FreeRunner Happiness

Yogiz yogizz at gmail.com
Sat Dec 13 21:43:47 CET 2008


> I really like this idea. I know we can contact Openmoko and sign the
> NDA to get the data sheet, but it seems to negate the point of free
> software for me (everything being open and developing as a
> community). Here
> http://lists.openmoko.org/nabble.html#nabble-td1505667i40 Wolfgang
> Spraul feels promises were broken in regards to opening
> documentation- so our letters of complaint would be valid. If enough
> pissed off people write in, would they open up the specs? 

Actually, they will probably just delete your e-mails and trash your
mails. I tried:

On Tue, 5 Aug 2008 20:37:27 +0300
**** <****@****.****> wrote:

> Hello,
> 
> I'm writing on this address only because it was the only e-mail
> contact I found on your site. If it's possible for you to forward it
> to a more relevant department (management, engineering, design, ...)
> then please do so.
> 
> My questions regard your Glamo 3362 chip that is used in my new phone
> - Neo Freerunner. I'm wondering on the constraints that you have set
> on the documentation concerning this chip. As you probably know,
> Openmoko is all about freedom, both in software and hardware. This has
> managed the company to draw a considerable community around it, many
> members of it quite skilled in both software and hardware development.
> I'm not kidding myself with hoping you to make your hardware
> completely open but I would really care for letting the community
> have access to the documentation. As I've understood, your
> documentation is only available under heavy NDA and can thus only be
> accessed by Openmoko employees. For that reason the potential of your
> hardware remains largely unused. There are many new ideas that could
> be made work on the chip and quite a lot of problems that could
> easily be engineered around if we only had the means to.
> Unfortunately this is too big of a job for the Openmoko team to do by
> themselves (which is probably why they decided to abandon the Glamo
> chip for the next version of Freerunner - GTA03). This is why I ask
> if there is a possibility the Glamo documentation will be released to
> the public. What are the problems you expect following this potential
> action? What are the reasons the documentation has been kept secret
> for the time being?
> 
> I would be most grateful if you could reply to these few questions and
> consider my points for a minute. I'm sure respecting and trusting your
> customers would open up a completely new market for your exellent
> hardware.
> 
> I hope to hear from you soon,
> **** ****

I did not receive a reply and reminded them two weeks later. Still
haven't got a reply. You're welcome to try though. Perhaps they'll give
in once enough of a number contacts them.

Yogiz





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