Basically I want to have a computer to experiment with that is 100% free and open source and that doesn't break the bank. My current idea is to use a RISCV board like the mango pi and use FreeBSD on it. I only use terminal applications expect for the browser so I'm not too worried about performance. But also I have never done anything like this before, this is really just to mess around and learn. But I'm looking for some advice what are the best RISCV boards and is it even worth it? Plus is it even possible to build a 100% free and open source computer with a RISCV board? I am currently doing research into this and this is part of my research lol, thank you.

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[–] i18nde@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

A lot of people would suggest GNU/Linux as operating system, my suggestion is FreeBSD.

It runs rock solid.
It runs on a lot of platforms. Architectures
There is only one FreeBSD and not a hundred of distros.
It has a very good BHYVE (virtual machine) and Jails architecture.
One can run Linux Apps (no emulation!) within FreeBSD.
There are a lot of applications, which you can find at FreshPorts, explained at one place and the possibility to contact the port manager.
A lot of desktop environments and window managers. e.g. WindowMaker, what can be very slim and usable.
It is very well documented: FreeBSD Handbook

Just my 5 (8)Cents. ;)