2011-02-08 11:52 <Ayla> hello.
2011-02-08 12:12 <Mauro_R> Hello Ayla :-)
2011-02-08 12:12 <Ayla> hi
2011-02-08 12:13 <Mauro_R> not so much action today in this room ....
2011-02-08 12:15 <kristianpaul> ACTION !!!!!
2011-02-08 12:15 <kristianpaul> hi Ayla
2011-02-08 12:16 <Ayla> I have a question for you guys
2011-02-08 12:17 <Ayla> that'll give some action
2011-02-08 12:17 <kristianpaul> go ahed, just drop it ! :-)
2011-02-08 12:17 <Ayla> does the linux kernel used by the nanonote support suspend?
2011-02-08 12:18 <Ayla> I almost got it to work on opendingux (the new kernel for the dingoo a320)
2011-02-08 12:18 <Ayla> but there's one bug left
2011-02-08 12:18 <kristianpaul> Yes it suspend, but there is a bug..
2011-02-08 12:18 <Ayla> after a resume, the SD card behaves strangely
2011-02-08 12:18 <Ayla> ah, ok :)
2011-02-08 12:19 <kristianpaul> In dingux, how long it survive suspend?
2011-02-08 12:19 <Ayla> after a resume you mean?
2011-02-08 12:19 <kristianpaul> nope
2011-02-08 12:20 <kristianpaul> I mean:
2011-02-08 12:20 <kristianpaul> 1. You set supend
2011-02-08 12:20 <kristianpaul> 2. you do something else for certain time
2011-02-08 12:20 <larsc> but thats a hw bug
2011-02-08 12:21 <kristianpaul> In the nanontoe it may not resume after some hrs
2011-02-08 12:21 <kristianpaul> yes larsc :(
2011-02-08 12:21 <Ayla> really?
2011-02-08 12:21 <kristianpaul> I wonder if is the same with dingux
2011-02-08 12:21 <kristianpaul> is the same chip as the nanonote isnt?
2011-02-08 12:21 <larsc> more or less
2011-02-08 12:21 <Ayla> well I succeded to resume it after one hour, using the RTC
2011-02-08 12:21 <Ayla> but I tried only once
2011-02-08 12:22 <kristianpaul> one hour is okay
2011-02-08 12:22 <larsc> try a 10h
2011-02-08 12:22 <kristianpaul> i realized it after more than that
2011-02-08 12:22 <kristianpaul> yeah
2011-02-08 12:22 <Ayla> that's because of a lack of power somehow?
2011-02-08 12:22 <larsc> but luckly we can workaround the bug in sw, by using the rtc to wake the device up from time to time
2011-02-08 12:23 <kristianpaul> larsc: How you can confirm is hw bug? Ingenic confirmed? or you tracked the suspend state some how in the board?
2011-02-08 12:23 <kristianpaul> hmm rtc, nice trick :-)
2011-02-08 12:23 <kristianpaul> B_Lizzard: ^
2011-02-08 12:24 <B_Lizzard> kristianpaul, heard that, I could work something up
2011-02-08 12:25 <larsc> kristianpaul: i assume its a hw bug, no confirmation
2011-02-08 12:25 <kristianpaul> damn i dont, but is good idea
2011-02-08 12:25 <B_Lizzard> Since I suspend by doing "echo mem > /sys/power/state" I could probably fit a small script in there.
2011-02-08 12:25 <kristianpaul> larsc: good asumtion  :)
2011-02-08 12:26 <kristianpaul> larsc: there is a linux driver for rtc?
2011-02-08 12:26 <larsc> yes
2011-02-08 12:26 <kristianpaul> :D
2011-02-08 12:26 <Ayla> anyway, except with this bug, does the suspend work correctly?
2011-02-08 12:26 <kristianpaul> sure
2011-02-08 12:26 <larsc> and Ayla added wakeup support some time ago
2011-02-08 12:26 <kristianpaul> but not for too long
2011-02-08 12:26 <kristianpaul> Ayla: :)
2011-02-08 12:26 <larsc> Ayla: whats you problem with suspend?
2011-02-08 12:26 <kristianpaul> well the SD part i dint tested
2011-02-08 12:27 <Ayla> the issue I'm experiencing is that the SD card behaves strangely after a suspend
2011-02-08 12:27 <kristianpaul> so it dint behave well after wakeup?
2011-02-08 12:27 <kristianpaul> hmm
2011-02-08 12:27 <Ayla> it is possible to read/write to the card,
2011-02-08 12:27 <kristianpaul> i/o error?
2011-02-08 12:27 <Ayla> but for a defined time
2011-02-08 12:27 <larsc> hm, thats rather strange
2011-02-08 12:27 <Ayla> (so I guess when I read/write the card it just read/write the kernel buffers)
2011-02-08 12:27 <kristianpaul> Ayla: did you tried with a single card?
2011-02-08 12:28 <Ayla> it depends what/where I read/write
2011-02-08 12:28 <Ayla> I tried with two cards
2011-02-08 12:28 <larsc> Ayla: which linux version is dingux based on?
2011-02-08 12:28 <larsc> there were some issues with suspend/resume in the linux core in <= .36
2011-02-08 12:28 <Ayla> and the errors I get are not I/O errors, it's more like if the card was not responding anymore
2011-02-08 12:28 <Ayla> larsc: it's 2.6.37 now
2011-02-08 12:28 <larsc> ok
2011-02-08 12:29 <larsc> i'll have to catch a bus, i'll be back in 30 minutes or so
2011-02-08 12:29 <kristianpaul> is it posible reload the mmc driver just in case after resume? (i think)
2011-02-08 12:29 <Ayla> I suppose the card is not reinitialised correctly after the resume
2011-02-08 12:29 <kristianpaul> me too
2011-02-08 12:32 <kristianpaul> Ayla: if you can try the 12h suspend will be awesome to confirm the _posible_ hw bug
2011-02-08 12:32 <Ayla> allright
2011-02-08 12:32 <Ayla> but that wouldn't confirm the hw bug
2011-02-08 12:33 <Ayla> we're both using linux :)
2011-02-08 12:33 <kristianpaul> hehe
2011-02-08 12:34 <kristianpaul> dinguz use JZ4720 as well?
2011-02-08 12:34 <kristianpaul> dinguX*
2011-02-08 12:36 <Ayla> jz4740
2011-02-08 12:51 <kristianpaul> tuxbrain: kind expensive the gta04, i saw the guys with the t-shirt
2011-02-08 13:09 <tuxbrain> kristianpaul: I have started a lot of thing this year, I can't afford right to be involved in that right now, I wish them the best of lucks
2011-02-08 13:09 <kristianpaul> :-)
2011-02-08 13:53 <wpwrak> tuxbrain: so gta04 is still in the stage where they have an IO board in the gta02 case but the cpu board sticks out ? i thought they had everything inside the phone by now ?
2011-02-08 13:54 <tuxbrain> I have not see it working but yes they have some gta02 sized boards on the table
2011-02-08 13:55 <tuxbrain> I have not see it doesn't mean it's not working , is just that there were a lot of people to attend
2011-02-08 13:56 <tuxbrain> and I have taken no pictures of one of those boards
2011-02-08 13:57 <wpwrak> tuxbrain: ah, i see. maybe mention it in in the commentary ? it's not nice to present their yesteryear's stuff in a way that make it look as if it was the latest and greatest
2011-02-08 13:58 <tuxbrain> ok going to fix it.
2011-02-08 13:59 <urandom__> just an idea i had, when i read about the inferno os from bell labs:  milkymist has no MMU but people want still run some kind of unix on it? why not port Inferno? it needs no MMU, requires few resources, isnt really an unix but looks like an useable os
2011-02-08 14:00 <tuxbrain> btw, Dr Niko has see the post and he likes it :P but I'm go to try to fix it anyway :)
2011-02-08 14:00 <kristianpaul> urandom__: there is qemu  in case you dont have a mm1 :')
2011-02-08 14:01 <kristianpaul> urandom__: but i think rtems is fine now and couting there are bugs to fix
2011-02-08 14:02 <kristianpaul> will read about inferno just for intelectual curiosity
2011-02-08 14:03 <urandom__> does rtems work well? i have no experience with it
2011-02-08 14:03 <kristianpaul> sure it is fast !
2011-02-08 14:04 <kristianpaul> is real-time and real-free
2011-02-08 14:05 <kristianpaul> urandom__: flickernoise work out of the box and it uses rtems
2011-02-08 14:05 <wpwrak> urandom__: don't design around a problem - fix the problem ;-)
2011-02-08 14:07 <urandom__> nah wpwrak i dont want any MMU for Milkymist, we shouldnt design it for running linux
2011-02-08 14:07 <wpwrak> urandom__: what would be the point of that ?
2011-02-08 14:07 <wpwrak> urandom__: make it more exclusive ? ;-)
2011-02-08 14:07 <kristianpaul> urandom__: how indefero kernel culd be a virtual machine? i dont get that
2011-02-08 14:08 <urandom__> i would prefer garbadge collection in hardware :P
2011-02-08 14:08 <wpwrak> urandom__: write cleaner programs ;-))
2011-02-08 14:09 <urandom__> wpwrak make people try new ideas is the point of it
2011-02-08 14:09 <wpwrak> urandom__: btw, in a way, an MMU does give you "garbage collection" in hardware :)
2011-02-08 14:09 <kristianpaul> wonder if there is a no-mmu movement
2011-02-08 14:10 <wpwrak> urandom__: i don't think there's a shortage of new ideas to try ;-)
2011-02-08 14:10 <urandom__> yeah i wasnt that serious wpwrak, just wanted to say we should not design milkymist as a linux maschine
2011-02-08 14:11 <kristianpaul> urandom__: i dnot think sebaestien tought in linux when designed the SoC, but you could ask him ;)
2011-02-08 14:11 <kristianpaul>  /j #milkymist
2011-02-08 14:11 <wpwrak> kristianpaul: i read this more as sebastien not having a good idea and/or time for implementing an mmu yet and instead of admitting this lack of omniscience and omnipotence, to claim that none is needed :)
2011-02-08 14:12 <wpwrak> kristianpaul: i'm not so much worried about him, because i think he understands the use of an mmu quite well, but of other people building some cargo cult around it
2011-02-08 14:12 <kristianpaul> wpwrak: :)
2011-02-08 14:12 <wpwrak> urandom__: (linux machine) you said, you'd rather have a lisp machine, yes :)
2011-02-08 14:13 <kristianpaul> (he understands the use of an mmu quite well) i dont :(... is on my TODO
2011-02-08 14:14 <urandom__> in fact i would like everything that is not designed for running C stuff wpwrak ;)
2011-02-08 14:14 <wpwrak> all this reminds me a bit of the amiga. amazing video hardware, os capabilities well ahead of the "industry standard", and all this, but ultimately doomed to die in its niche.
2011-02-08 14:14 <kristianpaul> wpwrak: (sebastien), no time, no mmu i agree
2011-02-08 14:14 <wpwrak> urandom__: C is hard to kill ;-)
2011-02-08 14:16 <urandom__> i dont want to kill it, i just want to live in my fancy lisp world pretending is doesnt exists
2011-02-08 14:16 <urandom__> ;)
2011-02-08 14:16 <wpwrak> once linux runs properly on it, you have a solid base for experiments. when you need some tool you already know, it's readily available. you have a ton of languages to choose from, and so on. you have drivers for lots of pluggable hardware (usb and such)
2011-02-08 14:16 <wpwrak> your baseline just jumps up by a few thousand manyears
2011-02-08 14:17 <kristianpaul> at least you want to do SDR, then decide to move to a real time executive os
2011-02-08 14:17 <wpwrak> urandom__: ah, that reminds me that, while we have sw, hw, and a bit of mech and artwork, we don't have a drugs division in qi-hw ;-)
2011-02-08 14:17 <kristianpaul> (SDR) but i guess it can be done in Linux as well but i dont know yet how :/
2011-02-08 14:18 <wpwrak> kristianpaul: with the fpga, you can be more aggressive about SDR - just design your heavily hw-assisted subsystem for it
2011-02-08 14:18 <kristianpaul> wpwrak: indeed
2011-02-08 14:19 <kristianpaul> wpwrak: but are parts in wich hardware logic is not as efficient as sofware one
2011-02-08 14:19 <urandom__> wpwrak maybe wolfspraul doesnt want the drug division to be that public ;)
2011-02-08 14:19 <kristianpaul> but time and coding will show me wich parts
2011-02-08 14:19 <wpwrak> kristianpaul: (exaggerating) e.g., a five instruction cpu for gps: RECV, FFT, CORRELATE, PUSH, AGAIN :)
2011-02-08 14:20 <wpwrak> urandom__: (hidden division) yeah, could be that it's still too early :)
2011-02-08 14:20 <kristianpaul> wpwrak: ;-))
2011-02-08 14:21 <wpwrak> kristianpaul: i think there is still very little expertise with finding a good equilibrium between sw and programmable hw. most fpga designers treat their fpga like an asic, which is quite different.
2011-02-08 14:22 <wpwrak> kristianpaul: so that's where i see a lot of revolutionary potential for mm1. bring this entirely new world to the people.
2011-02-08 14:22 <kristianpaul> wpwrak: http://2009.rmll.info/IMG/pdf/slides_jm_friedt.pdf on slide number 14, just trying to keep my energy about working with rtems for now :-)
2011-02-08 14:22 <kristianpaul> s/energy/point
2011-02-08 14:23 <kristianpaul> (most fpga designers treat their fpga like an asic, which is quite different.) agree
2011-02-08 14:24 <wpwrak> kristianpaul: (slide) framebuffer access ?
2011-02-08 14:25 <kristianpaul> wpwrak: 16, sorry
2011-02-08 14:28 <wpwrak> kristianpaul: yes. linux isn't designed for real-time. there are approaches where you have separate a low-latency rt kernel.
2011-02-08 14:29 <wpwrak> kristianpaul: rt also means a lot of constraints. you have to design your applications very carefully or they're not rt, even if your system is.
2011-02-08 14:29 <wpwrak> kristianpaul: e.g., you better don't try to access files :)
2011-02-08 14:30 <wpwrak> kristianpaul: or if you do, you need to pay attention to the organization of the storage device, how communication with it works, how the file system organizes data, and so on.
2011-02-08 14:31 <kristianpaul> (design your applications very carefully) good point
2011-02-08 14:34 <wpwrak> nice. atusb enumerates :)
2011-02-08 14:35 <kristianpaul> cheers !
2011-02-08 14:36 <wpwrak> now let's see how i can hook my stuff into those control transfers ...
2011-02-08 14:40 <wpwrak> and of course, 473 lines of patches to make it behave so far. e.g., they don't believe in "void" and "static". once you add them, some issues appear that look like potential bugs ...
2011-02-08 14:42 <wpwrak> ("they" being freakusb)
2011-02-08 15:29 <Ayla> hi again
2011-02-08 15:29 <Ayla> about that SD bug
2011-02-08 15:29 <Ayla> if you don't experience it, that's weird, as we share the same driver
2011-02-08 15:34 <larsc> could you compile your kernel with CONFIG_MMC_DEBUG=y and see whats in the systemlog after resume?
2011-02-08 15:37 <Ayla> yes, but I can't do it now ; next week, probably
2011-02-08 15:38 <larsc> btw. you have the rootfs on the sd card, right?
2011-02-08 15:41 <Ayla> yes
2011-02-08 15:41 <Ayla> but it behaves the same if I put the rootfs on the NAND
2011-02-08 15:46 <larsc> hm ok
2011-02-08 15:46 <tuxbrain> larsc: FYI it also hangs booting from nand NN recovers after more than 2 hours of suspend, unfortunately I was trying a very unestable version of jlime just aimed for demo porpouses in Fosdem, and sistems hangs after some time of idle and I was not able to recover any logs.
2011-02-08 15:46 <tuxbrain> sorry it can recover form suspend if booting from nand with no SD card inserted
2011-02-08 15:50 <tuxbrain> ok let me wrote it right this time, booting from Nand and without sd card inserted system can recover after more than 2h of suspend, booting with nand with a card inserted behaves exactly as booting from sd, it fails on recover from suspend unfortunately I was trying a very unestable version of jlime just aimed for demo porpouses in Fosdem, and sistems hangs after some time of idle and I was not able to recover any logs.
2011-02-08 15:50 <tuxbrain> ok now is at least more clear :)
2011-02-08 15:51 <larsc> which kernel version does jlime ues?
2011-02-08 15:51 <tuxbrain> 2.6.36
2011-02-08 15:51 <tuxbrain> on the version I was using
2011-02-08 15:52 <larsc> they should upgrade to 2.6.37,  resume with sd card is known to be broken with 2.6.36
2011-02-08 15:53 <mth> Ayla: did you try rootfs on NAND with 2.6.37 or only with older kernels?
2011-02-08 15:59 <Ayla> mth: both
2011-02-08 16:00 <Ayla> I'm testing this since the second 2.6.35 we had
2011-02-08 16:00 <Ayla> there, it was not working at all
2011-02-08 16:00 <Ayla> when booting from the SD
2011-02-08 16:00 <Ayla> without the SD, I was able to suspend
2011-02-08 16:01 <Ayla> now on 2.6.37 I'm able to suspend even when booting from SD, but there's still that bug
2011-02-08 16:39 <lekernel> http://www.fluxeon.com/
2011-02-08 16:39 <lekernel> induction heater kits
2011-02-08 16:47 <lekernel> website is sloppy, but interesting concept
2011-02-08 17:08 <Jay7> rjeffries: you was asking about from where in Russia am I iirc
2011-02-08 17:08 <Jay7> rjeffries: I'm from Ulyanovsk, middle Volga
2011-02-08 17:09 <wpwrak> lekernel: i know this question is non sequitur when it comes to this sort of toys, but what would you use it for ?
2011-02-08 17:10 <kristianpaul> he :-)
2011-02-08 17:11 <lekernel> me? gassing out vacuum tube electrodes. but the mentioned "plumbing" uses are worthy too.
2011-02-08 17:19 <wpwrak> lekernel: interesting uses you have ... following in the footsteps of tesla ? ;-)
2011-02-08 17:21 <lekernel> oh, it's a classical use of induction heating. that's just a different domain than playing with microcontrollers...
2011-02-08 17:22 <lekernel> and a less explored one, too
2011-02-08 17:23 <lekernel> actually the designer of said kits also does that: http://www.johndearmond.com/2010/11/13/using-the-induction-heater-neon-processing/
2011-02-08 17:25 <wpwrak> lekernel: whee ! :)
2011-02-08 18:26 <rjeffries> Jay7 that is interesting Thanks. I live in Arroyo Grande, California, USA
2011-02-08 18:29 <Jay7> :)
2011-02-08 19:31 <wolfspraul> kristianpaul: hey you nuked a spammer in the wiki. thanks!
2011-02-08 19:31 <wolfspraul> that's one of the little adrenalin kicks I get out of some mornings. ahhh, a spammer. nice :-)
2011-02-08 19:31 <wolfspraul> but today the page was already gone (which is good)
2011-02-08 19:33 <wolfspraul> I do exactly as you did - block the account indefinitely, delete all contributions.
2011-02-08 20:04 <zrafa> wolfspraul: xiangfu will be with us soon? I would like to know the curretn layout of openwrt and how to set it inside kernel config (I guess that it is there)
2011-02-08 20:05 <zrafa> wolfspraul: so I can prepare jlime kernel with the same layout. I am guessing that current jlime booted from uSD breaks qi-openwrt on NAND, and I do not want both fighting.. I want both friends :)
2011-02-08 20:13 <wolfspraul> zrafa: xiangfu should be back from his hometown already
2011-02-08 20:14 <wolfspraul> let's see whether he shows up in this channel later...
2011-02-08 20:14 <wolfspraul> what do you mean with 'jlime booted from 8:10 breaks openwrt on nand'? how is that possible?
2011-02-08 20:14 <wolfspraul> you mean it writes something into nand corrupting an existing openwrt installation in nand?
2011-02-08 20:20 <zrafa> wolfspraul: I am just guessing. I read some users report saying.. "hey, I booted jlime, and after that openwrt can not boot anymore".. some checked the ubifs corruption on nand. Also
2011-02-08 20:21 <zrafa> wolfspraul: I found a similar behaviour with another environment. Gamerunner (the game distro I did for freerunner one year ago) booted from microSD breaks ubifs on freerunner nand. But well, on this case
2011-02-08 20:21 <zrafa> wolfspraul: gamerunner tries to mount a jffs2 fron nand.. and if there is some ubifs there it breaks it. Here, in nanonote
2011-02-08 20:21 <zrafa> jlime tries to mount the ubifs nand on some dir for access, using the jlime layout.
2011-02-08 20:22 <zrafa> I am guessing that because layouts differ, jlime does something unknown by me which breaks the openwrt ubifs
2011-02-08 20:22 <kristianpaul> wolfspraul: but, spam is again!
2011-02-08 20:24 <zrafa> wolfspraul: I am not completely sure of course, but al least, having the same layout boths (for nand) would help to the dual-booting idea and also would avoid this problem (until we fix it)
2011-02-08 20:25 <kristianpaul> (spam)  done, lets see if show up again
2011-02-08 20:25 <wolfspraul> ok got it. yeah that sounds like an important bug.
2011-02-08 20:25 <wolfspraul> kristianpaul: interesting. autoonline12, carinsurance03, looks like the same bot maybe
2011-02-08 20:26 <kristianpaul> wolfspraul: i agree
2011-02-08 20:26 <wolfspraul> I'm wondering whether they have something to go past the math captcha automatically, or whether some kid is paid 1 cent / captcha
2011-02-08 20:27 <kristianpaul> haha ( kid is paid 1 cent / captcha)
2011-02-08 20:32 <wpwrak> kristianpaul: think "gollum"
2011-02-08 20:36 <kristianpaul> wpwrak: noo!!, i'll on ben soon :-)
2011-02-08 20:41 <wolfspraul> oh sure. those 'microservices' are booming.
2011-02-08 20:42 <wolfspraul> there is also some quite amazing 'content farms' with tens of thousands of people writing trivial texts full-time.
2011-02-08 20:42 <wpwrak> kristianpaul: "tricksy hobbits deleted my precious spam"
2011-02-08 20:42 <wpwrak> wolfspraul: rent-a-microvandal ? :)
2011-02-08 20:43 <wolfspraul> wpwrak: believe or not, some of those content farm corporations are valued in the billions of USD!
2011-02-08 20:43 <wolfspraul> we are definitely 100% doing the wrong thing here :-)
2011-02-08 20:44 <wolfspraul> we should be organizing kids to bypass captchas and others to write trivial nonsense texts
2011-02-08 20:44 <kristianpaul> hehe
2011-02-08 20:44 <kristianpaul> That business will progress here as soon english will be mandatory on school i bet
2011-02-08 20:44 <xMff> http://xkcd.com/810/
2011-02-08 20:45 <wolfspraul> I don't think poor english is even a problem.
2011-02-08 20:45 <wolfspraul> :-)
2011-02-08 20:45 <kristianpaul> lol
2011-02-08 20:45 <wpwrak> wolfspraul: sigh. that's what we get for living in a secularized society. in places where cruel eternal revenge inescapably awaits you in the afterlife, such things don't happen ...
2011-02-08 20:46 <wpwrak> xMff: exactly :)
2011-02-08 20:50 <wpwrak> now, be a good usb stack and let me have these two measly status bytes. it can't be so hard. you've already sent me dozens of descriptor bytes ...
2011-02-08 20:54 <steve|m> wpwrak: heh.. you're patching freakusb for the avr? ;)
2011-02-08 20:55 <wpwrak> steve|m: yeah. but i think it won't be long before i just throw it away :)
2011-02-08 20:56 <steve|m> actually there seems to be a real lack of a good, somewhat hardware independent, real open source usb stack
2011-02-08 20:57 <wpwrak> well, i have one that does enumeration. not hardware-independent just yet, but ...
2011-02-08 20:58 <wpwrak> that is, enumeration, vendor/class control transfers, and a bit of bulk
2011-02-08 20:58 <wpwrak> nothing on top, though
2011-02-08 21:00 <kristianpaul> trought avrs?
2011-02-08 21:00 <wpwrak> right now, it only does c8051f32[0167]
2011-02-08 21:01 <wpwrak> but i think the avrs aren't too different. the basic logic is always the same.
2011-02-08 21:02 <steve|m> this is something minimal I found recently http://www.pjrc.com/teensy/usb_serial.html
2011-02-08 21:03 <wolfspraul> 'demand media' is worth 1.5 billion USD
2011-02-08 21:03 <wolfspraul> http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=DMD&ql=1
2011-02-08 21:03 <wpwrak> yes, i've seen it. the chip seems to be different from mine, though. freakusb has a driver for the usb162 which is (almost) the same as the 32u2
2011-02-08 21:04 <wolfspraul> yahoo bought 'associated content' for 100 million USD.
2011-02-08 21:04 <wolfspraul> and there are probably hundreds of smaller ones. oh well :-)
2011-02-08 21:04 <wpwrak> wolfspraul: demand media = monkeys + keyboard ?
2011-02-08 21:04 <wolfspraul> yes. trivial content. written as fast and as cheap as possible.
2011-02-08 21:05 <wolfspraul> amazing you can build a 1.5 billion USD business out of it, no? :-)
2011-02-08 21:05 <wpwrak> for spam ? or for fox news ?
2011-02-08 21:05 <wolfspraul> just content, doesn't matter what it is
2011-02-08 21:05 <wolfspraul> the pages are then filled up with google ads
2011-02-08 21:05 <wpwrak> aah, i see
2011-02-08 21:05 <wolfspraul> they 'employ' tens of thousands of people writing junk
2011-02-08 21:06 <wolfspraul> every day
2011-02-08 21:06 <wolfspraul> :-)
2011-02-08 21:06 <wolfspraul> I can write pretty fast, I think I'd have a chance.
2011-02-08 21:06 <wolfspraul> a few typos don't matter, so I should be able to do 100 words / minute consistently
2011-02-08 21:06 <wpwrak> hmm, i guess i'd have to settle for premium content :)
2011-02-08 21:08 <larsc> wolfspraul: will these words also form sentences?
2011-02-08 21:09 <wpwrak> aha .. i think i can smell the bug ...
2011-02-08 21:09 <kristianpaul> burn?
2011-02-08 21:09 <kristianpaul> ;-)
2011-02-08 21:11 <wpwrak> U8 status[2]; ... memset(status, 0, 2 * sizeof(status));
2011-02-08 21:11 <wpwrak> much better :)
2011-02-08 21:12 <wpwrak> now i pass lsusb with flying colors. but it still doesn't want to call my part of the stack. grmbl.
2011-02-08 21:17 <wpwrak> that is, lsusb -v. lsusb worked out of the box.
2011-02-08 21:19 <qi-bot> [commit] Werner Almesberger: atusb/fw2: firmware for the AVR-based atusb (in progress) http://qi-hw.com/p/ben-wpan/259400f
2011-02-08 21:19 <qi-bot> [commit] Werner Almesberger: atusb/fw2: moved board-specific functions (SPI, RF reset) out of main() http://qi-hw.com/p/ben-wpan/1c004ee
2011-02-08 21:19 <qi-bot> [commit] Werner Almesberger: fw2/usb/patches/correct-array-size.patch: correct memset in ctrl_get_status http://qi-hw.com/p/ben-wpan/06f6174
2011-02-08 21:23 <wpwrak> tuxbrain, rjeffries: how are things going with the pcb fabs ?
2011-02-08 21:26 <kristianpaul> fab fab fab !
2011-02-08 21:27 <wpwrak> the UBB experience will also be useful for atben. if we run into any problems, it'll be much easier to solve them on UBB than on atben.
2011-02-08 21:33 <wpwrak> yeah ! more good bytes coming out of the board :)
2011-02-08 22:17 <wolfspraul> sooo :-) gossip time :-) will nokia ditch meego already on friday?
2011-02-08 22:17 <wolfspraul> symbian is dead, that's clear. meego not sure.
2011-02-08 22:18 <wpwrak> how long will nokia survive whatever they decide to do next ? :)
2011-02-08 22:18 <wolfspraul> but it's the last chance for meego for sure. either nokia gets behind it now 100%, or it will either die fast or slow.
2011-02-08 22:19 <wolfspraul> nokia still has momentum, but it's a huge turnaround case now. let's see whether the new ceo has the necessary power for the bloodshed :-)
2011-02-08 22:19 <wolfspraul> fire 50% of people, kill 80% of products, and so on
2011-02-08 22:19 <wpwrak> their panicky changes in the last months are eerily reminiscent of openmoko ...
2011-02-08 22:20 <wolfspraul> I have the biggest respect for the guys at nokia, it's still a great company. managing is hard, as you know I have many years experience managing smaller groups from 10-40 people, and even that is one hell of a job. cannot imagine what it must be like to come in as new ceo for nokia now. must be a little mao :-)
2011-02-08 22:21 <wolfspraul> wpwrak: did you read the 'leaked' memo?
2011-02-08 22:21 <wolfspraul> http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/08/nokia-ceo-stephen-elop-rallies-troops-in-brutally-honest-burnin/
2011-02-08 22:21 <wolfspraul> at least their PR is getting better :-)
2011-02-08 22:21 <wpwrak> not sure if a big bloodbath is really what's called for. the problem is rather that they need to redefine themselves. and this won't happen within one quarter, no matter what they kill.
2011-02-08 22:21 <wolfspraul> yes it's possible I think
2011-02-08 22:22 <wolfspraul> short-term financial improvements are a must, you cannot argue against it with a publicly listed company
2011-02-08 22:22 <wolfspraul> so you have to kill 80% of products, really
2011-02-08 22:22 <wolfspraul> also massively lay off people, make one big severance package and get over with it
2011-02-08 22:22 <wolfspraul> on the technical side, cut features/variations across the board
2011-02-08 22:23 <wpwrak> (leaked memo) reading ...
2011-02-08 22:23 <wolfspraul> get out all the old cruft of managers and the pile of people they accumulated around them
2011-02-08 22:23 <wolfspraul> get a famous 150 million USD symbolic investment from Microsoft :-)
2011-02-08 22:23 <wolfspraul> we can all learn from Steve godfather Jobs
2011-02-08 22:24 <wolfspraul> they have enough technology I think, they just need to cut and focus on the sales force. the sales force at Nokia is probably in auto-pilot mode for many years already.
2011-02-08 22:25 <wolfspraul> just keep track of incoming orders :-)
2011-02-08 22:26 <wolfspraul> I'm mostly only interested in the fate of Meego.
2011-02-08 22:26 <steve|m> even MediaTek is mentioned :)
2011-02-08 22:26 <wolfspraul> yes
2011-02-08 22:26 <wolfspraul> and finally a realistic market share
2011-02-08 22:26 <wolfspraul> (for mtk)
2011-02-08 22:26 <steve|m> "this ecosystem now produces more than one third of the phones sold globally" - yes
2011-02-08 22:26 <wolfspraul> not that any of this would have been a secret
2011-02-08 22:27 <wolfspraul> but for an organization to bubble up it takes time, understandably
2011-02-08 22:27 <wolfspraul> they have long ignored mtk entirely, basically just 'censored' mtk sales, to make the nokia market share look bigger.
2011-02-08 22:27 <wolfspraul> crazy
2011-02-08 22:27 <wolfspraul> I can see how this works inside such a large corporation, where you pad on each others shoulder, and nobody says that the king wears no clothes.
2011-02-08 22:29 <wolfspraul> steve|m: so what's your take on meego this friday?
2011-02-08 22:30 <wolfspraul> what will nokia decide about meego?
2011-02-08 22:31 <wpwrak> basically three choices: go meego, go android, or go windows. or does a parallel approach seem likely ?
2011-02-08 22:32 <wpwrak> android could work, capitalizing on the brand recognition.
2011-02-08 22:32 <wolfspraul> it depends on the power of the new ceo. sometimes what you want and what you are able to accomplish is not the same thing.
2011-02-08 22:32 <wolfspraul> I'm sure he wants to focus on one system.
2011-02-08 22:32 <wolfspraul> and in fact he wants to get away from the pure software comparison thing
2011-02-08 22:32 <kristianpaul> parallel aprouch i heard from nokia before
2011-02-08 22:33 <wolfspraul> kristianpaul: the only company who is really executing parallel well is Samsung
2011-02-08 22:33 <wpwrak> windows would have some probability considering his background. however, there aren't many success stories among companies that have gotten into such a close technological partnership with microsoft.
2011-02-08 22:33 <steve|m> hm, good question.. don't know if meego would work out in the end
2011-02-08 22:33 <wolfspraul> and they are brutally honest about it. they say 'we do them all' and 'we care about none of them'. in that combination it can work.
2011-02-08 22:34 <wolfspraul> yes but at least microsoft is a strong business partner
2011-02-08 22:34 <wolfspraul> and microsoft needs to stop selling software as in the 90's as well
2011-02-08 22:34 <wolfspraul> so if you combine it with bing, kinect and what not, maybe they team up?
2011-02-08 22:34 <wolfspraul> microsoft is sitting on huge cash, and keeps making more cash each quarter (was it 6 billion in q4/2010?)
2011-02-08 22:35 <wpwrak> meego would depend on the time to market. it's tempting to try to copy the approach of apple and google, namely to establish a new platform. the problem there is that you have such a huge company to run.
2011-02-08 22:35 <kristianpaul> is for nokia hardware a strong point to just just swich to android may be?
2011-02-08 22:35 <wolfspraul> with meego they have no partners
2011-02-08 22:35 <kristianpaul> i mean they value more hardware experience than sofware it self?
2011-02-08 22:35 <wolfspraul> the big problem of true foss - no capital
2011-02-08 22:35 <wpwrak> and just demolishing most of nokia to bring it down to the right size is probably too demoralizing
2011-02-08 22:36 <kristianpaul> some GSM networks are deploy by nokia arent they?
2011-02-08 22:36 <wolfspraul> it's a big corp, not sure what they do. but we are talking about the consumer devices here, or consumer perception/brand value.
2011-02-08 22:36 <kristianpaul> ok
2011-02-08 22:36 <steve|m> kristianpaul: that's Nokia Siemens Networks
2011-02-08 22:36 <wolfspraul> I don't think they will go the Siemens way and totally retreat into the (very profitable) infrastructure backend.
2011-02-08 22:36 <wpwrak> wolfspraul: M$ is good as a cash source, not as a tech source
2011-02-08 22:37 <wolfspraul> wpwrak: yeah, but cash is quite important for nokia now, I would think.
2011-02-08 22:37 <wolfspraul> to turn around such a huge slowly sinking titanic you need HUGE capital.
2011-02-08 22:37 <wpwrak> wolfspraul: probably. but they'd have to find a way to get the cash but not the technology
2011-02-08 22:37 <wolfspraul> notice how he mentions the downgrading of their debt facilities
2011-02-08 22:37 <wolfspraul> or rather the potential downgrading
2011-02-08 22:38 <wolfspraul> if it's a capital driven decision, meego is dead
2011-02-08 22:38 <wolfspraul> or maybe something with Intel?
2011-02-08 22:39 <wolfspraul> Intel just bought the Infineon cellphone chip business.
2011-02-08 22:39 <wolfspraul> yeah another option :-) team up big time with intel. kill everything but meego. switch to x86 phones.
2011-02-08 22:39 <wpwrak> i wonder how broad meego is within nokia. meego sounds more like a "medium group" activity to me. maybe 100 heads, tops. (good people, of course)
2011-02-08 22:40 <wpwrak> (x86) that could be an interesting approach
2011-02-08 22:40 <wolfspraul> that would be a very anti-ms move though, a bit hard to imagine for an ex-ms guy
2011-02-08 22:41 <wolfspraul> then the intel-ms alliance is definitely over for good
2011-02-08 22:41 <wpwrak> yeah. i'm a bit afraid that he's MS' agent.
2011-02-08 22:41 <wolfspraul> not 'agent'.
2011-02-08 22:41 <kristianpaul> megoo is good aprouch, but for my point if view was too early for tablets and late for handset
2011-02-08 22:41 <wolfspraul> at this level everybody knows inertia. so when they scout people, there is plenty of time for any candidates to share their core beliefs with the board etc.
2011-02-08 22:41 <kristianpaul> android history is just inverse
2011-02-08 22:41 <wpwrak> de facto mole :)
2011-02-08 22:41 <wolfspraul> meaning that, at the time of hiring, the board already knows in which direction it will probably go
2011-02-08 22:42 <wolfspraul> I don't think that's fair. I am sure there are no moles or spies or agents or anything like that.
2011-02-08 22:42 <wpwrak> (board) oh, they better do :)
2011-02-08 22:42 <wolfspraul> you also cannot argue with someone's 20+ years experience.
2011-02-08 22:42 <wolfspraul> if you don't like the particular experience of the person in front of you, then get someone else
2011-02-08 22:42 <wpwrak> that's the point where i'm worried
2011-02-08 22:43 <wolfspraul> why worried?
2011-02-08 22:43 <wolfspraul> microsoft needs some transformations too at some point, they may become a better supporter of foss than others
2011-02-08 22:43 <wpwrak> if you look at his profile, doesn't it seem likely they got him for a switch towards windows ?
2011-02-08 22:43 <wolfspraul> I was surprised to see how bing cooperates with openstreetmap, for example
2011-02-08 22:44 <wpwrak> hmm. MS going meego ? now that would be something
2011-02-08 22:44 <wolfspraul> oh no, not ms going meego :-)
2011-02-08 22:44 <wpwrak> nokintsoft ;-)
2011-02-08 22:44 <wolfspraul> if they go ms, then it will be windows 7 or whatever future version they do
2011-02-08 22:45 <wolfspraul> maybe meego only has a chance if they make a big intel announcement
2011-02-08 22:45 <wpwrak> of course, intel+ms would also work for windows on x86
2011-02-08 22:46 <wpwrak> for courting strong partners, that may be the most convenient compromise. they all hate apple. they all hate android. they have a lot in common.
2011-02-08 22:47 <wpwrak> well, intel may hate android a bit less than the others. doesn't help much with 86 sales, though
2011-02-08 22:47 <wolfspraul> I just think financial. those are all businesses (=money making machines)
2011-02-08 22:47 <wolfspraul> a big intel move could work, true?
2011-02-08 22:48 <wolfspraul> that would be great for meego :-)
2011-02-08 22:48 <wpwrak> so the real question may be how independent nokia want to remain
2011-02-08 22:48 <wolfspraul> and a lot of good new foss sources to be developed...
2011-02-08 22:48 <wolfspraul> a big ms move could also work I think
2011-02-08 22:48 <wolfspraul> with Android not so sure, I don't know where the strong business partners (financially) could come from in that move
2011-02-08 22:48 <wpwrak> how about the intel+ms move ?
2011-02-08 22:49 <wolfspraul> he
2011-02-08 22:49 <wolfspraul> so Intel has to kill meego too? :-)
2011-02-08 22:49 <wolfspraul> well then, Friday is near
2011-02-08 22:49 <wpwrak> google has some cash too. they've seen stuff that had no use for them but that could hurt them in the hands of others get snapped up by enemies. they may not want this to repeat.
2011-02-08 22:50 <wolfspraul> from my experience I'd say that one is unlikely
2011-02-08 22:50 <wpwrak> it would be a very indirect move
2011-02-08 22:51 <wolfspraul> google setup android so that the manufacturers go kill each other, and google picks the winners. why should they help this ailing manufacturer now?
2011-02-08 22:51 <wpwrak> keep the IP amassed there under control
2011-02-08 22:52 <wpwrak> of course, such a move would sour the relationship with other android manufacturers
2011-02-08 22:52 <wpwrak> well, could. you never know.
2011-02-08 22:53 <wolfspraul> unlikely. the android play is made, and is now being executed.
2011-02-08 22:55 <wpwrak> it wouldn't be so much a move towards getting another manufacturer but to secure assets that are tied to a manufacturer. secure them before someone else does.
2011-02-08 22:55 <wpwrak> but i'm not sure if google is sufficiently concerned about such things that they'd move in this direction
2011-02-08 22:56 <rjeffries> Good Evening. Since you asked, yes, the Nokia internal memo is fascinating
2011-02-08 22:57 <wolfspraul> btw, don't overestimate nokia. looking at it financially, it is only worth 40 billion USD now, a fraction of google/ms/apple/intel
2011-02-08 22:57 <wolfspraul> and then it has big downward inertia attached to it, like the memo says and we all know competitors taking business from them everywhere, high-end, mid-range, low-end
2011-02-08 22:57 <wpwrak> a similar buy-to-scavenge move would also be possible for others, like apple
2011-02-08 22:57 <wolfspraul> god no, never
2011-02-08 22:57 <wolfspraul> :-)
2011-02-08 22:58 <wolfspraul> if meego doesn't get big support this friday, it's dead
2011-02-08 22:59 <rjeffries> My prediction is Nokia will team with HP WebOS or Microsoft Windows Phone 7. Android is a NO for multiple good reasons
2011-02-08 22:59 <wolfspraul> hp!
2011-02-08 22:59 <wolfspraul> ron has another idea
2011-02-08 22:59 <wolfspraul> rjeffries: I like a big intel move.
2011-02-08 22:59 <wolfspraul> 100% meego, x86 phones, capital investment by intel.
2011-02-08 22:59 <wpwrak> of course, the very best they could possibly do would be to liquidate all assets immediately and invest everything in qi-hw ;-)
2011-02-08 22:59 <rjeffries> Ron? who is this "ron" who supposedly "has an idea?"
2011-02-08 22:59 <wolfspraul> rjeffries: we were discussing this before you joined, but HP is a new one :-)
2011-02-08 23:00 <rjeffries> Intel can't find it's ass with both hands (in mobile)
2011-02-08 23:00 <kristianpaul> wpwrak: ;)
2011-02-08 23:00 <rjeffries> I saw the discussion
2011-02-08 23:00 <wolfspraul> not sure. they just bought infineon cellphone business.
2011-02-08 23:00 <rjeffries> I'd put HP at top of the list
2011-02-08 23:00 <kristianpaul> wpwrak: they just will die i think
2011-02-08 23:00 <wpwrak> rjeffries: MS isn't much better (in mobile)
2011-02-08 23:00 <wolfspraul> when I think of hp I immediately think of overpriced ink
2011-02-08 23:00 <wpwrak> (than intel)
2011-02-08 23:00 <rjeffries> Infineon is uninteresting. this is not about who can make baseband chips
2011-02-08 23:01 <wolfspraul> and refilling tricks with mp3 drm songs in the cartdrige and what not
2011-02-08 23:01 <wolfspraul> so I probably cannot rationally think about HP at all
2011-02-08 23:01 <rjeffries> wolfspraul I am not suggestion you can or should like it. it doesn't matter
2011-02-08 23:01 <wpwrak> HP do a lot of stuff. but i don't really see them there either.
2011-02-08 23:01 <wolfspraul> it's gossip anyway, we can be free. it's a good idea.
2011-02-08 23:02 <wolfspraul> I am mostly concerned about meego.
2011-02-08 23:02 <wolfspraul> if meego doesn't get a shot in the arm soon it's dead
2011-02-08 23:02 <rjeffries> wpwark the layesy Windows Phone 7 is damned good. has a unique and good GUI
2011-02-08 23:02 <wolfspraul> the switch from maemo to meego was already very destructive, just picking the .deb to .rpm switch as an example
2011-02-08 23:02 <rjeffries> meego is prolly toast. I had hopes for it, bt they have screwed around too long
2011-02-08 23:03 <rjeffries> MeeGo is DOA.
2011-02-08 23:03 <wolfspraul> yeah, that's possible. sad.
2011-02-08 23:03 <rjeffries> and I liked the idea a LOT
2011-02-08 23:03 <rjeffries> new topic
2011-02-08 23:03 <wolfspraul> I bought the Nokia 770 enthousiastically many years ago.
2011-02-08 23:03 <wolfspraul> I was one of the few who got the first batch at compusa :-)
2011-02-08 23:04 <rjeffries> I put out a copule of emails about a possible griup buy of Ben NN
2011-02-08 23:04 <wpwrak> i would agree with a pessimistic view for meego. it's the kind of thing that should grow organically, not something two elephants cook out together.
2011-02-08 23:04 <rjeffries> By the way, I have a friend who works with linix on the Palm platform and lies it  alot
2011-02-08 23:05 <rjeffries> back to the Ben group buy
2011-02-08 23:05 <rjeffries> so far two people besides one for me
2011-02-08 23:05 <wolfspraul> wpwrak: I agree with organic, but it is very very hard to establish a competitive business around that.
2011-02-08 23:05 <wolfspraul> maybe impossible, don't know
2011-02-08 23:05 <rjeffries> I will present Ben overview at a local Linux group (not the SBLUG)
2011-02-08 23:06 <wolfspraul> at least from how I learnt and know how a business is run. I wouldn't know how to marry that with an 'organic' approach, even if it's confined to technology.
2011-02-08 23:06 <rjeffries> s/lies/likes/
2011-02-08 23:07 <wolfspraul> rjeffries: great! [mails and presentation and group buy]
2011-02-08 23:07 <wpwrak> wolfspraul: (organic) you'd basically need something that can operate like a startup. kind a like openmoko did. just with an experienced team.
2011-02-08 23:08 <wpwrak> wolfspraul: grow the base system without too much pressure. when it's starting to look good, bring in the big guns.
2011-02-08 23:08 <rjeffries> well, so far it looks like I'll simply buy one myself when the next s/w load is ready (I understand I will have to reflash)
2011-02-08 23:08 <wolfspraul> I still don't know how to do that organically. Competition is about who has a solution for the most profitable customers first. It's kinda the opposite of organic.
2011-02-08 23:09 <rjeffries> so whether sane or not, I plan to buy when the next stable bimage after the Dec 14 one is available
2011-02-08 23:09 <wolfspraul> I would never dare to do something like we do at Nokia.
2011-02-08 23:09 <rjeffries> that is because small scale can do things that large scale can not dare to do
2011-02-08 23:09 <wolfspraul> rjeffries: come on it must be sane. Once you have one we can finally support you better too!
2011-02-08 23:10 <kristianpaul> wolfspraul: so you'll kill megoo if you were that CEO?
2011-02-08 23:10 <wolfspraul> nothing rings in my ears louder than something coming from a paying customer.
2011-02-08 23:10 <wolfspraul> kristianpaul: no idea. from the outside it's all just gossip. entertaining though :-)
2011-02-08 23:10 <rjeffries> wolfspraul I did not realize I was asking for anything. ;)
2011-02-08 23:10 <kristianpaul> I want free cotent for my nanonote !
2011-02-08 23:10 <kristianpaul> :p
2011-02-08 23:10 <wolfspraul> I am anticipating.
2011-02-08 23:11 <rjeffries> I am waiting patiently as software matyres it is almost there.
2011-02-08 23:12 <wpwrak> rjeffries: you should advertize the idea of a ben/owner ratio > 1 :) for those who like to tinker, a second ben is quite desirable
2011-02-08 23:12 <rjeffries> it I set up a build of some BBB cards. I think wpwrak has layed out the plan pretty well
2011-02-08 23:12 <kristianpaul> I gossip a new shiny device coming from nokia as one last try to call at least more atention i guess...
2011-02-08 23:12 <rjeffries> so far one univesity hacker wants one
2011-02-08 23:12 <kristianpaul> gn8
2011-02-08 23:12 <rjeffries> another perso is thinking about it
2011-02-08 23:13 <rjeffries> what does gn8 mean?
2011-02-08 23:15 <wpwrak> wolfspraul: (organic) you'd do this in parallel to normal operation. have a number of "risky" but relatively small projects. explore new ground. when something works, jump on it.
2011-02-08 23:16 <wpwrak> wolfspraul: of course, once you're beyond a certain point, you don't have that liberty anymore. the tone of that memo suggests that this line has been crossed for meego.
2011-02-08 23:16 <wpwrak> wolfspraul: or at least that very good arguments will have to be brought forward very fast
2011-02-08 23:18 <wpwrak> rjeffries: the ben won't change for a while. so there's little point in procrastinating :)
2011-02-08 23:19 <wpwrak> rjeffries: something to bear in mind: each ben sold means no only a return of money to wolfgang's pocket but also a slight strengthening of the case that can be made in favour of qi-hw
2011-02-08 23:19 <wpwrak> (gn8) g = good, n8 is self-explanatory :)
2011-02-08 23:28 <wpwrak> rjeffries: (two other people) i saw this and like it :)
2011-02-08 23:28 <rjeffries> wpwrak I have a lot of other things going
2011-02-08 23:28 <wpwrak> this seems to be reboot hour. had to reset my cable modem just a few minutes ago, too.
2011-02-08 23:28 <rjeffries> I have a couple of friends who have recently had PCBs fabbed I willcheck with them on what house they like
2011-02-08 23:29 <rjeffries> wpwrak one at fisrt misunderstood my email and thought 802.15.4 was ready now
2011-02-08 23:29 <rjeffries> I got back and apologized for the confusion
2011-02-08 23:29 <rjeffries> she still wants a Ben
2011-02-08 23:29 <wpwrak> (pcbs) perfect. if they've done something with similar characteristics, that's best.
2011-02-08 23:30 <rjeffries> another guy runs a hackerspace I thought they'd be interested so far just a yawn
2011-02-08 23:30 <wpwrak> (wpan) yeah, still taking a little while
2011-02-08 23:30 <wpwrak> (hackerspace) toy overdose already ? :)
2011-02-08 23:30 <rjeffries> my buddies work with a guy who knows pcb fab inside and out
2011-02-08 23:30 <rjeffries> I'll send him your specs and see what he says
2011-02-08 23:31 <rjeffries> You had it as one document and then there was one more thiing.
2011-02-08 23:31 <rjeffries> PersonallyI hope Tuxbrain kcks in gear and does a run of UBB
2011-02-08 23:32 <rjeffries> he has a sales channel. I manly one a few for personal use
2011-02-08 23:32 <wpwrak> (one more thing) yeah, the drill file. forgot that, sorry. the process still isn't quite scripted. (and such mistakes are precisely why i hate manual processes)
2011-02-08 23:32 <wpwrak> afaik, tuxbrain already contacted a pcb fab. let's see what comes back from them.
2011-02-08 23:33 <rjeffries> No, I have not had time to start learning Kicad. I hope to find an eager engineering student at local
2011-02-08 23:33 <rjeffries> college to dig in. we shall see
2011-02-08 23:34 <rjeffries> this may be much less of a learning exercise for him than me. The only reason I may go forward
2011-02-08 23:34 <rjeffries> would be for the experience.
2011-02-08 23:34 <wpwrak> heh :)
2011-02-08 23:34 <rjeffries> yes I have a LOW IQ. ket's just stat ethat right up front
2011-02-08 23:34 <wpwrak> i think it will be useful to know a place that can do small stuff. not all of the pcb houses do such things.
2011-02-08 23:35 <rjeffries> becaus etrying to fab a PCB just to learn is stupid beyond words. ;)
2011-02-08 23:35 <rjeffries> s/stat/state/
2011-02-08 23:36 <rjeffries> actually I am being less than honesy
2011-02-08 23:36 <rjeffries> s/honesy/honest/
2011-02-08 23:36 <wpwrak> well, it's a simple board. and the board itself is the result. so you do't have component stock, smt, assembly, all depend on the pcbs. takes a lot of pressure away.
2011-02-08 23:37 <wpwrak> (simple as in "you see immediately if anything went wrong")
2011-02-08 23:37 <rjeffries> wolfsproul may, someday, offer a distributor discount that would allow distributor to make money
2011-02-08 23:37 <rjeffries> even if he does not there may be a Sparkfun sty;e play with Ben 8:10 gadgets
2011-02-08 23:38 <wpwrak> yeah, distributors like accessories :)
2011-02-08 23:38 <rjeffries> none of this makes economic sense when the world population of Ben Nanonoye is what, maybe 1,600 by now, tops.w
2011-02-08 23:38 <wpwrak> also one of the reason why i want to get the whole 8:10 thing going
2011-02-08 23:39 <rjeffries> oh I agree UBB is a sweet and simple product
2011-02-08 23:39 <rjeffries> if Tixbarin fabs them he will sell a fair number in Europe
2011-02-08 23:39 <rjeffries> I have no idea what they willcost landed in USA
2011-02-08 23:40 <rjeffries> s/tixbrain/tuxbrain/
2011-02-08 23:41 <wpwrak> depends a bit on the price structures of the pcb houses. if they have a big setup fee and then a very light increase (which is the most honest calculation), then fabbing at many places doesn't make sense
2011-02-08 23:41 <wpwrak> if they try to make the lower end more attractive, then it might
2011-02-08 23:42 <wpwrak> i think you need to make at least 1000 units of UBB to reach a good fixed/variable cost ratio. but again, how much of this you see depends on the pricing of your pcb fab.
2011-02-08 23:43 <rjeffries> agree that 1,000 qty will be needed
2011-02-08 23:43 <wpwrak> 1000 is not a lot in this context. i would calculate 10 units as MOQ for end customers. they should be considered as an inexpensive item that your experiments consume
2011-02-08 23:44 <wpwrak> not some precious tool you build rituals around
2011-02-08 23:44 <wpwrak> also, the recommended way of soldering, with gluing the cable to the board, does not encourage much reuse
2011-02-08 23:46 <rjeffries> interesting
2011-02-08 23:46 <rjeffries> in BIG qty I am sure this board could cost $00.50 USF or less
2011-02-08 23:47 <wpwrak> let me put it this way, if you have N customers, it will cost you almost the same to make N UBBs or 10*N UBBs. except for very large numbers of N.
2011-02-08 23:47 <rjeffries> agree
2011-02-08 23:47 <wpwrak> and if N gets very large, the cost of 10 UBBs will be very small anyway.
2011-02-08 23:48 <wpwrak> so there's no point of even pricing a single UBB
2011-02-08 23:48 <rjeffries> and totally understand why UBB does not catch wolfspraul imaginatiom
2011-02-08 23:49 <wpwrak> i think it does
2011-02-08 23:49 <wpwrak> it's just not something he needs to do now
2011-02-08 23:50 <wpwrak> let someone else take the lead. if there's a lot of interest, he can always jump in, too.
2011-02-08 23:51 <wpwrak> i would consider the current structure of qi-hw with everything that needs "making" inevitably going through wolfgang as a degenerate case of the model
2011-02-08 23:52 <wpwrak> instead, there should be a loosely coupled net of manufacturers who complement each other
2011-02-08 23:52 <wpwrak> with some amount of competition of course. that's part of the game