On their blogspot site, Bill Buck and Raquel Velasco, owners of Genesi (which manufactures Pegasos PowerPC-CPU based motherboards) revealed that they could soon release all designs, layouts, HAL and Open Firmware of their platforms under GPL licence.
Pegasos/ODW: First Completely Open Sourced Motherboard
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A very significant comment was made on Slashdot in response to someone belittling other platforms because they were closed, and that the poster was better off because they were 100% free from proprietry grip. The reply pointed out that the hardware, firmware, designs and everything used for the hardware to run Linux – is anything but open and free.
This news is of course, a good thing.
so true. The most popular product on Linux isn’t open source – Nvidia 3d graphics.
Even though it probably won’t work open sourcing hardware is the future way to fight DRM and ensure control of our own computers.
My freedey sense is tingling!
This could be very cool. Something like this could, theoretically, start a range of small computer providers like existed in the 80’s.
No, it won’t. Chip/motherboard fabrication plants are extremely expensive to build nowadays, so your only other choice is to hire the likes of TSMC/IBM/etc. That’s also out of the question for 99.9% of companies, unless they’re willing to shell out the $1-2 million required for a chip mask.
The problem with it is that unless you’re planning to produce a few million chips (and sell them all), it’s a very, very expensive undertaking — and one which would land a lot of small companies in the black.
Hey “Poo”, there is more than Linux on this platform. You can solder a chip on board one person at a time if necessary.
Err … who said anything about Linux? I didn’t.
And yes, I know you can build this stuff by hand (as in the home-built computers that some of you old-timers built back in the day), but my response was in reply to a suggestion that small startups could sell “open” PCs. Unless those startups plan to build each and every computer by hand (and even then they need a chip foundry) and sell the finished product for very, very, very much $$$, their only other choice is to hire another company to do it for them — and that’s not cost-effective for a limited product run.
Err … “who said anything about Linux?”
Signed, “Linux is Poo” …?
forget it…the point is you could use this for more than one use of a computer {see slides at end of blog}
Yeah, I understand that. Again, I was replying to the grandparent’s comment about startups building “open” PCs. I can’t explain my point *any* better than that.
And I didn’t sign my post “Linux is Poo” — that’s just my username. I wasn’t talking about Linux, I wasn’t thinking about Linux.
You weren’t thinking period? :p
Anyway, I agree with you on this one. This is not going to open for a lot of computer providers like we saw in the 80’es.
However, it will open for a bit more competition, but it’s too early to say whether this will benefit small companies or individuals or the major companies. Hardware is actually quite expensive in quantities below 10.000 or higher (depends on the item).
Browser: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 4.01; Windows CE; PPC; 240×320)
Hopefully someone will also port Darwin.
Let’s all build our own compile farms, and make this an unqualified success.
Look:
http://www.genesippc.com/press.php?date=20050901
If that is not enough:
http://www.genesippc.com/press.php?date=20050624
It would be really something.
First of the parent did not say anything about chip manufacturing, which as you say are a tad expensive.
But the thing with starting a range of computer providers are quite possible, afterall that’s the way the current major platform got started. Or IBM compatible PC as they used to be referred to.
And there are no need to build your own motherboard manufacturing plant as there already exist lots for hire, and they would probably do a better and cheaper job. But depending on capacity you can still set up a complete manufacturing line from round $1.5-3 million, so it’s not a impossible investment even for a small company.
Unless those startups plan to build each and every computer by hand (and even then they need a chip foundry) and sell the finished product for very, very, very much $$$, their only other choice is to hire another company to do it for them — and that’s not cost-effective for a limited product run.
Okay, absolutely everting you say here is wrong. First of, no computer manufacturer has a chip foundry(except IBM, but it’s an entirely different and separate division in the company). They all(Dell, Apple etc) buy their chips from 3rd parties(Intel, AMD, SiS etc). And they usually, for cost-effectiveness, outsource their manufacturing(Apple) and sometimes even buy motherboards from 3rd party’s(Like MSI, Asus, EPoX). And limited production runs would make this approach even more cost-effective.
Actually, everything YOU just said is wrong. He had it right while you got it completely backwards. I’ve MADE limited production runs of boards by hand, and then hired a company to make them. You don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.
given that the stuff will be GPL a number of companys that allready makes chip to order for diffrent bigger companys could just produce them in bulk, then sell them of to diffrent companys that put the parts together, slap a linux distro on the whole thing and then sell it for pure profit
rember, there are chip makers all over asia
Actually, everything YOU just said is wrong. He had it right while you got it completely backwards. I’ve MADE limited production runs of boards by hand, and then hired a company to make them. You don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.
And I have been involved doing prototype, small and medium scale production series at a board/system manufacturer. But rather than comparing resumes, let’s play some true or false with what I said. Please enlighten us all and tell which is not true:
-no computer manufacturer has a chip foundry(except IBM, but it’s an entirely different and separate division in the company).
-They all(Dell, Apple etc) buy their chips from 3rd parties(Intel, AMD, SiS etc)
-And they usually, for cost-effectiveness, outsource their manufacturing(Big plants in low cost contries like China, Mexico etc)
-sometimes even buy motherboards from 3rd party’s
-And limited production runs would make this approach even more cost-effective.(Rather than creating your own assemblyline)(In lots of companies even prototype series are outsourced, most manufacturers have specialized departments tailored for this kind of work with low volume and high turnaround.)
Having followed Genesi for a while, I’d say this is just a really desperate move to try to get people interested in their stuff.
They are hoping that Linux and GPL fanboys will flock to their platform and let them do all the work in getting it properly finished, and giving it recognition.
If you fall for this now, don’t complain later on when you discover that you’ve been fooled. You’ve been warned.
Mr. Marcellus wrote:
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Having followed Genesi for a while, I’d say this is just a really desperate move to try to get people interested in their stuff.
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Maybe you are right. Maybe you are wrong.
If a complete hardware mainboard projects will be GPLed with all layout designs available on the web, then it could be the next big revolution after the launch of Linux.
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They are hoping that Linux and GPL fanboys will flock to their platform and let them do all the work in getting it properly finished, and giving it recognition.
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Well. I want to know the reactions by Stallman first.
If he will enjoy the idea to realize open sourced maiboards, then a vaste majority of Linux fans will embrace this project.
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If you fall for this now, don’t complain later on when you discover that you’ve been fooled. You’ve been warned.
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We will seat and see what happens…
http://bbrv.blogspot.com/2005/11/yokuso.html
I call bogus. So, we have to license the OF design from them, who in turn license it from another company… ahuh.. the odw OF is the buggiest piece of garbage in the world. If anything needs to be gpld, that is. the ‘freedom’ of the mobo schemtaic means nothing to me.
the bits that REALLY need to be realased as opensourced are not.