Le samedi 04 octobre 2014 à 10:30 -0500, Jonathan Petruska a écrit : > I wasn't meaning a Pi based phone, I just noticed that a lot of these > (albeit not the Pi, I know the Android struggles there) support > Android and use a lot of open components. I don't think Replicant on > CuBox(I) or PandaBoard would be too hard, especially with CuBox being > designed for Android. Wouldn't be too drastically different from a > tablet build, Pi would be best because of it's vast support, but I > don't think anything based on Android has any hopes on that platform.
Note that the Raspberry Pi is still a no-go for freedom as it lacks a proper free bootloader (even though code and documentation releases may soon make a difference). Regarding devices such as the Cubox-i and other Single-Board-Computer, HTPCs and TV dongles, we just don't think it's worth spending time porting Replicant on those (we could also add x86 to the list, especially with 8-10" notebooks). Replicant (like Android in general) is adapted for and runs best on mobile devices, mainly phones and tablets. In other scenarios (all the devices mentioned above), we believe GNU/Linux is still the best shot at having a free system, hence why we decided to focus on mobile devices with Replicant (for which GNU/Linux is not adapted yet). We have nothing against adding a port to a non-mobile-device, but I'm not going to do that work myself, unless I seriously run out of other things to do. > Michael von Glasow <[email protected]> wrote: > > >On 04/10/14 02:29, Jonathan Petruska wrote: > >> I don't think a fully free cellphone is too unthinkable. Has anyone > >> thought of porting to mini arm PCs like the Pi, or has this already been > >> done > >A proof-of-concept phone has already been built, albeit not with Android: > >http://www.davidhunt.ie/piphone-a-raspberry-pi-based-smartphone/ > > > >As for Android on the Pi, some attempts have been made, but a lot of > >things are still missing: > >http://www.intorobotics.com/raspberry-pi-android-guides-resources/ > > > >Of course, there's also the GTA04, for which a port is under active > >development. > > > >Such projects, however currently have a few hurdles to overcome: > > > >- Hardware sourcing: The typical smartphone nowadays is more than just a > >Raspberry Pi with a touchscreen, modem and battery. Hardware typically > >includes one or two cameras, GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth modules, as well as > >a bunch of environment sensors (accelerometer, magnetometer, gyroscope, > >proximity, ambient light, temperature, humidity). The challenge is to > >find freedom-friendly components, for which free drivers either exist > >already or are doable (i.e. documentation of interface and protocols is > >freely available). > > > >- Momentum: A certain number of people who own and use such a device, > >and a certain percentage of them who contribute to development are > >necessary for any such project to take off. Without this critical mass, > >development won't be able to keep up with the pace of the industry and > >the product will be outdated before it is even finished. Openmoko and > >the GTA02 aka Freerunner was an example of where this worked quite well, > >but IMHO the Freerunner community was just about big enough to get off > >the ground. > > > >- Cost: With the above constraints on hardware, a relatively low number > >of users (i.e. small quantities) and most likely some quality demands, > >such a device is likely to be costly. Take the GTA04, which has a 500 to > >600 euro price tag just for the mainboard. With fully functional phones > >selling for half this price, one does need a lot of enthusiasm to go > >down that road. > > > >- Form factor: The GTA04, just like its GTA02 predecessor, is quite a > >big brick. That probably has to do with hardware sourcing, production > >quantities and also cost. > > > >So how can we tackle this? > > > >- Start with the easier tasks: A ten-inch tablet has fewer issues with > >form factor than a phone – its dimensions are largely determined by the > >screen size, which takes up the bulk of the space. The next biggest part > >is the battery – but the other components are the same size as in a > >phone, thus less is gained or lost from shrinking the mainboard or not > >doing so. Also a tablet does not need to include all the hardware > >components of a phone: a basic tablet can work on WiFi only, thus the > >cell modem is not a concern at that time. Once the tablet takes on shape > >and has evolved to a certain degree of maturity, cell connectivity can > >be tackled. > > > >- Plan for a lifecycle: Over time, hardware requirements evolve as > >faster processors, more performant graphics and systems with more memory > >become the norm. Just having finished one platform doesn't mean work > >stops there – rather, this is where work on the next generation begins. > > > >- Keep specs stable: We have just established that hardware evolves – > >and new hardware requires adaptations in software. However, such > >improvements should be as gentle as possible in order to limit the > >changes in software needed. Where possible, newly introduced hardware > >should be compatible with existing drivers, or at the most require only > >smaller modifications to existing drivers, rather than requiring > >completely new drivers. > > > >- Get a company on board: When it comes to industrial manufacturing > >processes and building devices in professional quality, a different set > >of expertise than that of a software developer is needed, and the > >financial limits of a handful of individuals are easily exceeded. The > >founders of Geeksphone one stated that getting their company to the > >point at which they started shipping the One (their first device) > >required investments which roughly equaled the price of a small house. > >The GTA02 benefitted from the involvement of FIC, a manufacturer of > >computer parts. The challenge is to find a company who has a commercial > >interest in the project. > > > > > >> ; I know there are some built specifically for Android (CuBox, Pandaboard, > >> etc.). I like the idea of Replicant in the tablet world (If you can > >> roughly consider Replicant/Android on mini PCs akin to tablets). > >> > >> [email protected] wrote: > >> > >>> Allan Mwenda <[email protected]> wrote: > >>> > >>>> HAHAHA,if only I could. That is a rather gloomy scenario though > >>> My great-grandfathers did it successfully in 1917, and we can do it > >>> again. > >>> > >>> To bring this thread back on-topic, a fully-functional (i.e., unlike > >>> OsmocomBB) GSM cellphone whose baseband firmware is available to every > >>> end user in the form of full source code, compiled using gcc and other > >>> Free Software tools (no blobs or proprietary build tools), and > >>> physically reloadable into the phone, again using only Free Software > >>> tools running under a free OS (GNU/Linux or other Unix), is NOT an > >>> impossibility, and it is becoming closer to reality with each passing > >>> day. The work is being done in a public source repository: > >>> > >>> https://bitbucket.org/falconian/freecalypso-sw > >>> > >>> Look at the commit history, and see for yourself how steadily this > >>> project marches forward. As Che Guevara said, this movement is > >>> growing stronger with each passing day, it will never stop. > >>> > >>> All the talk about legalities is nothing more than a scarecrow. Does > >>> your country's police force employ psychics with extremely advanced > >>> extrasensory perception capabilities? If not, how are they going to > >>> divine that the ordinary-looking cellphone in your hand or your pocket > >>> or your purse lacks some needed regulatory approval if its actual > >>> radio signal emissions are identical to those from any other correctly > >>> functioning GSM cellphone? And how are they going to divine that a > >>> cellphone that physically looks just like any other (standard > >>> commercial quality plastics and all) contains firmware which some > >>> believe might infringe on some copyrights held by some ancient company > >>> which might not even exist any more? > >>> > >>> VLR, > >>> SF > >>> _______________________________________________ > >>> Replicant mailing list > >>> [email protected] > >>> http://lists.osuosl.org/mailman/listinfo/replicant > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Replicant mailing list > >> [email protected] > >> http://lists.osuosl.org/mailman/listinfo/replicant > > > >_______________________________________________ > >Replicant mailing list > >[email protected] > >http://lists.osuosl.org/mailman/listinfo/replicant > _______________________________________________ > Replicant mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.osuosl.org/mailman/listinfo/replicant -- Paul Kocialkowski, Replicant developer Replicant is a fully free Android distribution Website: http://www.replicant.us/ Redmine: http://redmine.replicant.us/
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