[Arm-netbook] FSF crowd-source tablet/laptop idea

[Gordan Bobic]

On 10/18/2012 01:32 AM, luke.leighton wrote:
> ok.  i really liked the idea of the FSF doing crowd-source funding, it
> appeals to me in ways that using kickstarter does not.  not least is
> the fact that the FSF is a registered charity.  donations being
> tax-deductible in the U.S., anyone donating to the FSF, yippeee, a
> reward miraculously turns up in the post in the form of a
> laptop/tablet, yippeee!

Maybe I'm missing something, but if FSF is to put it's name to a crowd 
funding effort, wouldn't that require the hardware to be fully FSF 
endoreseable? If so that limits the idea to one (1!) SoC - and it isn't 
the Allwinner A10.

> also i'm reaaally not keen on the whole "tablet tablet tablet tablet"
> thing, and it would seem that the product concept has matured and, lo
> and behold, you can now get tablets with mature decent-looking
> keyboards:
>
> http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/648612305/Windows_Tablet_PC_10_inch_Intel.html
> http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/646342500/Nice_tablet_PC_10_1_inch.html
>
> basically these are laptops that split into two.  nice screens, as
> well.  one of them's already an ARM-based laptop (Tegra 3).  lovely.

Hold on. That 2nd one - isn't that the Asus Transformer Prime?! For 
$50-$70?! What am I missing?

> to be FSF Hardware-Endorseable, i'd have to ask around about doing a
> beagleboard-xm or other conversion (i.e. no on-board GPU or other
> proprietary grunginess) to EOMA-68.
>
> my question is: does anyone have anything to add, spot the deliberate
> mistake, any suggestions at all, before i start?  any better companies
> to contact, or better but similar products out there?

I foresee issues surrounding finding FSF endoresable SoCs. The only one 
including a GPU is that MIPS in the Yeeloong. Without the GPU the field 
opens up a bit (Kirkwood, arguably now bordering on the obsolete, maybe 
a handful of others), but the power usage is going to get hammered by 
using an external GPU (and the FSF compliance limits the field there, too).

Gordan