Re: The end of embedded Linux?

From: jbradford@dial.pipex.com
Date: Tue Oct 08 2002 - 07:09:57 EST


> > > These modules again drive gate array hardware for which nobody
> > > else will ever have a compatible. Although I would dearly love to
> > > use Linux as the platform for my project I feel I cannot release this
> > > code under the GPL.
> >
> > That just doesn't make sense. If nobody else will ever have a
> > compatible piece of hardware, I don't see why you wouldn't want to
> > release the driver code under the GPL.
> >
> > _Unless_ you fear that somebody will derive your hardware design from
> > the code. Is that what you're worried about?
> >
> > John.
>
> Maybe he's afraid that customers will see that the hardware design is
> absolute garbage with thousands of defective-hardware-work-arounds in
> software. If so, don't worry!

Exactly, the customers are not going to read the source code and
refuse to buy his product. After all, people buy software modems :-).

> I know of a company that has WOM (Write Only Memory) right in the
> middle of some RAM address space. Guess what? It's memory-mapped and
> 'owned' by some sleeping giant!

Have you seen the spec sheet for a WOM that was published, (I think on
1st April), a long time ago? It had specs like VDD 0v +/- 2% :-)

John.
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