Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
Compiling on the PocketCHIP using the config file for the existing kernel /boot/config-4.4.13-ntc-mlc creates deb files of form linux-*-4.2.0-rc1-gnu_4.2.0-rc1-gnu-*_armel.deb When I try to install 'linux-image-4.2.0-rc1-gnu_4.2.0-rc1-gnu-1_armel.deb' I get package architecture (armel) does not match system (armhf) Since I'm compiling on the PocketCHIP using the same configuration as the existing kernel, I'm not sure how I'm ending up with the wrong architecture. When I do the same thing on my laptop I get linux-*i386.deb, as expected. In the (y/n/?) questions that came up during the build I did not see any that mention armel or armhf, and I don't see how the problem could be in the .config file. I can't find any information on how to force armhf apart from cross-compiling, which seems like it should be unnecessary since I'm compiling on the same machine on which I want to install. Does anyone have any ideas as to why this is happening?
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
Tell us how it goes!
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
I finally got the script to run all the way through without running out of memory by splitting up the tar archive and using the awk script instead of the python one. The awk script flagged the same sun*i files but actually did not have a problem with crypto/crc32c-pcl-intel-asm_64.S, further leading me to believe it was a false positive when the python script flagged it. It did not find any other blobs in the rest of the files. Since I'm pretty sure the sun*i files are false positives, I'm going to go ahead and try to compile it now. Thanks for looking into those two other files. xserver-xorg-video-armsoc looks okay, and CHIP-mconfigs can as you say be removed.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
There doesn't seem to be a lot on the other two programs, but it seems like all should be clear. Chip-mconfigs look like it should be removable; it's only an openbox/tint2 theme manager tool, which I don't think matters for XFCE. As for xserver-xorg-video-armsoc, no source or license is obviously available. However, it's developed by Free Electrons, who seem like a free software development company, so there doesn't seem to be any issue here. I'll contract them just to ensure the source is available.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
This is promising! I'm pretty sure you're right that the dts files are false positives, and the precomputed constants seem to have good reason to be there too. Hopefully that means the kernel shouldn't be too much more work... which would just leave the other two programs you listed initially. I'll see if there's any license information floating around for those two.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
I might have figured it out. The reason deblob-check was only printing one filename is that it exits once it finds a blob. By commenting out the exit line I was able to get it to keep looking and list all files with blobs. As expected, running deblob-check on the original kernel results in finding a lot of blobs. I then tried running it on the new kernel generated by deblob-main. It found six files with blobs: /arch/x86/crypto/crc32c-pcl-intel-asm_64.S /arch/arm/boot/dts/sun7i-a20-cubietruck.dts /arch/arm/boot/dts/sun7i-a20-cubieboard2.dts /arch/arm/boot/dts/sun5i-r8-chip.dts /arch/arm/boot/dts/sun4i-a10-cubieboard.dts /arch/arm/boot/dts/sun5i-a13-olinuxino.dts and then ran for another eight hours without finding anything else. It didn't exit, presumably because I had commented out the exit line, but I'm pretty sure it was done. I'll try running it again with verbose output to make sure that it has definitely checked all of the files. I think that the sun*i-* files might be false positives. The offending code in each seems to be nand-randomizer-seeds = /bits/ 16
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
Sorry for the late reply! I'm not entirely sure as to how the scripts work, honestly. I've had a look through them, and there's a long list of files in the deblob-4.2 file: that would seem to suggest that the blob locations are hard-coded, but it's not proof. I've asked at the GNU Linux-Libre mailing list, so hopefully somebody there will be able to help (presuming the message ever makes it through...).
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
The last version of deblob-* to contain drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nvkm/subdev/pmu/fuc/gf110.fuc4 is deblob-4.2, so out of curiosity I tried including that in the directory instead and running $ ./deblob 4.2 Sure enough, the script was able find all files it was looking for and complete without errors. NTC says this kernel is based on linux-4.4 and even made an announcement about upgrading from 4.3, so I don't understand why apparently none of the non-free firmware is newer than that in 4.2. Regardless, the script apparently succeeded in deblobbing everything hardcoded into deblob-4.2. I guess the question is whether or not there are additional blobs that it was not looking for. From deblob-4.2, # This script, suited for the kernel version named below, in kver, # attempts to remove only non-Free Software bits, without removing # Free Software that happens to be in the same file. # Drivers that currently require non-Free firmware are retained, but # firmware included in GPLed sources is replaced with /*(DEBLOBBED)*/ # if the deblob-check script, that knows how to do this, is present. Since deblob-check was present, does that mean it should have deblobbed all GPLed sources whether or not they were specifically hardcoded into deblob-4.2? Does that also imply that any non-GPL sources were left alone even if they contained blobs?
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
You're right. I should have been running deblob-main. After compressing the kernel to "linux-4.4.tar.bz2", changing line 52 of deblob-4.4 to read "kver=4.4 extra=13", and running $ ./deblob-main 4.4 13 I get Uncompressing linux-4.4.tar.bz2 into linux-4.4.tar Extracting linux-4.4.tar into linux-4.4 Copying linux-4.4 to linux-libre-4.4-gnu13 Deblobbing within linux-libre-4.4-gnu13, saving output to linux-libre-4.4-gnu13.log ERROR: drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nvkm/subdev/pmu/fuc/gf119.fuc4 does not exist, something is wrong Use --force to ignore deblob-4.4 failed, aborting cleaning up... Indeed, drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nvkm/subdev/pmu/fuc does not contain this file. It appears to contain gf100.fuc4 instead. Maybe this is a difference between the vanilla 4.4.13 kernel and NTC's, in which case I guess I could alter deblob-4.4 manually to address errors like this. I tried running $ ./deblob-main --force 4.4 13 to see what it would do ignoring missing files. I got a lot of messages resembling ATH6KL - Atheros ath6kl support drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath6kl/init.c: disabled non-Free firmware-loading machinery drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath6kl/init.c: removed blobs drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath6kl/core.h: removed blobs which is encouraging, but eventually got ATH10K NL80211_TESTMODE - nl80211 testmode command drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath10k/testmode.c: disabled non-Free firmware-loading machinery ERROR: drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath10k/testmode.c did not change, something is wrong deblob-4.4 failed, aborting cleaning up... I'm not sure what to make of this error or how to fix it, but the script is partially working so that's progress.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
>It would be great if the indent width of comment replies were halved so that it would take twice as long for this to happen Seconded. >I'm not sure exactly what the output should look like since I can't find sample usage anywhere, but I would have expected to get a list of source code files that contain blobs. I'm not sure, but I think that's what the script is trying to give based on any license declarations it finds in the files. The WHENCE file it lists, for example, doesn't contain a full license declaration and so is marked as non-free; the HEX, ihex, and H16 files you mention seem to (in most cases) contain GPLv2 declarations at the bottom. I don't know if these are actually legal, but they're there. It appears that this script won't be much help. Hopefully the other scripts in the set are slightly more effective. >Looking through the files manually it appears that almost everything in /firmware/ has to go. It's all .HEX, .ihex, or .H16 files with no actual source code. It appears so. Have you tried the deblob-main script? Apparently that should deblob tarballs, although the performance of deblob-check suggests manual cleansing might be needed.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
I'm responding to comment #46 down here because things were starting to get a little too scrunched to read. (It would be great if the indent width of comment replies were halved so that it would take twice as long for this to happen.) After making deblob-check executable, running ./deblob-check CHIP-linux.tar.gz gives CHIP-linux/firmware/WHENCE within CHIP-linux.tar.gz WHENCE is a text file containing incomplete license information. I'm not sure exactly what the output should look like since I can't find sample usage anywhere, but I would have expected to get a list of source code files that contain blobs.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
Try running: chmod +x deblob-* before executing it; that makes the scripts executable and hence usable. Admittedly, I'm not really too certain how the script works. I'll get a copy and see what can be done as soon as possible, but my insights probably won't be anything you haven't already had.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
I'm trying to figure out how to run 'deblob-check'. In 'deblob-check' it says # usage: deblob-check [-S] [-v] [-v] [-s S] [--reverse-patch] \ #[--use-...|--gen-flex] [-lDdBbCcXxPpFftVh?H] \ #*.tar* patch-* [-i prefix/] *.patch *.diff... I've downloaded the NTC kernel via git clone https://github.com/NextThingCo/CHIP-linux.git and created a tarball via tar -cvzf CHIP-linux.tar CHIP-linux but when I run $ deblob-check CHIP-linux.tar I get deblob-check:command not found and when I run $(or #) ./deblob-check CHIP-linux.tar I get ./deblob-check: Permission denied whether or not I'm running as root, so I'm probably not using it properly. The only source I've found with sample usage of deblob is this https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Kernel_Deblobing but it does not demonstrate usage of deblob-check. I don't really know what I'm doing. Do you have any insight?
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
OK- so it's not violating the GPL because Linux only treats it as a data file, and the execution happens independently of the kernel? That's rather inconvenient: as you say, being legal makes them no less evil.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
>If I understand correctly, the Debian kernel can't replace the NTC kernel because it does not have NAND support, but the NTC kernel's NAND support is not proprietary; it's other drivers/firmware that make the NTC kernel non-free. That's how I understood it. I haven't been able to find any explicit proclamations that it is (the relevant drivers here are free, but I'm not sure if they're the only components required); however, the article here and the "Liberating PocketChip" thread on the arm-netbook mailing list seem to suggest they should be. >In that case, would it be feasible to adapt this to deblob the NTC kernel? That should work- a little bit of tinkering might also be needed for the buildroot file with the configs for the kernel, perhaps, but it doesn't look like it should be much if anything. >I don't really understand the script, but it seems to have one or more functions that it runs for each non-free file (reject_firmware and clean_blob for .c files, clean_mk for makefiles, drop_fw for .bin files, etc.) If I find a list of all non-free drivers/firmware in the NTC kernel and modify the deblob script for the files associated with each one, could that deblob the NTC kernel, or is it not that simple? Admittedly, I don't really understand it either, but your description looks accurate as far as I can tell. In fact, it should be possible to list any non-free components just by running the deblob_check script included with the deblob scripts. If you run the deblobber first, then (hopefully) the listing should include just the NTC/Sunxi additions.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
Thanks for looking into this. If I understand correctly, the Debian kernel can't replace the NTC kernel because it does not have NAND support, but the NTC kernel's NAND support is not proprietary; it's other drivers/firmware that make the NTC kernel non-free. In that case, would it be feasible to adapt this https://linux-libre.fsfla.org/pub/linux-libre/releases/4.4.13-gnu/deblob-4.4 to deblob the NTC kernel? I don't really understand the script, but it seems to have one or more functions that it runs for each non-free file (reject_firmware and clean_blob for .c files, clean_mk for makefiles, drop_fw for .bin files, etc.) If I find a list of all non-free drivers/firmware in the NTC kernel and modify the deblob script for the files associated with each one, could that deblob the NTC kernel, or is it not that simple?
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
OK- I've looked into this a little further. Debian's default kernel would definitely not work, because it's missing support for the NAND memory which is integrated into the chip. This can be dealt with in two ways: *Re-compile the kernel with NAND support: it's possible- the Chip uses free drivers/firmware/whatever- but will require further investigation, since they aren't packages with the 'mainline' kernel yet, and may simply not be practical. *Not use NAND: whilst this is achievable, and indeed used by the both the EOMA68-A20 project and Pablo Rath's Debian Stretch boot on the Chip to solve the issue, it doesn't look practical here. I don't think you can boot the Chip from an SD card (if you can, then that would work), and USB support requires flashing mainline u-boot and a cumbersome boot process. Altogether, the first solution looks like it may be the one required. Naturally, therefore, there might (though won't necessarily) be some experimentation involved, so the blobs might have to stay for the meanwhile. I am extremely sorry about that- if I misled you to believe it was already liberated, that was an honest mistake and one which I should have taken *far* more care to avoid in discussing it. Hopefully, though, NAND support is not too difficult to copy across; once that's done, it should be a half-decent PDA.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
I don't think it would- although a libre equivalent must exist somewhere, since the EOMA68-A20 card has the option of Debian. I'll have a look for it and see if it isn't possible to just use that. As for nonfree kernel modules, I don't know about those either. Perhaps it's just the people with power to do anything turning a blind eye to the situation.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
Would replacing the kernel with Debian's break anything? I don't understand kernels well. I've also always been confused as to how non-free modifications of the linux kernel can exist without being in violation of GPLv2.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
Nice! Thanks for the links- that's a far better way to do it. Unfortunately, it seems like the kernel may be some trouble. Looking at the repository here, it turns out the base is not Debian's Kernel but rather the SoC-friendly linux-sunxi; which, quite incredibly, includes the firmware and drivers for everything from Intel WiFi chips to whatever Yamaha makes- not skimping on the proprietary ones, of course. That may require some de-blobbing (perhaps the FSFLA's linux-libre scripts work?).
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
I should maybe mention that I'm no longer using the default CHIP OS but have flashed Debian Jessie with xfce via https://docs.getchip.com/chip.html#setup-ubuntu-for-flashing https://docs.getchip.com/chip.html#flash-chip-firmware Luckily the Ubuntu method works for Belenos so I did not need to use Chrome.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
I'm almost done going through the non-debian-main packages that are installed by default. As expected, chip-mali-modules-4.4.13-ntc-mlc chip-mali-userspace rtl8723bs-bt rtl8723bs-bt-mp-driver-common rtl8723bs-bt-mp-driver-modules-4.4.13-ntc-mlc rtl8723bs-mp-driver-modules-4.4.13-ntc-mlc are definitely nonfree but their removal will not be a problem for me once I mange to build open-ath9k-htc-firmware. I haven't found license info on linux-image-4.4.13-ntc-mlc chip-mconfigs xserver-xorg-video-armsoc I'm pretty certain that I don't need chip-mconfigs, so if I can't find the license I'll just uninstall it. I'm not clear on exactly what xserver-xorg-video-armsoc does so I don't know if it's important. I do need to know whether linux-image-4.4.13-ntc-mlc is free or needs to be replaced.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
OK, if you're looking at this, please don't worry about what I just posted- if the bootloader isn't proprietary, it should be possible to just uninstall the problem firmware and have a free device. I'll look into this as soon as I can, and (hopefully) that should lead to a much shorter process.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
OK, the person who got Debian Stretch running on the Chip (Pablo Rath) has very kindly written me a list of the step involved in doing so. I've copied it below (it's on the arm-netbook mailing list as well), but has the caveat that boot needs to be from USB, not NAND, so if there's only one USB port exposed that may be an issue. I'd be curious to try myself- although that will require obtaining a PocketChip first. Hopefully it's of some help- if not, just ask. - Necessary steps to install on Chip like I did are at least: 1. You will need some command line basics. 2. You will need a USB TTL Serial cable (USB to serial converter cables) providing a connection between USB and serial UART interface to interact with Debian Installer. 3. You will need sunxi-tools (http://linux-sunxi.org/Sunxi-tools) 4. Compile mainline U-Boot (build target is "CHIP_defconfig") 5. Download hd-media tarball and CD iso (see https://wiki.debian.org/InstallingDebianOn/Allwinner#Installing_from_a_USB_stick) The wiki still points to testing, but current stable (stretch) works. 6. Prepare the USB-stick like described and leave a large space free (without a partition) 7. put Chip into fel-mode and connect it with another computer. Use a "special" version of U-Boot via fel (http://linux-sunxi.org/FEL/USBBoot#Booting_U-Boot_over_USB) and boot Debian Installer on USB. 8. Install with Debian Installer 9. boot and see if this bug report is already fixed: https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=866521 if not you have to manually update initramfs
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
A USB modem would be neat. You'd still give away some info about your location whenever you use it, but you'd have much more control over what and how much information you give away. Since I can't call 911 with JMP I might even like to carry one in case of emergency even if I never use it otherwise.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
With a USB cellular modem (I don't think I made it clear that it was USB- sorry for the confusion), the use of USB offers excellent modem isolation and verifiable powering down. Also, the ability to remove the adapter provides further piece of mind- and, by putting it into another machine, wireless internet on a large screen (although that's really not something I often need)! Also, running GNU/Linux on a phone is fun.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
I'm not sure of any freedom problems, to be honest- the version the Chip uses is forked from the main U-Boot repository, and doesn't include USB boot functionality, but that's not a violation of freedom.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
I'm curious as to why you'd want to use it with a cellular modem. What would be the advantage over a smartphone running Replicant?
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
Actually, what's the problem with the bootloader? It appears to be GPLv2.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
Thanks for the description- I think I too might purchase one once it's clear how to liberate it (and I can find a touch GUI to call/SMS through a cellular modem), so it'd be interesting to see what can be done. The best "reference" I can find at the moment is at http://lists.phcomp.co.uk/pipermail/arm-netbook/2017-July/014340.html. It reads more like a proof-of-concept than a usable guide, but I'll ask and see if anyone there can be of further assistance.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
UPDATE: My PocketCHIP arrived today. I like the device itself. It's a little bulky but fits in my jeans pocket. The keyboard works pretty well. I'd hate to write a long document with it, but terminal commands are pretty painless. Fingers don't work very well with the touch screen, but a pencil eraser works well as a stylus. The pencil stand thing (photo attached) looks silly but is actually kind of convenient. Now I would like to liberate it as best as possible, replace the desktop environment with something less awful, and configure it for email, chat, and SIP. These are the freedom issues brought up in this thread so far: (1) WiFi firmware is nonfree, but can be avoided with a USB adapter. (2) GPU firmware is nonfree, but can be deleted as I do not require advanced graphics. (3) The bootloader is nonfree. A free one apparently exists, but I do not have the knowledge to find it and replace the nonfree one. Can anyone help out or link to a resource? (4+?) Is anyone aware of other issues? The home screen of the default DE (photo attached) contains six launchers, out of which only the terminal and file system will ever be useful. It would be nice to replace the DE entirely with something I can customize. According to this thread I should at least be able to install xfce4, and I do see some packages related to xfce4 when I run $ apt-cache search . but I get E: unable to load package xfce4 when I try to install it. When I run $ sudo apt-get update it looks like it attempts to update - http://opensource.nextthing.co jessie - http://security.debian.org jessie/updates - http://http.debian.net jessie-backports - http://ftp.us.debian.org jessie but for each [repository] I get Err [repository] InRelease Err [repository] Release.gpg could not resolve '[domain]' plus a few of Failed to fetch [repository]/* This is also possibly why other packages that should be in Debian Jessie such as evolution, pidgin, and ekiga are also not found or unavailable. Any advice on any of these issues?
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
Thank you!
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
On 16/08/17 21:15, gpast_pan...@protonmail.com wrote: > Thank you for this! If I may ask though, where can you get a Zipit for £20? np, glad to help. I said where in my prev posts but here is the info with extra help: Ask hinv on the #zipit IRC channel. On freenode.org server. You can use Trisquel’s default IM client, which is pidgin. to connect too it. Or heres a webchat to connect to it: http://irc.lc/%23zipit@freenode hinv is not always on, so stay connected to the channel and look out for him. when hes connected to the channel, type his nickname "hinv" and a msg and wait until you get a reply, maybe leave you computer on. or use services like http://riot.im/ (Israel company :/) to keep save chat history or use the logs to check for any msgs left you for. https://mozzwald.com/irclog/zipit
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
>i would say your best bet is for now is a zipit for £20 and if you are willing to do some soldering, a usb hub,usb power exteral power, usb wifi and you have free software pda. Thank you for this! If I may ask though, where can you get a Zipit for £20?
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
Thanks for digging the info up. On 15/08/17 22:34, gpast_pan...@protonmail.com wrote: > If somebody could manufacture the NanoNote (possibly with some slight > spec improvements) again, I would be the first to buy it. *Sigh* i would say your best bet is for now is a zipit for £20 and if you are willing to do some soldering, a usb hub,usb power exteral power, usb wifi and you have free software pda. nano note is more power efficient. i find a Panasonic li-ion 18650 3.5AH cell does the job for powering it. zipits suspend works btw. im not sure if the nano note suspend did or maybe it wasnt at the press of a button wheres the zipit is. oh the people that compile software for the zipit do leave blobs in the kernel, so a diy kernel compile would be wanted for 99%-100% FS only. i think they where compiling the free usb wifi kernel modules, i asked them to a while ago. i forget. ya might need to ask or diy.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
To elaborate, the particular post appears to be here: http://lists.phcomp.co.uk/pipermail/arm-netbook/2017-July/014340.html. It also suggests Debian Stretch runs fine on the PocketChip (although would need to be flashed to RAM to become the default OS)- so it definitely runs fine without proprietary blobs. Thanks for pointing that out too, Alexander- I was under the impression that the u-boot used was just the standard, and so free. Frankly, it's quite unfortunate that the only freeable portable PDA form-factor currently for sale seems to be the PocketChip: NTC don't seem to show more than the absolute minimum of commitment to their 'open source' claims, to the point where they recommend some in-browser flashing tool for the Chip where free software alternatives have existed for *4 years*. If somebody could manufacture the NanoNote (possibly with some slight spec improvements) again, I would be the first to buy it. *Sigh*
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
On 14/08/17 18:54, masonh...@gmail.com wrote: >> pocket chip i think comes with yucky non-free bootloader > > Can it be replaced? i think so, there is a free one. they didn’t use it :(. i forget the details. there where posts about it on arm-netbook the rhombus-tech eoma86 mailing list: http://lists.phcomp.co.uk/pipermail/arm-netbook/ http://rhombus-tech.net/
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
This is not correct, senor GNUbahn. A phone without a sim card can indeed make emergency calls and in many countries this is law, but it certainly can not be tracked by it's IMEI alone. To track a phoon a sim must be inserted inside the phoon. In fact if no sim card is present in da phoon and you call say 911 and then after a few seconds end the call, the operator of the service will not be able to call you back. IMEI is also how most thieves get caught, for they are ignorant on the matter, they know they have to remove the sim and most of them also knows they need to factory reset the phoon, but they ignore one simple matter, ones any sim is connected to any cellular network it is sending it's phone number together with the IMEI number to the cell towers.. Consider also keeping your phoon in airplane mode all the time for added peace of mind..
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
I'm almost certain it would disable the GPU without causing other problems. On the other hand, that's just a (somewhat informed) guess based on what I've read about the Pandora; it's not yet confirmed.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
Again, I haven't run Replicant myself so I am probably not the best person to answer that. One such issue seems to be "Browsers using the webview framework (such as the browser shipped with Replicant and Lightning) are subject to various security flaws in Replicant 6.0. Replicant 4.2 did not receive security updates since its latest release in September 2015 and many serious security issues are not fixed." (https://www.replicant.us/freedom-privacy-security-issues.php) However, it does look like Replicant 6.0 is planned on being ported to the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0. "Thanks to device donations from the community, it will be possible to get Replicant 6.0 working on the GTA04, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and Galaxy Note. Please consider donating to Replicant to help development." (https://blog.replicant.us/2017/05/replicant-6-0-released/) I'm also not sure how quickly Replicant 6.0 gets updates. Perhaps someone who has a Replicant device can give more info. Last thought, it seems to me that a Replicant run Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Wifi device is as free as most non-librebooted laptops. Which seems pretty cool, if I'm not mistaken.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
> pocket chip i think comes with yucky non-free bootloader Can it be replaced?
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
I plan to use this primarily for JMP and email, so that shouldn't be a problem. What would be the best way to disable the GPU? Deleting the firmware? Would that cause other problems?
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
i have a ben nano note. love it to bits. for my needs i really needed usb host though. i used my nano note for notes and music mainly. There was a india shop still selling the last stock. Try asking on the freenode.org #qi-hardware irc channel. the nano note devs hang out on there. :) my scripts i made for it: https://gitlab.com/NanoNote-Scripts/ so i now have a zipit which but for the wifi firmware other wise runs free software only to my knowladge. kernel problem has blobs in it but then depends on what modules you compile i guess. its a old little thing but hinv on the #zipit freenode irc channel has a hole stock of them to sell and i have a goodie pack of bits to go with them to sell. I have my zipit attached to a diy addon pack with usb hub, 128gb cheap usb stick, larger battery, gps, etc. http://mozzwald.com/zipitz2 gta04 phones 2rd or new batch are another option. could do with more dev time though. is usable with a 10Ah usb power bank to keep ya running for the day. that or play with the more power efficient kernel build* which i have yet to do and idk if i will get around to. so i have wondered about selling on my gta04 if theres someone with more energy to help improve the software for it or to just use it more. if people are interested msg me and ill have a think about it. I do like it other wise. been running replicant on it. * http://projects.goldelico.com/p/gta04-kernel/ pocket chip i think comes with yucky non-free bootloader due to them not knowing about the reversed engineered free one, i think, i forget the "reason". mozzwald from #zipit was working on a diy handheld computer using eoma68 computer card :D as a little personal project. https://www.crowdsupply.com/eoma68/micro-desktop http://mozzwald.com/ also got a samsung phone running replicant. works well, power saving is very good. upgraded to Rep6 but can get non-free wifi working again. got non-free bluetooth working. need a usb otg host hub with external battery for free usb wifi. the galaxy note phones have more power for usb ort/host. so i think there ok.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
Thanks. Are you using the default OS on your PocketChip? I don't mind carrying a charger and I have a USB WiFi adapter, so that seems like a good inexpensive option to use until the Pyra is released. Is WiFi the only nonfree component?
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
I highly recommend the Pyra. If you can find a used OpenPandora that'll probably serve (or a used N900 if you can disable the radio). My pocketCHIP is great -- the specs are on the low side, and the screen resolution is quite low -- I've already sent patches upstream for some apps I use to make them fit better on it. You can also upgrade the screen on the pocketCHIP with some skills. The batter is about as advertised: 5 hours. Which is fine, but not amazing. Wifi needs a binary firmware, and works ok but also not amazing -- could use an RYF USB dongle replacement.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
It sounds like until the Pyra is released my options are the PocketChip and the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 WiFi-only version. The PocketChip's CHIP OS is apparently based on Debian. If like Debian it is "optionally free" but not FSF-free I am fine with that, but since freedom appears not to be an explicit goal for the creators of the CHIP I'm not sure that this is the case. Does anyone have any information on this? The Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is a little large but is probably just small enough for a mobile device. What are the disadvantages of Replicant 4.2 compared to 6.0? Since I only plan to use the device for JMP and a couple other things I don't necessarily need the latest versions of applications, so my concerns would be about security holes or major bugs.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
Unfortunately, I'm not sure this works- though my knowledge is limited, and I could very well be wrong (I hope I am). The issue is that the modem is a separate computer- it loads independently of the main device, and has its own flash. As such, removing the ability to use telephony from the main processor has no bearing on the modem, which doesn't depend on the main chip for firmware. In any case, even if I am wrong, the S3 has a proprietary bootloader.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
kopolee11 is talking about a tabelt (7 inches), I am talking about a phone. The tablet exists in a sim-card enabled version and a wifi-only version. In the latter there is no modem. In the phone (S3 G4) there is a modem, but perhaps, as telephony doesn't work, this could mean that the modem doesn't function at all. IF that is the case, I suppose it could suit your needs (and my wishes). It should be examined further, though.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
What exactly is the WiFi-only version and where can I find it? Does it literally have no modem?
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
What about using a S3 4G? Since telephony doesn't work, would that mean that the modem is inactive? In that If so, you could have a wifi-only phone with a 100% free software!
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
I haven't done this myself, but another option to consider is using a Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Wi-Fi only version with Replicant. (https://redmine.replicant.us/projects/replicant/wiki/GalaxyTab270P31xx) It would not have a telephony modem to worry about, but to use Wi-Fi you would have to use a USB dongle. The main problem is that it is only on Replicant 4.2, and I haven't heard anything about it migrating to 6.0.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
But you use a wifi-dongle working with free firmware.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
I thought I had found the Pandora for sale here, but not knowing German I did not realize at first that it is out of stock. It appears they are only selling the Pyra. However, I feel better about the Pyra after reading the link you included. I'll take a look at the PocketChip too. Hopefully someone will start manufacturing the Ben NanoNote again. It looks awesome.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
It also appears that all devices supported by Replicant require nonfree firmware to use WiFi, unless this list is out-of-date. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replicant_(operating_system)#Supported_devices
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
I didn't know this. In my country this doesn't work :/ But it is interesting.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
>The Ben Nanonote looks ideal, but I can't actually find a >source from which to buy one. The wiki says that as of 2015 >only IDA Systems sells it, and it appears that now they don't >sell it either. Indeed- the domain has changed hands at some point, and the original owner appears to have gone out of business. Sigh... the Nanonote was so beautiful, and free to boot! >The DragonBox Pyra looks like a good alternative. The GPU >may or may not be nonfree. I can't find any recent >information on that. However, since I don't plan to use the >device for games I might be able to avoid using the GPU >even if it is nonfree. >The Pandora, which is the predecessor to the Pyra is less >expensive and sufficient for my needs, but I find it even >more difficult to find information on any freedom issues. Both are addressed in https://trisquel.info/en/forum/some-info-open-pandora-pyra-pandora-game-console#comment-92758; the original source for the question on the Pyra was at https://pyra-handheld.com/boards/threads/how-close-does-the-pyras-design-come-to-respecting-your-freedom.76105/. For the Pandora, do you know where units are for sale? I'd be interested in one myself if they're still around. >I also found this tutorial on creating a mini computer >using a Raspberry Pi, but if this is up-to-date then is >sounds like the Raspberry Pi is nonfree. Unfortunately, the Pi is still not freed- booting goes via the GPU first, for some reason, which requires loading the proprietary GPU blob. Work has been done on this (https://github.com/christinaa/rpi-open-firmware), but there's a little way to go before it's usable. I *do* hope somebody can complete it- it would be a wonderful thing to have. >Can anyone share knowledge about any of these devices or >others that might work? As happy_gnu said, a Replicant device without a SIM card would also serve well. There's also the PocketChip, which seems rather similar to the Pandora freedom- and spec-wise. >Also, obviously WiFi will be necessary for how I plan to >use this. Is it likely that I should be okay with any >device with a USB port for a ThinkPengiun WiFi adpater >assuming I can install the driver? Yes- as long as the firmware/driver is installed, any wi-fi adapter will work.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
It seems to me, that mason doesn't want to be tracked. To my knowledge, a SIM enabled device is by default actively asking to be tracked. For instance, you are able to call emergency services without a SIM card inserted.
Re: [Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
You could also have a smartphone with Replicant and use it without a SIM card
[Trisquel-users] free PDA running JMP
After this recent thread I have decided to try to replace my smartphone with a PDA running JMP and only free software. I'm now trying to find on a good fully free device to use. The Ben Nanonote looks ideal, but I can't actually find a source from which to buy one. The wiki says that as of 2015 only IDA Systems sells it, and it appears that now they don't sell it either. The DragonBox Pyra looks like a good alternative. The GPU may or may not be nonfree. I can't find any recent information on that. However, since I don't plan to use the device for games I might be able to avoid using the GPU even if it is nonfree. The Pandora, which is the predecessor to the Pyra is less expensive and sufficient for my needs, but I find it even more difficult to find information on any freedom issues. I also found this tutorial on creating a mini computer using a Raspberry Pi, but if this is up-to-date then is sounds like the Raspberry Pi is nonfree. Can anyone share knowledge about any of these devices or others that might work? Also, obviously WiFi will be necessary for how I plan to use this. Is it likely that I should be okay with any device with a USB port for a ThinkPengiun WiFi adpater assuming I can install the driver?
