Re: [Gta04-owner] Discussion: what are your dreams for the Openmoko Community
On Mon, Apr 30, 2012 at 07:38:13AM +0200, Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller wrote: Wow, this is a really impressive list with new ideas I have not yet heard of! And the most interesting thing is that I think almost all can be done and don't have major technical hurdles to overcome. The main challenge is to make them user friendly and bug free. It appears that we more have a lack of active developers doing it. And are missing some coordination to get a complete solution. I fully agree on this. From distro mainainer POV, we (SHR) have many small but usefull apps which were contributed by someone at gta02 times and there is no upstream for them since then. So just to keep those apps in feed we have to update them to be compatible with newer glib/gcc/efl/whatever. That takes a lot of time which could be spent better and also all those apps have some bugs or needs for improvements but nobody is actively working on them anymore :/. Similar situation is with browsers as Denis mentioned.. there is quite a few browsers available each with some issues, but those should be mostly reported upstream and fixed there as we IMHO shouldn't work on just another browser, because some doesn't support armv4t (firefox) some are segfaulting or lack some feature we would like to see... I'm trying to keep them up2date in feeds and hoping that each new version will fix few bugs... Maybe we should again think about a more formal organization of the Openmoko.org (software) project? Some Foundation or Association? I'm not sure about this, because I don't know why so many developers left or haven't joined :/ some say they have different interests now or that they are not using those devices anymore.. but now *why*. Maybe something like GSOC would help, users voting for features like Benjamin listed and then proposed them as GSOC projects. I don't know what are requirements for tutors etc.. just an idea. Cheers, Nikolaus Am 30.04.2012 um 00:59 schrieb Benjamin Deering: The infrared thermometer on my GTA02 has been very useful and it is not something that the iphone guys have. I will probably not be doing any soldering on my GTA04 for a while, but it might be something interesting to add to GTA05. I think the BMP085 in GTA04 is something the iphone guys don't have. Getting some clues for the upcoming weather is very useful when you are completely without signal. A threaded/prepared camera hole for attaching a microscope or telescope lense would be nice. This is probably best done over USB, but it could be done over an I2C adc converter volt-meter ph meter ohm-meter GPS that reliably gets a fix and displays in an app such as foxtrotgps while driving and hiking. I can wake the phone from suspend and find our location on the map before my friends who are using a paper map.(GTA02 does not do this) GPS app is able to download map tiles from my home server if I find myself outside of the area I planned to be (GTA02 does this) Phone tracks barometric pressure overnight while camping to give an indication of the upcoming day's weather. (my GTA02 does this, most do not, GTA04 does) Phone is able to play pre-downloaded podcasts or radio over headphones or speakers in the evening(GTA02 does half of this - headphone issues) Finger-friendly email(qtmoko does this, noone else has it yet) A web browser that works well enough to buy something online using the phone (from a site where I have not purchased before) (noone has this yet) While driving I can hand the phone to a passenger who is tech-savvy but not familiar with openmoko. They are able to wake, unlock, dial, start gps, start browser without much coaching from me. (qtmoko is closest, but noone has this yet) I take the phone from my pocket, wake it up, and take a picture faster than I can take off and open my backpack, take out my real camera, and take a picture. (not sure if anyone has this) I can enable an option so the phone makes noise when it associates with a tower(noone has this) I can reliably write an SMS, click send, and know it will be sent next time the phone has signal(I don't think anyone has this) I can enable Wifi tethering that a friend with a non-linux laptop can use(noone has this) I can keep most of my data on a dmcrypt partition that is decrypted after entering a pin in a gui login screen(noone has this) I can boot from NAND into an OS that runs at low brightness with everything but GSM turned off, access to contacts on my SIM, a dialer, ability to answer, SMS (aurora is working on this) Turn off the tv at my table at the resturaunt using IR (limited range is ok - the TV is at my table, not accross the bar) Plug phone into my car-stereo usb port, stereo sees a mass storage device with my music on it. (GTA02 does this, but file-system corruption
Re: [Gta04-owner] Discussion: what are your dreams for the Openmoko Community
Hi, Can we do such discussion please in only one mailing-list; it really does not help sending every message twice :-) I propose using community@lists.openmoko.org Thanks matthias -- Matthias Apitz e g...@unixarea.de - w http://www.unixarea.de/ UNIX since V7 on PDP-11, UNIX on mainframe since ESER 1055 (IBM /370) UNIX on x86 since SVR4.2 UnixWare 2.1.2, FreeBSD since 2.2.5 ___ Openmoko community mailing list community@lists.openmoko.org http://lists.openmoko.org/mailman/listinfo/community
Re: [Gta04-owner] Meeting at LinuxTag Berlin
Hi Vladimir, Am 29.04.2012 um 18:56 schrieb Vladimir Zapolskiy: Hi Nikolaus, On 28.04.2012 12:30, Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller wrote: Hi, I have applied for a project meeting point (not a stand - that would require a better organized Openmoko community to provide stand staffing for 4 full days). It you plan to come to Berlin, please register through a doodle so we know when the highest number of visitors wants to come: http://freeyourphone.de/portal_v1/viewtopic.php?f=14p=19465#p19465 do you plan to hold the meeting in English or German? I've never visited LinuxTag before, language uncertainty stops, and I'd appreciate you, if you can share your vision about the working language at least of your meeting/session. Well, we just have a meting point, i.e. this is just a wall with a sign Meeting Point and a sheet of paper with a time table (since we share the meeting point with other projects). I.e. it is a completely informal meeting. Just come and discuss. And almost everybody in Germany speaks English. If we had some Openmoko Association or foundation, it could have taken care of getting a real booth and having it staffed for the full 4 days... Thanks a lot. -- With best wishes, Vladimir BR, Nikolaus ___ Openmoko community mailing list community@lists.openmoko.org http://lists.openmoko.org/mailman/listinfo/community
Re: Discussion: what are your dreams for the Openmoko Community
Nice list. Comments below... On Sunday 29 April 2012 18:59:34 Benjamin Deering wrote: A threaded/prepared camera hole for attaching a microscope or telescope lense would be nice. Is there any suitable standard for this? GPS program displays heading information from a digital compass, but position information from the GPS (multiple gpsd instances?) I'd go a stage further and propose a 'composite' gpsd device providing location and orientation based on all available sensor information, so the barometer augments the relatively poor vertical resolution of the GPS etc. Most of the estimating engine has probably been implemented in the various UAV projects. PGP encrypted voip (http://zfoneproject.com?) linphone should do this since 3.5.1. It would need some work to tie in better to FSO or qtmoko though (address book, audio switching on answer etc.) ___ Openmoko community mailing list community@lists.openmoko.org http://lists.openmoko.org/mailman/listinfo/community
Re: Discussion: what are your dreams for the Openmoko
Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller h...@goldelico.com write:
So what are your dreams with respect to open mobile handhelds?
What would you like as future hardware? What to see in software
distros? Anything else? What missing piece are you waiting for?
My dream is this: That we can convince some big manufacturer of Android
phones to support SHR or Maemo or MER on some of their obsolete handheld
phones. Surely Samsung, for example, must have some remaining stock
of Galaxy S{n} phones when they release Galaxy S{n+1} phones, and make
their old handset obsolete. Perhaps they can be convinced to provide
drivers and binary blobs to allow us to port some open OS to their
slightly old hardware. Since they have Android drivers already, making
Linux drivers should not be hard.They get to sell off some of their
old, slow moving stock, and we get open phones that are only one
generation behind state-of-the-art hardware, which would be fine with me.
The phones would have already been certified by outfits like the FCC, so
that expense would not apply. If they provide the drivers and needed
binary blobs, we could port our preferred OS. The phones could be sold
to us as is, with no end-user support from the manufacturer or carrier.
It's not a perfect solution, but I'd be satisfied with it.
Ken Young
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
kyo...@cfa.harvard.edu
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Re: Openmoko servers
Hi, docs.openmoko.org and svn.openmoko.org are still down. Shoud I be worried about destiny of other *.openmoko.org services like wiki.openmoko.org? Please provide at least backups and dumps for wiki. Best Regards, Martin Martix Holec Dne 22.4.2012 21:35, Bob Ham napsal(a): Mr Moss-Pultz, The server docs.openmoko.org (aka svn.openmoko.org) has been down for some time. Word around the camp fire has it that it is down because the hosting company has blocked access to the machine; that they require a signature from yourself in order to transfer control to the administrator; and that this signature has not been received. Could I ask: is there a particular reason that this signature has not been provided? Are you unwilling to relinquish control? The situation needs to be resolved so that we can get access to the data hosted on the server, and preferably as soon as possible. Kind regards, Bob Ham ___ Openmoko community mailing list community@lists.openmoko.org http://lists.openmoko.org/mailman/listinfo/community ___ Openmoko community mailing list community@lists.openmoko.org http://lists.openmoko.org/mailman/listinfo/community
Re: Openmoko servers
Am 30.04.2012 um 19:18 schrieb Martix: Hi, docs.openmoko.org and svn.openmoko.org are still down. Shoud I be worried about destiny of other *.openmoko.org services like wiki.openmoko.org? Please provide at least backups and dumps for wiki. Best Regards, Martin Martix Holec Dne 22.4.2012 21:35, Bob Ham napsal(a): Mr Moss-Pultz, The server docs.openmoko.org (aka svn.openmoko.org) has been down for some time. Word around the camp fire has it that it is down because the hosting company has blocked access to the machine; that they require a signature from yourself in order to transfer control to the administrator; and that this signature has not been received. Could I ask: is there a particular reason that this signature has not been provided? Are you unwilling to relinquish control? The situation needs to be resolved so that we can get access to the data hosted on the server, and preferably as soon as possible. Kind regards, Bob Ham Looks like another example where some Openmoko.org association or foundation could be helpful. I.e. someone who is *clearly* responsible. BR, Nikolaus ___ Openmoko community mailing list community@lists.openmoko.org http://lists.openmoko.org/mailman/listinfo/community
Re: [Gta04-owner] Discussion: what are your dreams for the Openmoko Community
On Mon, 30 Apr 2012 07:38:13 +0200 Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller h...@goldelico.com wrote: Wow, this is a really impressive list with new ideas I have not yet heard of! And the most interesting thing is that I think almost all can be done and don't have major technical hurdles to overcome. The main challenge is to make them user friendly and bug free. It appears that we more have a lack of active developers doing it. And are missing some coordination to get a complete solution. Maybe we should again think about a more formal organization of the Openmoko.org (software) project? Some Foundation or Association? What benefit would a Foundation or Association bring? I think they bring value in co-ordination when you have lots of people who are finding it difficult to work together. But I don't think that is the problem that we have. As you said: lack of active developers. What can we do to encourage those developers that we do have, and to entice some on-lookers who aren't developers yet but might be in the future? Maybe instead of asking what would you like to see (which certainly does have a place) we should be asking something more down to earth, immediate, and practical. - what are you working on? - what have you recently achieved? - what one thing would you like help with? For myself: I'm mostly working on aligning the kernel we use with the upstream kernel. I recently submitted a collection of patches upstream and am hoping some will stick. I've recently discovered that my approach to power-management for wifi and bluetooth is less than perfect. Among other things it doesn't actually set the voltage properly, so we are running on 2.8V rather than 3.1V. I think I know how to fix it though. I recently tried 3.4-rc4 on my GTA04 and it was less than a brilliant success. No sound cards appear and the X server keeps crashing. I would love it if someone else had a look You can find the code in the 'gta04/mainline' branch of g...@github.com:neilbrown/linux.git NeilBrown signature.asc Description: PGP signature ___ Openmoko community mailing list community@lists.openmoko.org http://lists.openmoko.org/mailman/listinfo/community
