[Gta04-owner] [Community] Looking for a new project name (gta04-kernel)

[Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller]

Am 11.06.2015 um 02:01 schrieb Neil Brown <neilb at suse.de>:

> On Mon, 8 Jun 2015 22:12:43 +0200
> "Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller" <hns at goldelico.com> wrote:
> 
>> Hi all,
>> as you all know we are maintaining a “production” kernel for GTA04 devices and are working to
>> get it (again) feature complete (i.e. that it supports all bits and pieces of the GTA04 hardware
>> including good power management for daily use).
>> 
>> We have made progress - but we are still not there. Linux 4.1-rc7 is now available (see our
>> Twitter postings) and so will become a long-term kernel in 4.1.x in 1-2 weeks.
>> 
>> While all this work started as a kernel for the GTA04 device (Letux2804) it has broadened
>> its scope over the past years to other ARM based devices. Still mainly OMAP3 but also
>> OMAP4 and OMAP5. A list of the currently supported devices is here:
>> 
>> 	http://projects.goldelico.com/p/gta04-kernel/page/Platforms/
>> 
>> We already support these different boards with a single kernel binary and modules - just
>> the device tree files differ. 
>> 
>> As a next step, we will work on 4.2.
>> 
>> It looks as if Linux 4.2 might bring Device Tree to MIPS machines as well, and therefore there
>> are chances to finally support even more machines as we already do. Well, not always with the
>> same binary kernel (ARM vs. MIPS instruction set). But it suffices to just run it twice with different
>> cross-compilers.
>> 
>> Two of the interesting devices might be well known to this community: Letux 400 MiniBook
>> and the Ben Nanonote.
>> 
>> This shows a big trend of Linux Kernels: they become more universal and the list of boards
>> that can be supported is becoming broader.
>> 
>> Therefore, I think we should recognise that “GTA04-Kernel” (and GTA04-boot, -rootfs etc.) is becoming
>> a misleading name (since GTA04 is just a specific piece of OMAP3+GTM601W hardware), as it implies
>> a narrow focus that is no longer the case.
>> 
>> And with the new gta04-makesd script we already give the user the impression that we maintain
>> a “Distribution” for different devices.
>> 
>> So, let me open a discussion and request proposals how we could rename our “Distribution”.
>> 
>> Some aspects to think about:
>> * it is ARM, OMAP but not necessarily (MIPS is on the radar screen)
>> * it has its roots in Openmoko, Freerunner, Letux
>> * and wants to bring long-term support for these devices (if possible)
>> * should be easy to recognise
>> * not be used by any similar project to avoid confusion
>> * the main idea is to add minimally to Linux kernel what should already be there and work permanently on upstreaming
>> * but it is not only kernel. It is boot loader, makesd script, Debian rootfs, Replicant and potentially other user space flavours
>> 
>> Now, the stage is open for your ideas and comments:
> 
> How about
>  openphoenux
> ??
> I presume you thought of that

Ahem. No. Sometimes you don’t see the obvious. Especially if you get older :)

> and rejected it.  Could you explain why?

Well, there are some aspects:
1. community should be involved and decide
2. “openphoenux kernel” is a little long and difficult to speak - isn’t it? So alternatives should get a chance.

Another obvious choice would be “Letux”. It was coined [1] exactly as what we are looking for: a full Linux distro for handheld devices.
The first one was for the Acer n30 [2].

Looks a little confusing. Agreed. Therefore we need to do some house keeping.

BR and thanks,
Nikolaus

[1]: http://projects.goldelico.com/p/letux/
[2]: http://projects.goldelico.com/p/letux-n30/