Re: new, open source Linux tablet, 7" with kde plasma !!!
 

The Spark is as open as it can possibly get nowadays. But maybe we are going to see some really open devices in the future. The Maemo devices (all from 770 to N9) aren't fully open either.

Re: new, open source Linux tablet, 7" with kde plasma !!!
 

I wouldn't read too much into there being a separate CD for the source code for a relatively small amount that arguably doesn't violate GPL. But the licensing of the source code is a concern...


Having access to the source code is a relevant fact, but it doesn't prevent you from working on a related area of the kernel if there is also a GPL version of that area of the kernel.

Re: new, open source Linux tablet, 7" with kde plasma !!!
 

with what i have amassed so far, i can say that sure you could have an open source tablet, but to make it usable becomes hard because of open source. even finding hardware with open drivers becomes hard. no one wants to give open drivers because they dont want to reveal secrets of the hardware. the company that develops the software always get an interest in it and thus dont want to release it open source.
In short nothing is ever fully open source.

Re: new, open source Linux tablet, 7" with kde plasma !!!
 

Spark has a working and open source amlogic upstream kernel on it, with touchscreen and so on working. Manufacturer might be violating GPL, but it doesn't mean the Spark with Plasma Active + the amlogic kernel would.

Feel free to buy a Zenithink straight from manufacturer and sue them for GPL compliance. Or from one of the importers who you'll buy from directly most likely, who isn't likely to give a rats *** about GPL and will stare at you blankly when you ask them for source..

What's this more open and cheaper alternative you're speaking of?

Re: new, open source Linux tablet, 7" with kde plasma !!!
 

are they or are they not buying a device that violates GPL? it does not matter much in what state they are selling it to us after that as part of our money goes to a manufacturer that violates GPL and there for we are supporting it, although not directly

they had a much more open option(plus cheaper, plus more powerfull) that i have already presented here and you can not deny this fact
more open and cheaper is allwinner a10 soc(soc is priced at 7$, amlogic is 13$, tablets go for 100-120$ retail, cheapest zenithink i found is 125$)
dont know how you managed to miss my ranting about this on the last few pages :p

Re: new, open source Linux tablet, 7" with kde plasma !!!
 

This coment i found might explain some things a bit better than me:

"Allwinner chips are some of the few you cannot lock the boot loader from being replaced or downloaded out the device. There are no efuses. Only way to prevent firmware replacement on a Allwinner is use a external rom chip. Problem is the device will still fully boot from USB with what ever is on the USB even if you use the rom chip option. Running third party is alway a option on a Allwinner chip. They cannot be bricked and they cannot be fully locked down. They are more open than most x86 desktop motherboards.

Yes you can always back up the contained firmware from these. Due to design also alway restore that to the device as well.

Allwinner the company behind the A10 is working on getting the kernel sorted so it can be upstreamed.*

So this is a balancing act. You get a A10 you might not get the firmware source from the company that made it but you can replace the firmware with your own."

*kernel is sorted and available already...

Re: new, open source Linux tablet, 7" with kde plasma !!!
 

I wonder which is the better budget SoC: The Allwinner A10 or MediaTech MT6575.

If both are at 512MB RAM and 2,000mAh battery...how would you guys compare them in terms of performance and battery life?

A10 vs 6575
1.5GHz(max) - 1GHz (max)
Solo A8 - Solo A9
55nm - (65nm ?)
Mali400 (undervolted and inferior driver) - (SGX540 ?)
$10 - $13 (prices for both drop when ordering in bulk)

Re: new, open source Linux tablet, 7" with kde plasma !!!
 

Again, I'm not in any way representing Spark. Spark's delivered with an image and kernel that's not GPL violating. The markup goes to open source communities, see http://aseigo.blogspot.com/2012/02/s...73221624518884

We're getting down to specifics here. But reasons why you wouldn't take allwinner:

1) Tablets with allwinner has exact same problem as zenithink, there has only been leaks of drivers for the tablets, not any official releases. Most efforts take the approach of using the released allwinner sources from allwinner directly.

2) Allwinner does not provide downloadable GLES drivers and other support like amlogic does on http://openlinux.amlogic.com/

3) Allwinner devices require a Windows(!) closed source flasher to flash the devices, http://elinux.org/Hack_A10_devices

In the end, let it be up to yourself to choose if you want one or not - here's a working piece of hardware, with open kernel (though not created by manufacturer) and working and usable open platform, in which the profits go to a open community who hopes to in the future to produce better devices in which they can get out of the hands of those non-compliant device makers.

Just sometimes I wish GNU people would look realistically at the world -- while I'm a big supporter of open source myself, the behaviour of some parts of the open source community reminds me a little too much of the the Butlerian Jihad from the Dune series..

Open source developers need hardware to develop on as well and create greater things using and the embedded world is far from perfect yet.

Re: new, open source Linux tablet, 7" with kde plasma !!!
 

6575 has only 720p playback...at least that is the info on various sites....
btw gpu is sgx531 crap, at least by these specs:
http://www.etotalk.com/lenovo-a750-3...vga_p2869.html

Re: new, open source Linux tablet, 7" with kde plasma !!!
 

btw is that zenithink crap at least unbrickable?