux-first laptops and mini PCs backed by open firmware.

Sean shares insights from eight years at Star Labs, from navigating global supply chains to upstreaming firmware fixes and choosing when to build custom hardware versus relying on ODMs. If you care about Linux-first hardware, open firmware, and secure system design, this conversation is packed with lessons for engineers and founders alike.

Highlights of the conversation:
*Why coreboot matters for secure, efficient, and maintainable Linux devices
*AMI BIOS vs. coreboot: hacks vs. specifications
*Lessons from building custom laptops and mini PCs on a shoestring budget
*How Star Labs survived the COVID supply chain crisis
*Firmware updates, LVFS, and long-term hardware maintenance
*Distro-agnostic hardware philosophy: supporting Qubes, Fedora, openSUSE, and more
*The state of Linux on the desktop in 2025 and what still needs improvement

For technical founders, embedded engineers, and open source contributors, Sean’s story is proof that Linux-first hardware can thrive even in a market dominated by commodity PCs.

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Timestamps:
0:00 – Introduction: Sean Rhodes and the origin of Star Labs
2:00 – Coreboot vs. AMI BIOS: why open firmware matters
5:00 – Secure Boot challenges and upstreaming patches
9:00 – Building custom Linux-first hardware: costs, tooling, and trade-offs
12:00 – Global supply chains, MOQs, and surviving the COVID crisis
19:00 – Firmware updates, LVFS, and the hidden importance of BIOS
25:00 – Lessons learned: fingerprint readers, distro support, and hardware enablement
31:00 – Who buys Star Labs devices: consumers, enterprises, and niche users
35:00 – The future of coreboot and Linux on the desktop in 2025
47:00 – What’s next for Star Labs: privacy features, haptic trackpads, and more