[Arm-netbook] CT-PC89E - success replicating boot from SDcard with switch in NON-factory-default setting

[Andrew M.A. Cater]

On Wed, Mar 24, 2010 at 01:24:23PM +0000, Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton wrote:
> dear kimberly,
> 
> i thought you might wish to know that we have successfully identified
> the purpose of the switch on the SO-DIMM (photo attached), thus we
> have the answer to one of the questions that we asked four weeks ago
> and thus do not need to take your engineer's valuable time in
> answering.
> 
> using this switch, we have been able to successfully boot the CT-PC89E
> from an external SD card.
> 
> what that means is that we can now begin reverse-engineering the
> u-boot source code.  in actual fact, we will not need to perform any
> reverse-engineering at all, we will simply be able to use existing
> u-boot GPL releases, and, in combination with the information learned
> from the reverse-engineering of the linux kernel, we will simply be
> able to go straight to developing a replacement u-boot.
> 
> we will then release that source code, just as we have released the
> linux kernel source code at
> https://alioth.debian.org/projects/arm-netbook/ because we respect the
> GPL license.
> 
> the implications of this are simple: your company will not be known as
> the experts who managed to put linux and u-boot onto your _own_
> hardware.
> 

www.mid-fun.com == based in Nanjing

www.mid-linux.com == based who knows where, but have put up kernel etc.
and mention where in English to poke it on their development board.
[That's where your mid-fun/mid-linux Green release comes from, I think.]

Are we being a little hard on Chitech? They're re-engineeers and 
essentially resellers: they didn't write the code (got it from another 
Chinese company) but did get it to run on their hardware.

Chinese understanding of the GPL can be hit and miss - just reference 
Harold Welte in Taiwan - but, actually, we might yet get further by 
marketing their product in Europe as a well engineered ARM based laptop 
at silly cheap prices.

The one thing missing is internal 3G - which you may be able to get 
going by using Huawei contacts, Luke.

> as i explained already, by our success in reverse-engineering the
> linux kernel, you have lost the opportunity to use the "free
> advertising" associated with having "Copyright Chitech 2010" in the
> linux kernel source code, distributed to tens of thousands of
> engineers world-wide.
> 
> and you will now lose the opportunity for the "free advertising"
> associated with having "Copyright Chitech 2010" in the u-boot source
> code.
> 
> the solution is very simple: respect the GPL and LGPL licenses, comply
> with them, and provide *all* GPL and LGPL source code WITHOUT
> CONDITIONS.
> 
> then we will help you.
> 
> if you do not comply, we will hunt your product down relentlessly and
> will inform all buyers of the non-compliance.  it is very easy to do
> this, because your excellent product is the only one that is an 8.9in
> ARM netbook.  it is therefore incredibly easy to find:
> 
> http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/277571430/8_9_TFT_LED_2GB_NAND.html
> 
> we will be contacting this company and also advising them of the
> ongoing GPL violations.
> 
> i have said it eight times now, and i will say it again until you
> understand and until you comply: i cannot stress enough how important
> it is that you comply with the GPL and LGPL.
> 
> once you have complied by providing all source code, we will do
> absolutely everything that we can to help you make your product the
> success that it truly deserves to be.
> 
> l.

All the best,

AndyC

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