Re-registering to GSM network

Joel Newkirk freerunner at newkirk.us
Wed Oct 15 04:35:43 CEST 2008


On Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:34:17 -0700, Michael Shiloh <michael at openmoko.org>
wrote:
> Marco Trevisan (Treviño) wrote:
>> Leonti Bielski wrote:
>>> As I get it it is unfortunately impossible to upgrade the firmware at
>>> home because of NDA - only Openmoko Inc. employee can do that.
>>> I hope (but doubt it ) it will will be available to the public someday
>>> in the future.
>> 
>> Why? Isn't it a binary blob?
>> I can't understand why they can't release the firmware binary...
>> 
> 
> Two issues:
> 
> 1. If we allow you to update the firmware, then our own standard of 
> openness requires that we give you the source. Due to NDA with chip 
> manufacturer, and probably FCC regulations as well, we're not allowed to 
> give you the source, so therefore we chose not to allow you to update 
> the firmware.
> 
> 2. The NDA with the chip manufacturer does not allow us to distribute 
> the update utility.
> 
> Michael

I'm very curious if that restriction extends to Openmoko performing the
update via remote connection to the user's host computer or Freerunner... 
;)  Something along the lines of a 'firmware update installer' that we run
locally, which tunnels to OM and triggers a firmware update run by &
managed by OM, but executing on the local host system or directly on the
Freerunner.  I'd have no objection to setting up remote login to my FR if
that were needed for such an unusual circumstance as updating GSM firmware.
 (If it could be fully automated at your end so much the better, but even
requiring manual action at your end it would probably be faster and cheaper
for you, and certainly for us, than shipping every Freerunner suffering
this issue back to OM for the update, always assuming that turns out to be
the needed resolution of course...)

I'm wondering if the restriction is more to protect the firmware itself or
the utility that performs the update.

j





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