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

[Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton]

On Wed, Mar 24, 2010 at 8:58 PM, Andrew M.A. Cater
<amacater at galactic.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> 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.

 if they hadn't said - twice - that they are _witholding_ the linux
source code until someone gives them some money, so that the factory
can get its investment back, because they are afraid of someone
copying the code;

 if there was no EEPROM "secret SHA-1" values which are read and if
they are not as expected then the machine is POWERED OFF

 then i would say yes, i'm being a bit hard on chitech.

 but, given those things, heck no.

> 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.

 i would _absolutely_ love that to be the case.  but i cannot bring
myself to do that.  i _cannot_ stand by and let people think that
compliance with the GPL is somehow .... "optional".

 i would rather find some people willing to do an openpandora (the
project, not the games console) and find 1,000 people willing to part
with money, place pre-orders to create an open 9in or 10.1in ARM
netbook.


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

 well, for testing the CT-PC89E all i need is the multimeter, an
sdcard holder and some wires, so... yes.  but, i am running out of
patience with chitech: they haven't responded to messages, despite
previously having a good track record of doing so.

 so, all we can do now is continue to track down CT-PC89Es, and alert
gpl-violations.org, and have cease-and-desist orders sent out
effective immediate.  no negotiations - those have already been done.

 and also do EXACTLY what chitech feared: find another competitor to
do an ARM netbook.  it won't take long.

 l.