Why free software firmware? --------------------------- Monitors ======== * My monitor has an on/off button but it does not work in the middle of a resolution change => If I logout and hit the on/off button the display stays on! * I would like to control the backlight brightness from computer. Keyboards ========= * My laptop has an Fn key on the right side of the Ctrl key. I'd like to swap their places. Fn is handled by the embedded controller using the cr16 instruction set. Binutils has support but I have no source code. * USB keyboards do not send "key up" / "key down" events. Instead they send the whole keyboard state and this means that only up to 6 keys can be down at any given time. This is a serious problem for playing multiplayer games with the same keyboard. => If I could modify the firmware of the keyboard I could possibly modify it to use a non-standard protocol that sends "key up" and "key down" events. Hard disks ========== * My hard disk spins up every time I resume my computer. I'd like to keep my backup disk powered down to avoid extra noise and to save energy. Printers ======== * The print preview in openoffice does not accurately show what the printer is going to print. It would be useful if the printer could send me an accurate print preview before printing. * Apparently "HP Photosmart C5380 All-inOne multifunctional unit" stops scanning if you don't have ink: http://ramblingfoo.blogspot.com/2010/10/hp-all-in-one-models-way-to-extort.html Batteries ========= * Li-ion batteries should be stored at 40% charge. When my laptop is connected to the mains for long periods of time it makes no sense to keep the battery charged at 100%. Battery charging is again controlled by the EC for which I have no source code.