[Arm-netbook] R-Pi Only Better and More Available?

[lkcl luke]

On Tue, May 29, 2012 at 9:08 AM, Vladimir Pantelic <vladoman at gmail.com> wrote:
> lkcl luke wrote:
>> On Mon, May 28, 2012 at 9:32 PM, Vladimir Pantelic<vladoman at gmail.com>  wrote:
>>
>>>>     the scope and scale of this project is really, really large.  i
>>>>  haven't mentioned much about it, mostly because it's *confidential* but
>>>>  also mostly because if i actually described what's going on and what's
>>>>  involved there's a risk that many people simply wouldn't believe it.
>>>>  contact with PRC State-Sponsored companies normally don't just
>>>>  "happen", and we're unbelievably lucky to have the opportunity.
>>>  ...
>>>
>>>  As a rather passive onlooker so far, I have to admit that by my book
>>>  this *is* cloak and dagger.
>>
>>   ok... so i should breach confidential information, should i,
>> jeapordise the deal and then there won't _be_ a project, and that's
>> what you want, is it?
>
> you don't have to breach any confidential information. The only thing
> you have to do is to state upfront who is involved with the "project"

 there's a couple of answers to that.

 a) the clients are confidential for now.  any breach of confidence
here will jeapordise the entire project.  that's not going to happen.

 b) the hardware designers were initially a company called Shenzen
Merit Ltd - all their clients were using the AML 8726M; they all went
bust when the Allwinner A10 came out, and Shenzen Merit Ltd also went
bust.  then bari kindly offered to help, but when we had to step up
and deliver he let everyone down.  i gave him an opportunity to sort
himself out in order for it not to be embarrassing for him, but he
didn't take it.  in the meantime i kept these facts quiet, whilst also
arranging for alternative hardware design engineering where i am still
negotiating with them as to whether they wish to announce their
involvement with the project, publicly, at this stage.

 c) i don't *have* to do anything.

 d) i'm new to this type of project.


> and what are the terms and that there is stuff like a patent involved
> which at least to me is very unusual in a "open hardware" project.

 i did.  it is.

 however, no "open hardware" project has ever been attempted before on
a scale like this.  the quantities involved are not 1k to 50k per year
if we're very very lucky: the quantities that this PRC State-Sponsored
company can handle are literally of the order of millions of units a
month.  those kinds of volumes are a little scary to some people, so
i've been reluctant to mention it in case people either simply don't
believe it or react in other negative ways (*1)

 so that means that the game is a little different.  my associates
even have to fill in ridiculous amounts of paperwork involving
anti-money-laundering declarations *even* at this early phase, simply
because of the scope and the international nature of what's being
done.   a little company with a goal of selling maybe 1k to 50k units
simply wouldn't have to get involved with that kind of crap... but we
do.

 then there is financing, which *used* to be possible with letters of
credit.  however, the U.S. with their stupid, stupid "oversight" on
all banking transactions has now completely destroyed all trust *even*
inter-branch within the *same* banks.  so, whereas you used to be able
to get a letter of credit for $9m in e.g. china in order to buy the
parts, where a customer had placed $10m *CASH* into a branch somewhere
in Europe, THAT IS NOW COMPLETELY GONE.  the reason is because now
with their stupid "oversight", the U.S. could potentially seize the
$10m *after* the letter of credit for $9m has been issued, leaving the
bank completely exposed and liable for the $9m.

 so rather than risk that, *ALL* banks have simply terminated letters
of credit.  which is why we need an investor, to cover the bridging
finance of the magnitude involved, which is why my associates were
extremely pissed off with bari for letting everyone down, as it would
be much much easier to ask the investor for $10m backing if it was
possible to put a working sample physically into his hand.

all these things and more i and my associates are having to sort out
in order to put this deal together.  i haven't mentioned any of it
because it's not the sort of thing that you normally go and describe
on a technical mailing list full of free software engineers, i believe
you'd agree with that assessment?


> Don't get me wrong, I am not crying foul because this goes against
> my open hardware ethics or anything like that, I am just amazed that
> none of this has been brought up before.

 well, there weren't people attacking the project before.

> And if you cannot reveal all of this because it will *jeopardize* the
> project, then yes, maybe you should not do this at all "in the open"

 that isn't the goal.  the goal is to bring software (libre)
developers who don't have access to open hardware together with
PRC-based factories that can make hardware but don't have access to
software developers.

l.

(*1) people can get a bit funny when they realise that there's
literally billions in turnover involved: if you've ever read books
like "The Millionaire Mind" or Paul McKenna's "I Can Make You Rich",
you'll appreciate that some people really *do* think "poor", and when
presented with opportunities to make money they consciously or
subconsciously REJECT the opportunity and work ACTIVELY to DESTROY the
opportunity.  if you've read Paul McKenna's book, you'll appreciate
that even some of the most financially wealthy people are *still*
thinking they're "poor", which is why they work so hard to accumulate
financial wealth, in some sort of out-of-control fashion!  humans are
amazing.