New Open Hardware company

steven mosher moshersteven at gmail.com
Tue Jul 21 12:12:51 CEST 2009


inlined

On Tue, Jul 21, 2009 at 2:08 AM, Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller
<hns at computer.org>wrote:

>
> Am 21.07.2009 um 10:52 schrieb steven mosher:
>
>
>
> On Tue, Jul 21, 2009 at 12:34 AM, Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller <
> hns at computer.org> wrote:
>
>>  Ouch!
>> So you need to connect a mouse that is larger than the device to position
>> any scrollbars or press buttons? Or does it have a large enough trackpad
>> somewhere?
>>
>
>    There is a 4 way key that can be used for up/down/right/left. etc . And
> an additional
>    key for up and down.  ( or vol+- )
>
>    Not sure where you got the mouse idea.
>
>
> That is "my own view" (TM) what is needed to make it useable.
>

   useable as?

>
> Have you ever tried to operate a UI with the mouse-pointer paradigm through
> arrow keys?
>

   Yup. Size of the screen plays a role in this as does the application.

>
> So I expect that someone needs to write is a complete UI stack for
> arrow-key-only operation. Plus applications. No compatibility to most FOSS.
> Unless we restrict the Non-G-UI to commandline and ncurses.
>

   not so sure about that.  I tend not to underestimate the creativity of
software developers.


>
>> What I wonder is how it will compare to this one:
>>
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zipit_Wireless_Messenger_(Z2)
>>
>>  and its community project - it appears also to be quite open - but not
>> free(dom):
>>
>> http://linux.zipitwireless.com/
>>
>
>     And it locks you into a service plan. Not much point in comparing
> apples and oranges.
>
>
> Hint: they have approx. 3 or 4 years experience with this device class and
> users of such devices. And they may have an (economic) reason to offer that
> with a service plan...
>

   Yes, of course. But I think it serves no useful purpose to compare
devices that are sold
    on a different basis for different reasons. Service plans, as we all
know, help to subsidize
   the hardware. So for example, I have to live with my ATT phone for 2
years before I can upgrade
   it. For me an unlocked feature phone is superior to locked smart phone.
Why? because
   my principles put freedom ahead of technology.

   Let me put it another way.. What Qi hardware is about is changing
   the way design is done, just as you encouraged us to.. We start with the
NanoNote and then we open that device, the hardware
   the schematics, the roadmap. So, in essence we are not just selling a
device. Not merely
   putting linux on a device and calling it open. We too are selling a
service. That service is
   open hardware and open roadmap. We are doing everything the community
asked us
   to do while we were at OM. These are our important check boxes: GPL the
code, open
   the schematics,upstream the kernel, Open the roadmap process.  Those
aren't product features, those are service guarantees. As members of the
community when we  start down the path of comparing closed devices to open
devices and partially open devices  to open devices we get our principles
out of order.



>
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