[Arm-netbook] EOMA68-A20 now booting Linaro distro from uSD card

[luke.leighton]

On Wed, Sep 18, 2013 at 5:03 PM, joem <joem at martindale-electric.co.uk> wrote:
> On Wed, 2013-09-18 at 15:30 +0000, Derek wrote:
>> joem <joem <at> martindale-electric.co.uk> writes:
>
>> > > Joe, you must specify your goal more clearly. So I'll ask once again:
>> > >
>> > > Do you want to recreate a Linaro ALIP image all the way from sources?
>> > >
>> > >
>> > The goal is to create the freedom to distribute working bootable Linux
>> > distro binary images with tool chain ready to be used as soon as it is
>> > unzipped and dd'd into a SD card or a sata drive and satisfy the GPL.
>> >
>> > $$$$ Krsching!! $$$
>>
>> Joe,
>> I don't think I get it.  Right now, to create a bootable SD card, I'd
>> partition it, load a kernel and fex, and debootstrap Debian into a root
>> directory.  What I'd need would be a list of packages, such as "basic",
>> "development", or "desktop".  I don't think I'd be happy putting 100GB on an
>> SD card, just to run a basic router.
>
>
> The issue was that I was releasing binaries uSD cards
> because my way of doing things is that I believe tools are more
> important than recipes. It takes all sorts to make the world go around,
> and that is where I stand on the importance of binaries.
>
>
> Then gpl gets in the way and says, though my intentions are good,
> in describing how the binary was built, its not good enough,
> I (not some 3rd party) must supply the exact sources for all items in
> the binary and working tools.
>
>
> When I release the 2GB uSD Card binary bootable distro for eoma,
> I am obliged to supply the exact sources for each item that has a gpl
> license.

 ... or you are obliged to provide a pointer to where the sources can
be obtained: that is sufficient.  you *don't* have to host them
yourself... but you *do* have to ensure that you've provide the full
set of links to sources, full set of links to all tools and scripts.
a full set of instructions is also nice but not strictly necessary.
however having those instructions is a good idea because it allows
*you* to ensure that you have the full set of sources (or links to)
right and the full set of tools (or links to tools) also correct.


> I also intend to distribute soon a uSD binary with ubuntu 12.04.3 with
> toolchain and everything set up for eoma development.
>
>
> So I at some time in the future will put together all the sources as a
> link to download the 100GB odd of all the sources that went into making
> the exact same binaries as I am distributing. So you don't need to
> download the sources if you don't want to.
>
> Just enjoy the 2Gb binaries as they are and make the router happen now!!
>
> Its just that if I am the one distributing the binary, I must also
> distribute the exact sources. And I will do it, because that is the
> only way to guarantee others can also distribute binaries and produce
> the sources on demand.
>
> At the moment this responsibility is being shrugged off by a lot
> of factories that make products, or is being passed on to others
> when you load up a recipe for building a bootable uSD card.
> It drains their time, your time, and creates support issues.
> (The last things you want draining life out of product before it
> is even born!)
>


>> The best thing, I think, would be getting the 3.4 kernel patches to go from
>> debian-standard to sunxi-lkcl-whatever as a debian package, making your
>> "build and install" script as easy as 'apt-get linux-image-watcha'
>>
>> soo... why fork a distro?
>>

 ... because he doesn't understand what he's doing, arokux.

 and, also, he has an additional requirement to his clients to provide
10-20 year lifecycles for all software.