Linux-compatible data collection for systems that cannot boot FreeBSD

[LionyxML]

Hi,

First of all, thanks for organizing this project. I'd really like to contribute to improving laptop support.

I have a question / suggestion regarding systems that are currently unable to boot FreeBSD.

Would a Linux-compatible data collection mode be useful for machines that cannot yet run FreeBSD?

For example, a lightweight script running on Linux could gather:

PCI IDs
GPU and Wi-Fi chipset information
firmware details

This kind of data could help identify unsupported hardware and highlight gaps in driver support, even before FreeBSD can successfully boot on the device.

At the moment, users who are blocked at boot (e.g., due to graphics or firmware issues) are unable to contribute any data to the project, in my case, a fairly common ThinkPad E14 fails to get past the boot stage.

Curious if this is something that would fit within the goals of the project.

Thanks!

[shreeney]

As of now we are mainly focused on gathering data on working FreeBSD systems to evaluate driver/wi-fi card support on laptops as part of the Laptop Support and Usability Project, so having a Linux version wouldn't be too helpful for that goal since we'd just be getting driver info for Linux instead and not our drivers. Maybe in the future, but the script would have to be adapted to use Linux native commands, and gathering Linux data isn't a priority for us at this point.

[shreeney]

So I spoke with some others and this is an accepted proposal, since we do want to get people who can't boot FreeBSD to at least test their systems to see which devices can or can't work on their systems, we'll accept the proposal

[LionyxML]

Thanks for discussing this and accepting the proposal!
Glad to hear it. Looking forward to seeing how it evolves.