Nick Holland wrote: > Dave Wilson wrote: >> http://linuxdevices.com/news/NS9634061300.html > > Marvell Semiconductor, eh? > >> They look rather nifty. >> >> Even the hardware design is to be released under some sort of open license. > > a company with a spotty history on "open" -- see malo(4) > ("spotty" is giving them a benefit of doubt) > > hey, maybe they've changed.
I confess, I believe the bit they're opening is the schematics for the circuit board and the board layout files, rather than the internals of the chip. After all, anything that encourages as many people as possible to buy their SoC that lies at the heart of the design is in their interest. It's like the very popular open Arduino being open, with the closed Atmega168 at the centre. The optimist in me hopes that they have started to 'get' the open philosophy, and that this will lead to some decent docs. > >> We've already got the armish port. >> >> If Dale Rahn or another OpenBSD dev wants to do a port to this thing, >> I'll buy them the dev kit to do it with. US$99 is only #69. >> >> Just wish they did one in a suitable wart for me here in the UK. >> >> Guess its a good thing the hardware is tweakable :-) >> >> Si1entDave > > personally, I'm getting a bit frustrated with things like this -- > I've got a few ideas that might make nifty "appliances", but by > the time a device is supported well, one is left to scrounge Ebay > for them, as the manufacturers have discontinued them or gone out > of business, or changed the product so they are no longer usable > with alternative OSs. So, they don't seem to be plausible for > business solutions, and I got enough cool (er..warm) stuff > already... :) The fact that the LinuxDevices article lists 4 companies that have already started building products round the idea, when its not even quite released yet, gives me hope on this front. The 88F6281 SoC and its family, known as Kirkwood, are unlikely to disappear any time soon, but even if they do, perhaps the work on the armish port will be useful for other SoCs and the project as a whole. > > Of course, I'm not the one putting the work into the port, so my > statement means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. If OpenBSD is ported to 'em, > I'll buy one. Exactly my thinking. I want one with OpenBSD on it, and if a developer will enjoy doing it, and I'm daft enough to buy them the hardware, then why the hell not :-D -- Si1entDave
