Russell King - ARM Linux wrote:
On Thu, Jun 06, 2013 at 01:24:57PM +0100, luke.leighton wrote:On Thu, Jun 6, 2013 at 1:01 AM, Tomasz Figa <tomasz.figa@gmail.com> wrote:I don't see any other solution here than moving all the Allwinner code to DT (as it has been suggested in this thread several times already), as this is the only hardware description method supported by ARM Linux.i repeat again: please state, explicitly and unequivocably that you - linux kernel developers - are happy that the reach of linux and gnu/linux OSes is dramatically reduced due to this intransigent position.If companies are going to go off and invent the square wheel, and that makes *them* suffer the loss of being able to merge back into the mainline kernel, thereby making *their* job of moving forward with their kernel versions much harder, then yes, we *are* happy.
We are /not/ happy. From a commercial point of view, why should a company really care whether its kernel modifications are in a form that anybody else can use, provided they're not getting sued?
From a customer POV, why should anybody be bothered whether Debian and/or a standard kernel can be grafted onto the only hardware they can afford, if the only way to retain full functionality is to stick to Android (or iOS, or whatever MS's offering is these days)?
If it's easy to put a standard distro onto a tablet, then it makes it easier for developers and users who already have established apps or business methods to migrate.
If it's not easy, then the tablet remains- in effect- a proprietary system, and developers are forced to toe Android/Apple/MS's line to the extent that they have to use officially-sanctioned tools and libraries. Which is not happy situation.
-- Mark Morgan Lloyd markMLl .AT. telemetry.co .DOT. uk [Opinions above are the author's, not those of his employers or colleagues]