[Arm-netbook] CC3000 Wi-Fi for MCU

[lkcl luke]

On Wed, Jan 25, 2012 at 9:29 AM, Gordan Bobic <gordan at bobich.net> wrote:

> By that argument, take a ralink chip, put the firmware into flash and
> burn out the fuse that enables writing to it, then modify the driver to
> read the firmware from there.

 ok, so the ralink wifi is connected to... what?  the CPU?

 and the NAND flash is connected to... also the CPU?

 and thus the CPU must now load that firmware from the read-only NAND
flash, and no other location, and upload it to the wifi?

 question: how do you prevent a general-purpose CPU from *not* running
applications that will load that firmware from elsewhere?

 [ ... without of course running a DRM-locked OS.... ]

 answer: you don't, do you?

 and that's the problem.

 thus, it is necessary to consider solutions such as having a separate
CPU which has, for example 2x USB-2 (one of which is client USB and
the other is USB host), and that CPU having on-board NAND flash which
can be made read-only, and that CPU having an application which is
also read-only, and that CPU's application acting as a proxy of USB
data once the firmware has been uploaded, and that CPU having the WIFI
module connected to the USB host and the *main* CPU being connected to
that separate CPU.

 this is the kind of thing that would be recommended for purchase via
the FSF's web site.

 the only problem is that i can't find a CPU that's fast enough, small
enough, has fast enough interfaces and also isn't an insane cost.

 l.