[Arm-dev] Project status

[Robert Moskowitz]

On 12/03/2014 01:19 PM, Gordan Bobic wrote:
> On 2014-12-03 18:10, Robert Moskowitz wrote:
>
>> Of course, Gordon's approach is also valid.  Use the manufacture's
>> buggy uboot and kernel and go with that.  Thing is, you are locked
>> into that kernel and kernel updates will get very messy.
>
> Not at all. Once upstream gets a working uboot and kernel, you can
> replace what you have end upgrade to the upstream packaged versions.
> Using the kernel the device ships with is the pragmatic course of
> action when the working kernel sources aren't readily available, it
> doesn't lock you into sticking with it in any way.
>
> The problem from the distribution maintenance point of view is that
> you cannot plausibly maintain dozens of different kernels for various
> different hardware. In the interest of pragmatism both from the
> point of view of users wanting to have something up and running on
> their hardware sooner rather than later and the practical constraints
> on distro maintenance, using the kernel that ships with the device
> is the least bad option, especially if the alternative is no kernel
> at all.

And Allwinner is not known for good uboot and kernels...

One of the arguments for going with the more pricey wandboards. 
Freescale is VERY directly active in uboot open development instead of 
doing their own, secret uboot as Allwinner has.

I am waiting to hear back from another US manufacturer on their new 
armv7 boards.  They are boasting a lot of capability for a very low 
price.  At least the engineer I work with on another project.  See if 
they come through with something before the year is out.