Re: Crowdfunding an Ubuntu smartphone (right now)

[Álvaro Lopes]

On 05/10/13 18:37, Bob Ham wrote:
 'Access to the *complete* design is precondition to this' 
 http://www.ohanda.org/  (My emphasis)

Long time has passed since I post to this list.

Dearest all,

open software is something quite easy do define - it's written in common 
languages, so that it's purpose, function and behavior is pretty much easy to
replicate. The openness refers to what the author wanted - he wanted *that 
piece of design* to be able to be used elsewhere, with or without some 
associated
constraints.

Hardware is a bit different, unfortunately, if you don't actually focus on the 
scope of the openness. It is not possible to actually design an hardware
apparatus, such as the complex ones we're dealing with, and fully open all of 
the design.

Objectively speaking, a fully open hardware design would imply all of the 
hardware components to be open. This means all of the design components 
(including
the chemical components used for all of the process) would be disclosed. This 
is not feasible, is it ?

An open source windows application uses components which are not open, and 
whose behavior is sometimes not fully understood. Does that make that specific
piece of software less open ?

An hardware design is open, as far as all of the design that actually can be 
made open is indeed open - as specified by the developers of that hardware part
(schematics, so on).

If I draw a diagram connecting two components whose purpose and functional 
specifications were made available to me by means of some NDA, that does not 
make
my diagram less open - I just cannot disclose the information regarding some of 
the components on it (like there is no full information on the Windows API).

And please, please, don't throw GPL/Apache and such as examples of open source. 
They impose several restrictions on what can be done with the design,
rendering them less open than some of their counterparts (like BSD).

Best,

Alvie

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Re: [gta02-core] Openmoko Beagle Hybrid

[Álvaro Lopes]

Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller wrote:
 3. PCB and components already soldered on a professional SMT line (we  
 have one)

And who's we, if I may ask ? I had the impression this was only a few-people 
project, not sponsored by any means. I doubt any of you have a pro SMT assembly 
line.

I'm asking this also because I do not remember any SMT offer/proposal for 
GTA02-core except from USP.

But this is good news, I assume. Having a second SMT line would surely ease 
things a bit, even if we have to pay for it.

Any cost estimates for GTA02-core on that SMT line of yours ?

Best,
Álvaro

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Re: NVidia S-O-C

[Álvaro Lopes]

Francesco Cat wrote:
 I found this System on a Chip by NVidia:
 http://www.nvidia.com/object/tegra_600.html and
 http://www.nvidia.com/object/apx_2500.html
 
 It is something A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and I say I would love to see it on a GTA04 ;)
 
 What do you think about? Will we have a chance to see it? Or it is
 pure dreaming since it won't be open at all?
 Nvidia seems to care about Linux and OpenSource, we might try a ride ;)

OpenSource ?

They care about Linux (good thing [?!?!]) cause they have a market opportunity 
there. I am not so sure they care about opensource at all.

I like nVidia graphics cause they have both performance and a nice driver. But, 
if I had a choice, I'd choose some other vendor.

Álvaro

 
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