If I had the cash (like $25k budget), I'd go all out on a Talos II (by Raptor Engineering) with maxed out CPU and RAM configuration, and if I couldn't get OpenBSD running on it I would christen it with NetBSD.
I would love a "fully open" hardware platform, which is a non-starter in the Apple and amd64 PC world today. It'll take an act of congress (or a California proposition) to enact a tax high enough to economically make this be fixed, say 100%, on all consumer products containing microprocessors which read software/firmware/microcode from a memory store yet a) prevent the owner, if competent, from modifying the software by means of cryptographic signature or "burn-in," and/or b) do not provide enough documentation on design, where a competent owner could write his own software/firmware/microcode, and write his own drivers. This will apply to cars, microwaves, TVs, Intel/AMD CPUs, GPUs, cellphones both smart and dumb, game consoles, kids' toys, and even greeting cards, etc. To not have a 100% endpoint tax, the device must either be: immediately owner writable, or b) must have a jumper or DIP switch to enable owner write-ability, or c) must include a mechanism to accept owner cryptographic public keys to allow owner to write his own signed image, or d) must have an entry for an OEM-provided code which unlocks owner write (OEM must immediately give this code unconditionally on owner request, and may limit warranty for that particular device), and in all cases where OEM public keys exist, they must be completely purge-able.
In the age of Snowden and IoT rolling in, it's completely unacceptable that we lack Total Owner Control of our microprocessor-bearing devices. If Apple or Intel refuse, they can try to justify $1,600-$2,000 iPhones and $400-$1,000 basic CPUs and GPUs to the consumer. Closed hardware will become a national security risk if it isn't already; it's time to nip it in the bud before so.
I would love a "fully open" hardware platform, which is a non-starter in the Apple and amd64 PC world today. It'll take an act of congress (or a California proposition) to enact a tax high enough to economically make this be fixed, say 100%, on all consumer products containing microprocessors which read software/firmware/microcode from a memory store yet a) prevent the owner, if competent, from modifying the software by means of cryptographic signature or "burn-in," and/or b) do not provide enough documentation on design, where a competent owner could write his own software/firmware/microcode, and write his own drivers. This will apply to cars, microwaves, TVs, Intel/AMD CPUs, GPUs, cellphones both smart and dumb, game consoles, kids' toys, and even greeting cards, etc. To not have a 100% endpoint tax, the device must either be: immediately owner writable, or b) must have a jumper or DIP switch to enable owner write-ability, or c) must include a mechanism to accept owner cryptographic public keys to allow owner to write his own signed image, or d) must have an entry for an OEM-provided code which unlocks owner write (OEM must immediately give this code unconditionally on owner request, and may limit warranty for that particular device), and in all cases where OEM public keys exist, they must be completely purge-able.
In the age of Snowden and IoT rolling in, it's completely unacceptable that we lack Total Owner Control of our microprocessor-bearing devices. If Apple or Intel refuse, they can try to justify $1,600-$2,000 iPhones and $400-$1,000 basic CPUs and GPUs to the consumer. Closed hardware will become a national security risk if it isn't already; it's time to nip it in the bud before so.