here we go *again*

[ron minnich]

Geez, now I wish I had patented the idea. Well, not really: I hate
software patents.

http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/05/14/2254252&from=rss

ron

[Robinson Tryon]

On Fri, May 15, 2009 at 1:04 PM, ron minnich  wrote:
> Geez, now I wish I had patented the idea. Well, not really: I hate
> software patents.
>
> http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/05/14/2254252&from=rss

If software such as Splashtop and HyperSpace are based on the linux
kernel, to what extent does that help Free Software and coreboot?
Specifically, if a given set of hardware can support a proprietary
instant-on system, to what extent will their kernel diffs enable
coreboot and the linux kernel to run with at least the same level of
functionality on that set of hardware?

--R

[ron minnich]

On Fri, May 15, 2009 at 10:31 AM, Robinson Tryon
 wrote:
> If software such as Splashtop and HyperSpace are based on the linux
> kernel, to what extent does that help Free Software and coreboot?
> Specifically, if a given set of hardware can support a proprietary
> instant-on system, to what extent will their kernel diffs enable
> coreboot and the linux kernel to run with at least the same level of
> functionality on that set of hardware?

In some ways it doesn't really help. The key parts are going to be in
the binary blob that loads linux from flash.

In other ways it does really help. It shows that linux in flash is a
commercially viable idea. A number of companies have been fighting
this idea with FUD for 10 years now. One company even has demo'd
linux-in-flash at private and open conferences for almost 5 years, but
they still refuse to release it to the general public or even, in many
cases, acknowledge its existence (strange but true).

I think Phoenix just gave the idea of linux-in-flash and
virtualization in flash a huge dose of credibility. That's why it is
nice that we had AVATT as a GSOC project -- we're there already!

Among other things, when CME asks vendors for linux-in-flash, the
vendors can no longer say it is not practical, given that CME can buy
it ...

Among other things, this last 10 years has been a lesson in how long
it can take to get an idea into general use.

ron

[Russell Whitaker]

On Fri, 15 May 2009, ron minnich wrote:
> On Fri, May 15, 2009 at 10:31 AM, Robinson Tryon
>  wrote:
> > If software such as Splashtop and HyperSpace are based on the linux
> > kernel, to what extent does that help Free Software and coreboot?
> > Specifically, if a given set of hardware can support a proprietary
> > instant-on system, to what extent will their kernel diffs enable
> > coreboot and the linux kernel to run with at least the same level of
> > functionality on that set of hardware?
>
> In some ways it doesn't really help. The key parts are going to be in
> the binary blob that loads linux from flash.
>
> In other ways it does really help. It shows that linux in flash is a
> commercially viable idea. A number of companies have been fighting
> this idea with FUD for 10 years now. One company even has demo'd
> linux-in-flash at private and open conferences for almost 5 years, but
> they still refuse to release it to the general public or even, in many
> cases, acknowledge its existence (strange but true).
>
> I think Phoenix just gave the idea of linux-in-flash and
> virtualization in flash a huge dose of credibility. That's why it is
> nice that we had AVATT as a GSOC project -- we're there already!
>
> Among other things, when CME asks vendors for linux-in-flash, the
> vendors can no longer say it is not practical, given that CME can buy
> it ...
>
> Among other things, this last 10 years has been a lesson in how long
> it can take to get an idea into general use.

Looks like we are going full circle: as I recall in the early days of the
PC there was a cluster of roms on the MB containing the operating system
and a basic interpreter.

Russ