[squeak-dev] open source hardware

Doug Jones djsdl at frombob.to
Tue Dec 24 02:27:46 UTC 2013


On 12/23/2013 09:07 AM, Jecel Assumpcao Jr. wrote:
> Doug Jones wrote:
>> [...]
>> - completely open source hardware, not very expensive, and practical for
>> a hobbyist board builder as well as mass production
>
> Wouldn't it be better to use the term "open source software friendly
> hardware" instead of "open source hardware" for this? It seems that the
> Free Software Foundation adopted the term "Respects Your Freedom" (RYF)
> for the first hardware they have ever certified:
>
>> http://www.fsf.org/news/gluglug-x60-laptop-now-certified-to-respect-your-freedom
>
> It certainly seems very odd to call anything with an ARM or Intel
> processor "open source hardware". If we do that, then what would we call
> something like:
>
> http://opencores.org/donation
>
> ?
>
> Note that the low amount that has been pledged so far ($22K) shows how
> little people actually value this kind of thing no matter what they say.
> Of course, if they had gone with Kickstarter instead of their own
> (obscure) web site they might have had a far better result, so perhaps I
> am reading too much into this.
>
> -- Jecel
> p.s.: the binary for the Linux version of the Little Smalltalk 3 VM is
> only 55KB with everything statically linked in
>
>
>


You're right of course.  Earlier in the thread I said something like 
"open source hardware, as much as possible", which is more accurate but 
still a bit vague.  But then got sloppier in later posts.

It's open to the extent that the board design is open, and there are 
enough freely available docs available so that designing with the SOC is 
not a pain.

There are barriers to open hardware no matter where you look right now. 
  You could design with an open CPU design that even the FSF would like, 
but the choices in that direction are currently very limited and impose 
compromises that add up to a type of barrier (can I buy a chip for $10 
and solder it onto a PCB board I milled in my garage, and do as much 
with it as I could with the Micro Python?)

The gluglug is a good development, but it also has a CPU chip that 
contains proprietary circuits.  They are just packaging it without 
binary blobs.  The same is true for the Micro Python board, and 
apparently also the laptop Laribel looked at the other day:

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=acer_c720_linux&num=1

(except for the touchpad driver, which hopefully somebody will replace 
soon with an open one).

And it gladdened my heart to hear the rumor going around that they're 
getting ready to ditch the binary blob required to boot up the Raspberry Pi.

What I want is a CPU chip that has a completely open internal design, is 
cheap, and as powerful as the other chips in its price range.  Until 
that becomes available, I find myself compromising here and there...


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