rockbook

[stuartiannaylor]

I guess that since we already have Pinebook and Rock64 the steps required to make a “RockBook” are smaller than starting from scratch with a new chip. A lot of the hardware and Linux work can be built upon. I’d love to see an upgrade where I can swap out the CPU pcb in my Pinebook to upgrade it. If there was a kickstarter for that I’d sign up today.

While a bigger jump to RK3399 and 1080p might be desirable I’d rather see a roadmap with smaller achievable steps to get there. Especially if there is an upgrade path and existing hardware can be upgraded.

Yeah my only concern was my own experience with the RK3328 and now I am getting to grips with the state of play more with available kernels, distro's and the important rockchip drivers I will share my opinion.

If we are talking about that BlissOS android desktop then maybe haven't looked at android but others will have to tell me.

On Linux its sort of complex and full of cul-de-sacs that often have you wishing for Wayland or other non X11 window managers or some form of driver compatibility with OpenGL ES.

Currently the graphics performance is pretty stinky and the RK3328 would make a stinky laptop, in my opinion.

I mention the RK3399 because looking at Rockchip it seems to have a higher order of preference and is looking like it may be complete for Android, Chromium OS & Linux before its cheaper cousin.

Kernel 4.14 and incarnations of distro's to be released is basically a stepping stone, but currently in my mind the RK3328 would make such a bad netbook it just doesn't compute.
Just opinion and the idea of a bulky netbook whilst many people have vastly more capable phones puts the RK3328 into a no mans land where the completed cost would be hard to justify the finished pruduct.

Maybe if the whole DRM, X11, Wayland, Rockchip drivers comes together then for some it might be a great netbook, but for me it will always be a mweh of a TV box in a netbook case.
RK3399 by the time everything comes together with a bit of look should be shipping at prices that could make an extremely interesting an capable extensible netbook platform.

But its just opinion and for me RK3328 = device, RK3399 = netbook and its sort of what the Rockchip engineers designed for.

I am digging the RK3328, the current wait for drivers and kernels with a relatively new platform is a bit frustrating.
I have a plethora of ideas for devices I can make, but netbook isn't really one on the list, for me at least.