Current known limitations of Pine64

[taros]

Regarding point 2:

Just two days ago, longsleep posted this, http://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=293
It shows how to compile the Android kernel (version 3.10) and use it for GNU/Linux images.
He even shows a bootlog with Arch Linux running on the Pine64. The people at
http://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=211 did not notice it yet ;-).

There is a work in progress (WIP) on the mainline Linux kernel that can boot on the Pine64.
However, it does not have yet ported the Ethernet, MMC and other kernel drivers,
so it is not yet of practical use.
Here is the post, http://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?t...34#pid1934

It is important that for now the Android kernel can work to boot Linux distributions.

The required source code is more or less there (Linux kernel source in that "BSP" package).
The drivers need to be adapted so that they can be accepted into the mainline Linux kernel.
If we want to ask something the AW engineers, we need to have specific questions.
We do not have such a list yet. We either make such a list, or we ask tlim to arrange
so that an AW engineer comes to this forum and answers developer questions.

I actually saw that thread before I posted, but isn't "Android kernel can work to boot Linux distributions" sort of emulation?
Most of the drivers aren't adapted, so basically Linux is not working.

The "Android" Linux kernel is the Linux kernel with adaptations (patches) that are specifically required to run Android.
It is feasible to reuse such a kernel for a GNU/Linux distribution and ignore those Android adaptations.
It takes some effort to remove the Android adaptations, but if a GNU/Linux "rootfs" is able to run, it's fine.
There is no "emulation" involved, it's just reuse of that kernel which is readily working.

Pine guys advertised the Pine as something that works with Android, Ubuntu and OpenHab.
I pledged thinking that "Ubuntu works on this thing, wow!". That makes it kind of a false advertising, no?

I see several people trying to jump the gun here. It makes me feel uneasy.
The boards have not been delivered yet, so the Pine64 team is following their internal plan for their Android/Linux images.

The community is doing things, and from community work there is a early version of mainline Linux that can boot on the Pine64.
Also, the "Android" kernel is reused to boot distributions.

As a community member, I find it useful to have CyanogenMod 13 working on the Pine64 (it should be feasible with that "Android" kernel)
and have mainline Linux support (requires quite some more work). These have not been on the Kickstarter page, and I hope they happen.

In my opinion, we can't be ones coming up with the questions to ask AW engineers.
I'd expect that Pine has at least an active team working on making Ubuntu work on.
The post by KHGOH on armbian was kind of a surprise to me, as it meant that no one on the team is actually working on Linux.
And the whole thread gave very clear indication that Pine team does not have anyone with the expertise to know that AW chips are well known to be closed source, with outdated BSP.

Have a look at http://www.fonearena.com/blog/137090/sam...tures.html
It shows the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, and it is running Linux 3.10. It is getting an Android 6.0 update shortly, and most likely it will remain on Linux 3.10.
It is big work even for major mobile phone manufacturers to follow the new Linux kernel releases.
Although unfortunate, it is common for boards and devices to run specific versions of the Linux kernel. Those versions coincide with Android Linux kernel releases (3.4, 3.10, etc).

The ability to have the latest version of the Linux kernel to run on the Pine64 was not promised on the Kickstarter page.
If we have questions or if an engineer can join a development thread here, it will be about issues to help the development of that latest version of Linux.

Like I mentioned previously, I'm taking this pledge as a toy to try things out.
But for those out there who have pledged thinking that Linux does work on it, I feel their pain.

I believe Pine team should look into hiring a professional to help them get Linux onto Pine, so as to fulfil their promise that Ubuntu works on the Pine. Just my 2 cents.  :roll eyes:
Update: Just read the latest update from Johnson.

We do have a team working on Linux and will be releasing that as well very soon.

I hope they are able to raise the appropriate questions to AW and get Linux working!