On 28/06/13 18:27, Glenn McIntosh wrote:
On 28/06/13 16:59, Sven@GMX wrote:
But in order to programm the Embedded Pi you need to install CoocoxIDE,
which is free to use but neither Open Source nor does it run on an Open
Source system such as Linux.
Unfortunately this creeping lock-in is all too common in the firmware
world. Often it is a 'not invented here' corporate dysfunction at play.
Many of these IDEs are really only a GUI shell to run openly licenced
tools such as gcc (CoocoxIDE is just one of many such IDEs), and don't
add anything that couldn't be done in any decent IDE. The hardware
specific parts are typically just a few scripts that specify compilation
options and uploading/debugging connnections, and perhaps a device
specific library. Apart from the lack of openness, I find it a major
annoyance when working on multiple firmware platforms, all with
inconsistent IDEs and libraries.
I think we have to resist such lock-in. For projects where we have
control, this may involve separating out the proprietary tools and
discarding them (eg, setting up our own scripts for the hardware that
can work with a non-proprietary IDE, and making them available to
others). If this is not practical, I think it is quite rational to
boycott such hardware. There are good business reasons for avoiding
vendor lock-in, not to mention the fact that it is your own freedom as a
developer that is being restricted here.
I never bothered with the Pi because the most important and interesting part
(the graphics drivers and graphics register details) is closed. Defeats the
point of the whole thing. I wouldn't use a Pi if they were free (as in beer).
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