AAVA Mobile?

Timo Jyrinki timo.jyrinki at gmail.com
Tue Apr 6 16:59:10 CEST 2010


2010/4/6 arne anka <openmoko at ginguppin.de>:
>> The issue is really what they mean by "open".

So far I think it means "we have not restricted flashing different
software on the device, the restrictions can be added by you, our
future customer with deep pockets, who will be selling the actual
end-user hardware to people". I'll be glad if it would turn out
otherwise and be more concretely about freedoms.

> which of intel's hardware does not have open source, intel supported,
> drivers?

The embedded graphics hardware they have licensed from powervr. ie.
poulsbo / GMA 500. Powervr chips are used on about all embedded
platforms, be it as part of Intel's poulsbo or independently. There is
no pure intel graphics hardware usable on embedded platforms. All of
powervr related graphics stuff is currently worse than even smedia
glamo regarding the state of free software drivers.

I'm also not sure if there is any Intel WLAN hardware suitable for
devices of this size (and battery power).

> if they really make all drivers available (as with their graphic adaptors
> and wifi), it would be more open than the freerunner, wouldn't it?

If, and a strong if, then software-wise yes. I'm quite sure Aava can
do nothing to affect PowerVR, if even Intel, Nokia and Canonical have
not been able to squeeze free, functional and maintained drivers out
of there so far.

Then there is also the hardware schematics and CAD side of things,
where FreeRunner has also a degree of freedoms. Of course the software
side is the most interesting for us software people.

-Timo



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