March 2026 - GNU/Linux Open Hardware PowerPC notebook

The PCB design is finally complete, and we are officially ready for prototype production.

However, before taking the big step, we need to balance the PCB design costs:

3,050 euros at the end of April;
3,050 euros at the end of May;

To produce the first five prototypes, we need a total of around 9,000 euros. Until we have the cash flow to make this commitment with the manufacturer, we will not sign the contract to go into production.

Powerboard Tyche Desktop Electrical Schematics Design

€4,120.00 donated of €4,120.00 goal

Schematics are already published in pdf format on our gitlab repository

Why aren’t we publishing the PCB design yet?

We will only be able to publish the open-source design after paying the design costs and only when prototype production is underway. This is for two fundamental reasons:

Before paying, we do not own the rights to the source files.
The source files will only be considered final after physically testing the prototypes.

Furthermore, our manufacturer ACube Systems can only afford to produce the Desktop board for the first time if no one else beats them to the market. After all the hard work done to make this dream a reality, it is our duty to protect them.

A special campaign: win the historic laptop PCB!

Since the current donation flow is insufficient to cover the design costs and start production, we are exploring new ways to raise funds.

One of the ideas we are considering is a special giveaway: we will raffle off a PCB from our previous prototype (the laptop version) among all donors who contribute from now until we reach the 9,000 euro goal.

Please note: this is a “dummy” PCB (non-functional), produced solely to verify the physical dimensions of the board. It was never an operational prototype. We hope this piece of our journey’s history can motivate the community to help us cross the finish line!

T-shirts, gadgets, and the “DY Maker” spirit

We are preparing T-shirts and other gadgets dedicated to the PowerPC Notebook and Desktop projects, also linked to our association DY Maker mindset.

We collaborate with volunteers to create the opportunity to experience hands-on learning, to inspire creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving by trying to conceive, design, and produce what we need or desire. We encourage this culture from primary schools to University, with no age limit.

Soon we will ask you to vote on different options for T-shirts and gadgets. After that, we will open pre-orders for t-shirts, stickers, and much more!

Our recent events

We have been very active locally:

March 13 – Bolzano, Italy: We shared our project with electronics students at Free University of Bozen · Bolzano – Faculty of Engineering – Electronics and Information Engineering, just as we did in Milan in May 2025. In agreement with the professors, we discussed possible university theses in collaboration with our association.
March 14 – Trento, Italy: We were hosted by Hack in Povo in collaboration with LinuxTr e nt, where we presented the history of our projects.

Desktop board specifications

Our Desktop board is a Micro ATX measuring 244 mm in height and 172 mm in width. When it comes to audio, we didn’t hold back: it features optical digital audio inputs and outputs, 6 analog RCA connectors for 7.1 surround sound, and separate ground connections for the analog and digital sections to ensure maximum sound clarity.

Software and PCB source roadmap

Stage 1: Soon we will convert the Schematics source files from Cadence to Altium, and then to KiCad. In the meantime, there is a free viewer for Orcad sources at this official Cadence link. We also point out an interesting open project that has started importing Orcad sources directly into KiCad: OpenOrCadParser.
Stage 2: Thanks to your donations, once we have collected enough funds to balance the design and prototypes, we will merge and import the PCB source files from PADS directly into KiCad. This is now possible thanks to the brand new importers introduced in KiCad 10: learn more on the KiCad blog.

PCB Design of Desktop Powerboard Tyche

Starting from the source of the Electronic Schematics design design the PCB means prepare all physical PCB layers lanes and components disposition and connection to go in production with prototypes. Designer have take from NXP Devkit design ( 2023 version) everything is related to boot process and many parts from our Notebook design, except what is not needed for Dekstop version, like the Battery part.

€780.56 donated of €4,500.00 goal

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Let’s stay in touch!

We have been on the Fediverse for a few years now. You can find and follow us at: hostux.social/@powerprogress. Please follow us and share our posts to spread the word. Thank you for your continued support!

It has been six years since we published our interview with Riccardo Mottola, one of the pillars of software development for our favorite architecture. In it, we talked about the vital importance of having an up-to-date browser to make a PowerPC computer usable in the modern world. At that time, we were anticipating the release of version 27.11.0.

Today we are happy to announce that that mission not only continues, but has reached a new, important milestone: Arctic Fox version 47.0 has been released.

While our hardware team fights with oscilloscopes and development boards, tireless developers continue to refine the software that will run on our future notebook.

Six years of evolution: from v27 to v47

The numerical leap from v27.11.0 to v47.0 represents far more than just a version bump; it signifies a massive architectural overhaul. In the silence between our blog posts, Riccardo has been relentlessly bridging the gap between legacy hardware and the increasingly complex modern web.

During these years, the focus has been on two critical fronts: compatibility and standards. The web didn’t stop evolving in 2020, and sites that worked then would be broken today without this work. Riccardo has backported hundreds of security patches and functionality updates from the Mozilla and Pale Moon codebases. This includes implementing modern TLS standards to ensure secure connections, rewriting the media backends to fix audio/video playback on Big Endian systems, and optimizing the code to leverage AltiVec instructions, ensuring that the browser feels responsive even on older G4 and G5 processors, as well as our target NXP T2080.

What’s new in v47.0?

This release is not a simple maintenance update. The recently released v47.0 brings fundamental structural changes to navigate the web of 2026 with dignity on “alternative” hardware.

Here are the main novelties extracted from the changelog:

JavaScript Engine Enhanced: Extensive updates have been made to the JavaScript engine, introducing critical new capabilities such as async functions and support for Wasm (WebAssembly). This is a giant step for compatibility with modern web apps.
Graphics and Multimedia: Significant updates in WebGL and ANGLE, as well as an update to the libcubeb library for better audio management and video playback.
Security and Core: Updates to NSS (Network Security Services) and fdlibm libraries, as well as improvements in the netwerk module, DOM, and DevTools.
Mac Compatibility: For friends following us from the vintage Apple world, the minimum target compatibility for compilation on macOS has been raised from 10.9 to 10.10, although native compilation remains possible on 10.6 and WebCam available there.

*ArcticFox running on real PowerPC G4 Hardware and GNU/Linux*

A solo journey (that needs you!)

Maintaining a fork of Firefox/Pale Moon on a Big Endian architecture like PowerPC is a huge technical challenge. It requires solving bugs that developers on x86 or ARM will never see, handling endianness, and optimizing code to exploit specific instructions like AltiVec.

We want to give special credit to Riccardo Mottola, who has been carrying this torch almost single-handedly. His dedication to keeping this browser alive is practically a solo effort, a labor of love that benefits us all. It is our sincere hope, and his too, that other developers will step forward to lend a hand. If you have experience with C++, Mozilla’s codebases, or PowerPC optimization, your contribution could make a massive difference.

Arctic Fox v47.0 is proof that planned obsolescence can be fought with code and passion. You can download the binaries for Linux PowerPC (and other architectures) directly from the official release page.

Thanks again to Riccardo for his tireless work!

Beyond the code

Riccardo’s passion for keeping classic technologies alive extends beyond computing. He is also an avid photographer with a deep respect for tradition. Coming from a family of photographers, learning the essentials from his grandfather and even using his great-grandfather’s cameras, he specializes in traditional film and manual photography. Much like his approach to software, he values the authentic process, often developing his own black-and-white film and avoiding digital manipulation. You can admire his work, which ranges from landscapes to aerial photography, in his photography portfolio.