02-18-2021, 07:58 PM
I am encouraged to see more and more people asking these sort of questions!
So cheers to you, @ImmyChan!
Since Arwen gave some very good specifics already (thanks for that btw) I will speak more in general, as I have cared about these sort of issues for a long time.
The way I see it, I think we are better off here on ARM (with exception of RPi, as you so correctly point out) than on x86 going forward. There are some other arch that are interesting (RISC-V, and/or POWER) but those are nowhere near as mature (or inexpensive!) as ARM based devices are currently.
As mentioned, slowly but steadily, more and more things are also being open sourced. The bigger the market, more people working on them, etc. only makes this happen faster. Which is where ARM big numbers (and low price) work in their favor.
Within the ARM ecosystem, I do think we should continue to question / push for "as open as possible" devices, until they have become completely open. I would like to hope it's only a matter of time, but we are by no means "out of the woods" yet. Therefore, I encourage everyone who care about such issues to take the time to educate themselves (and others!) whenever the topic comes up. Because it's ultimately a long term political battle that we have to win. Which means, hearts and minds...
So cheers to you, @ImmyChan!
Since Arwen gave some very good specifics already (thanks for that btw) I will speak more in general, as I have cared about these sort of issues for a long time.
The way I see it, I think we are better off here on ARM (with exception of RPi, as you so correctly point out) than on x86 going forward. There are some other arch that are interesting (RISC-V, and/or POWER) but those are nowhere near as mature (or inexpensive!) as ARM based devices are currently.
As mentioned, slowly but steadily, more and more things are also being open sourced. The bigger the market, more people working on them, etc. only makes this happen faster. Which is where ARM big numbers (and low price) work in their favor.
Within the ARM ecosystem, I do think we should continue to question / push for "as open as possible" devices, until they have become completely open. I would like to hope it's only a matter of time, but we are by no means "out of the woods" yet. Therefore, I encourage everyone who care about such issues to take the time to educate themselves (and others!) whenever the topic comes up. Because it's ultimately a long term political battle that we have to win. Which means, hearts and minds...
Cheers,
TRS-80
What is Free Software and why is it so important for society?
Protocols, not Platforms
For the most Linux-y experience on your Linux phone, try SXMO!
I am (nominally) the Armbian Maintainer for PineBook Pro (although severely lacking in time these days).
TRS-80
What is Free Software and why is it so important for society?
Protocols, not Platforms
For the most Linux-y experience on your Linux phone, try SXMO!
I am (nominally) the Armbian Maintainer for PineBook Pro (although severely lacking in time these days).
