[Arm-netbook] Olimex is making an "open-source" laptop...

[Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton]

---
crowd-funded eco-conscious hardware: https://www.crowdsupply.com/eoma68


On Tue, Feb 7, 2017 at 4:01 PM, Jonathan Frederickson
<silverskullpsu at gmail.com> wrote:
>> There's so much hardware and software churn these days that the driver
>> availability argument probably isn't as important as it once was. So much
>> stuff is probably being done for individual products that people are
>> undoubtedly having to write code for new hardware, anyway.
>
> Sure, but is that a result of the hardware actually being that
> different or is it just because manufacturers aren't actually
> upstreaming their code? In the latter case, everyone would have to
> keep rewriting driver code, but not because it doesn't already exist -
> just because they can't cooperate.

 it's a byproduct of the N (designs) times M (processors) problem.
Fabless Semi A flatly refuses to mainline their kernel because it
costs them too much time and money to do so, passes it OEM B who just
compiles it maybe makes a few (GPL-violating modifications) and chucks
product out the door.

 so we have A muppets chucking out M processors for which there are B
dumbasses times N throw-away products and we as software libre
developers are left utterly gobsmacked by the dog's dinner mess but
also hardly surprised when surveys like this turn out a 98%
copyright-violating rate:

https://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/8991.html
http://mjg59.livejournal.com/132339.html
http://www.codon.org.uk/~mjg59/android_tablets/

the whole reason, then (or one of the whole reasons) why the EOMA68
project exists as far as the linux kernel and software libre
compliance is concerned is that it INCENTIVISES collaboration and
cooperation between N designers of Cards ***PLUS*** M designers of
products-compatible-with-cards.

 note that's N *PLUS* M products ***NOT*** N **TIMES** M products.

 this is utterly crucial and it's an entirely deliberate strategy.

l.