Hi Alex!
First of all, thanks for the wonderful tool PicoLisp and also for giving me
this opportunity to work with you on this exciting project :)
Please let me share some of the exciting feature that we can provide especially
on the embedded perspective.
Hi Everyone!
I am Geo and i'm currently working here in Shenzhen China.
As you can see the announcement from Alex, i would also like to point some cool
features that hopefully could attract the crowd :)
Please excuse my English for it is not may native language so i just write it
on bullet-point format:
* A 64bit MCU
* An MCU which uses Lisp as its low-level language
* An MCU that you can program thru UART, LAN or any means as long as you can
access the pilMCU core. No need proprietary programmer/debugger used by today's
MCU like JTAG
* A Lisp machine kit that utilize today's technology (Micro SD, DDR, PS2, I2C,
SPI) and because of I2C and SPI we can easily add USB, WIFI and even Bluetooth
;)
* A system that is running Lisp (PicoLisp) on bare-metal, meaning the
user/developer can directly interact/develop with the hardware using Lisp code
without the restriction provided by today's host OS like Windows, Linux, or
Android?
* A new style of programming MCU which would be an interactive way, no more
compiling then debugging :)
And i think there is still many more exciting feature that we still can add
with your help and feedback's :)
As of the moment please let me provide my insight on these points that i
recently read:
1. "when PicoLisp" is seen running on _actual_ hardware.
2. to run PilMCU on a raspberry pi now or in the future
3. the real money is nowadays
4. how an "Embedded Lisp Machine" can be really useful
1. For I am doing the Verilog part, as of the moment pilMCU is running under
Icarus Verilog Simulator, but soon i will get and off-the-shelve FPGA kits with
complete peripherals and try to shoehorn pilMCU to that existing board. It wont
affect the core for i abstracted the interfaces so that it would be easy for me
to port the core on any FPGA boards. This is proof of concept stage, and once
we have a fully tested prototype, our ultimate goal is to upgrade into ASIC
chip or even into a full chip fabrication, i know this is still far but with
everyone's help i think we can do this ;)
2. Actually this is what Alex told me when i proposed to him this project. Yes
i agree about the RPi is today's trend, even the TI BBoard is also cool to run
PicoLisp.. and even more i even have the XMOS multi-core MCU board which i was
tempted to do some Lisp on it. But i really feel that it is the right time to
express the Lisp way on its own hardware. Today's prices per components is far
low than the time Lisp machines was booming, so i think why not try to make one
again and see the difference? Lets not easily get intimidated with those
existing kits, i know its hard to compete with them, but we are not here to
compete, but we are here to show a different and more cooler alternative to run
Lisp :)
3. Base from my daily work here, i can say that real money these days are
anything related to the smartphone which is either the smartwatch or health
bands, im currenly working on both products :) and the key ingredients are
wireless connectivity which is BLE or NFC.. and from what i heard is the future
is to make all devices and appliances to be connected to the internet? so RF
chip makers are now trying to make a low power WIFI chip.. but anyway those are
just rumours, lets just see :) but back with pilMCU, i think this would
certainly attract mostly on the robotics field? something like the Lego
Mindstorm? or as what Alex mention maybe at first will be an educational kit
for students and hobbyist? but i know its still early to speculate :) so lets
just build the prototype first and from there will see how the crowd reacts ;)
4. I think this is already answered from above statements :) but if we really
need a something that can be our punch line of making this project, then how
about this:
"Embedded Lisp Machine" A machine that is designed based from a past but robust
principle using with today's present technology to produce a better future
system.. sorry i think it sounds ridiculous but for now, just lets try the
water with one feet first :)
Sorry for this long post guys, but thanks for your feedback's, hoping to hear
more suggestions on how we can build a better package of this pilMCU kit that
we all can enjoy in the future. cheers!!
Bis dann,
Geo
On Friday, September 19, 2014 10:28 PM, Mattias Sundblad
<mattias....@gmail.com> wrote:
Great news and good work! Congratulations!
I second what Joe wrote a bit earlier, it truly is inspiring to see PicoLisp
improve.
best regards,
Mattias
On 19 September 2014 15:24, Thorsten Jolitz <tjol...@gmail.com> wrote:
Alexander Burger <a...@software-lab.de> writes:
>
>Hi Alex (and George),
>
>> we are proud to announce PilMCU, the Lisp Machine on a Chip! :)
>
>though not really a hardware/low-level guy, I think this sounds pretty
>exiting!
>
>> How shall we proceed? We need investors (or crowdfunding) to polish,
>> manufacture and distribute the real thing.
>
>I suggest to proceed in 2 steps:
>
> 1. make me a team member
>
> 2. repeat the {Microsoft|Apple}-Story
>
>;-)
>
>> We imagine something in the line of an "Embedded Lisp Machine" or a
>> "Lisp Machine Kit". Perhaps for home brewing, educational institutions
>> and/or robotics research?
>>
>> Is anybody interested -- or knows people who are?
>
>I think I have VC-Companies and Robotics-Research-Faculties in my
>neighborhood, so once you have a business-idea based on PilMCU's USPs, I
>could try to make first contacts if that helps.
>
>Not sure what would be a realistic business idea, but maybe start by
>figuring out where the real money is nowadays (energy sector,
>automotive sector, mobile-phones etc) and then think about a possible niche to
>fill.
>
>Makes things much easier when potential clients drown in profits ;)
>
>If you find out e.g. how an "Embedded Lisp Machine" can be really useful
>for the car industry, we will all have PicoLisp jobs pretty soon!
>
>--
>cheers,
>Thorsten
>
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