[Arm-netbook] so where does ULP-COM fit into our thinking?

[luke.leighton]

On Wed, Oct 10, 2012 at 8:43 AM, Simon Kenyon <simon at koala.ie> wrote:
> On 10/09/12 21:17, luke.leighton wrote:
>> On Tue, Oct 9, 2012 at 6:47 PM, Scott Sullivan<scott at ss.org>  wrote:
>>> On 10/09/2012 05:24 AM, Simon Kenyon wrote:
>>>> http://blogs.arm.com/embedded/702-i-like-pc-like-arm-reaches-into-computer-on-module/
>>>>
>>>
>>> It's already not relevant to us as it's has the same limitations that
>>> other standards like it share(*).
>>
>>   i still want to record it, in the elinux.org wiki, so thank you simon
>> for making me aware of it.
>
> they have taken a different approach to us with no connectors on card.
> this to me is a major win.

 why?  ok, for factory-installable options, yes.  for the "industry",
yes it's ideal.  for end-users who buy mass-volume appliances?  it's a
nightmare.

 you have to bear in mind that we're targetting mass-volume
appliances.  quantities of 100 million are not unreasonable to imagine
happening.  we're *not* targetting "one industrial sector such as the
Digital Signage Industry", for which these edge-connector-based
modules are absolutely ideal as a "fire-and-forget" strategy that
helps to reduce development costs.

> what they don't have is a device which is in a robust enclosure.

 correct.  which makes all these edge-connector style modules
vulnerable to destruction, dirt, damage, static and so on.  the
returns on say 100 million units would easily destroy the profit
margins at such high volumes.

> do we
> really, really think that people will be swapping cards between
> enclosures on an hourly basis?

 hourly? no.  twice or 3 times daily? if you can only afford one CPU
Card and two or even 3 chassis?  possibly yes.

> i think it is worth looking at the
> relative costs of the card and the devices. it would seem likely that
> people would have one card per device

 likely, yes.  enforced-as-an-assumption-as-part-of-the-standard, this
is not reasonable or fair.  to make this assumption would disempower
those people who may not be able to afford more than one card per
device.

 i seek to empower more people and give more people access to computing devices.

l.