[Arm-netbook] Side-Topic: Liberating PocketCHIP

[David Niklas]

On Mon, 08 May 2017 09:59:50 +0100
"mike.valk at gmail.com" <mike.valk at gmail.com> wrote:
> 2017-05-08 3:34 GMT+02:00 <doark at mail.com>:
> 
> > I apologize for DOS'ing the list, I can only get online about once a
> > week.
> >
> > On Thu, 4 May 2017 17:13:23 +0200
> > "mike.valk at gmail.com" <mike.valk at gmail.com> wrote:  
> > >
> > > 2017-05-04 9:04 GMT+02:00 John Luke Gibson <eaterjolly at gmail.com>:
> > >  
> > > > Since it seems like a trivially simple task that for some reason
> > > > no one has taken up, I would like to take the opportunity to
> > > > exercise a learning experience and simultaneously benefit the
> > > > community, by liberating PocketCHIP by deblobbing the source and
> > > > re-compiling. 
> > >
> > > The PocketCHIP is powered by their SoM:
> > > http://linux-sunxi.org/NextThingCo_CHIP
> > >
> > > That is apparently a Allwinner R8 pared with an external rtl8723bs
> > > Wifi/BT chip.
> > >
> > > The R8 is a rebranded A13.  
> > What? I own one of those and I'm almost certain that the CPU is an A7.
> > Let's boot the PocketCHIP up...
> > The processor is detected as an A7.
> >  
> 
> It should be a Cortex-A8.
> http://linux-sunxi.org/Allwinner_SoC_Family
> 
> The new chip GR8, which is specific SoC for NextThingCo, seems to be an
> "sun5i" as well. Also a slightly modified A13 I guess.
> 
> The're seems to but mainline support for it. Icenowy Zheng has addid it
> I think. But the'res no wiki page fo it.
> http://linux-sunxi.org/Linux_mainlining_effort
> http://linux-sunxi.org/GR8

Sorry, I (foolishly) though that ARMv7 == A7 (i.e. a contraction).

> 
> > I'll attach the output, it would probably be interesting to see all of
> > it...
> > Done, it's compressed bzip2 since it's ~300KiB decompressed which is
> > large for an email.
> >  
> 
> Use pastebin or sorts. Or just cut out the specifica part.
> 

Sorry, I thought the rest of it might be useful to look at.

<snip>
> > You're not giving us enough details. Who is Verhaegen? What did he
> > burn out on?
> > When I first considered purchasing a PocketCHiP I read about the GPU
> > not having 3D capabilities because of a binary blob. So, the CHIP
> > folks hired (I think it was an extended goal of the kickstarter
> > campaign), a kernel dev to add support to the Linux kernel for the
> > GPU.  
> 
> 
> That did not happen. The're is no Opensource linux driver for MALI. NTC
> hardly involves itself with the linux-sunxi community.
> 
> Their website is hardly obvious to the software needs of running their
> hardware.
> 
> How hard can it be....
> 
> "To use our hardware you have two options: Our BSP which has closed
> source drivers, but you have full utilization of the hardware. Or use
> the mainline kernel with some restrictions"
Where is that quote from?

> And state your involvement in freeing the hardware or not.
> 
> NTC website is just one big selling machine.
> 

Prior to purchasing the Pocket CHIP I read their docs and kickstarter
page. See this (their kickstarter page says similar):
https://docs.getchip.com/chip.html#is-chip-open-source-where-are-the-docs
Are they flat out lying?


Thanks,
David