[Community] GTA04A5 / Letux 2804

[Michael Spacefalcon]

joerg Reisenweber <joerg at openmoko.org> wrote:

> Please can you save me from reading those walls of text filled with [...]

Thinking about it more, I realize that my initial post in this thread
was more inflammatory than necessary.  So I do apologize for posting
that on an emotional impulse without thinking some more first.  In
retrospect, perhaps my initial post in this thread would have been
better worded like this:

Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller <hns at goldelico.com> wrote:

> So please think again if you want to upgrade your GTA02 with a GTA04A5 board.

Please understand that some people may find the word "upgrade" in this
context to be objectionable - it is a matter of personal opinion and
different choice of emphasis as to which device (GTA02 or GTA04) is
"better".  Perhaps instead of calling the conversion an "upgrade", it
could be called a "sidegrade", or just simply use the neutral word
"convert"?

And for those who do choose to convert their GTA02s into GTA04s,
please be considerate of others in the community who may see the GTA02
as having more value, and please try to do the following simple
gestures:

* When removing the original GTA02 motherboard, please exercise due
  care and caution to not damage it in the process - please do NOT
  treat it as a throw-away item;

* If you no longer want that original GTA02 board, please do not
  discard it, and do not subject it to any treatment (such as "recycle")
  that would destroy the ability to use it for its original purpose.
  Instead please offer it to others who may have more appreciation for
  its original functionality.

* When storing or shipping that GTA02 board for the benefit of other
  community members who may view it as being better than GTA04, please
  observe the full precautions for handling delicate and sensitive
  electronic components, including ESD protection.

--

Would the above have been better?

Aside from that, there are only two points in Nikolaus' last post
which I feel a need to respond to:

> And if you encrypt the whole communication path yourself, why do you care
> what the modem is doing?

Because there are many kinds of bugs which have nothing to do with
privacy/security issues - plain old bugs which cause the device to
simply not work under certain circumstances.  I have encountered more
than my share of such bugs in products of every kind, cellphones and
modems being no exception (although none in Om's firmware so far), and
I highly value the ability to diagnose and fix such bugs myself when
and if I get bitten by one.

> No. If you fight for freeing the Qualcomm modem you will satisfy both
> sides: Your 100% freedom and a device that can be produced as
> many as you need - and has higher data rates and a better processor.

Of course it would wonderful for all kinds of reasons to have a free
modem that can connect to UMTS networks in addition to GSM, and can
make use of mobile data services at EDGE or even 3G speeds rather than
just plain GPRS.

But given a choice between (a) continuing my current FreeCalypso work
and producing a 100% free GSM-only phone/modem in a foreseeable time
frame with 100% certainty or (b) abandoning this work and venturing
into the completely unknown territory of baseband chipsets from other
vendors, with nowhere near the guarantee of success in the near future
like we have with the Calypso, I feel that (a) is a much more sensible
choice for a developer in my position, and I suspect that at least
some people on this list would agree with me on this question.

VLR,
SF