Re: Starting a debian-cross mailing list

On Tue, Jul 23, 2013 at 06:52:35AM -0700, Jack Wilborn wrote:
> I think you have hit it closely.  I like my Dreamplug and hope to go onto
> more different types of hardware, but it seems everyone of the platforms
> have proprietary hardware of "intellectual property" associated with the
> device.  Until we can get manufacturers to build these with open hardware,
> we will have problems getting the complete box to work properly.  That's
> the biggest rub for not going with Linux is some things just don't work out
> of the box, because of this.  Of course Debian doesn't want if if we don't
> have open source, which I understand.    But it takes us to complain, and
> loudly, to try and shift the manufacturers to our side.
> 
> Another problem is that I would like to be able to run these plug computers
> on towers outside.  Here in the Arizona desert it easily goes above 115
> deg.  With a top of 122 one year, so I'd like to be able to purchase
> equipment that would survive here without having to build an air
> conditioned box for it and lose the possibility of running it off solar.
> They make some very wide ranged (temp wise) computers such as vehicle
> types, which live under a hood anywhere on earth, that's what we need.
> IMHO...

The equipment we make where I work easily handles that, but the prices
are something very different than the plug computers.  They are mainly
sold to power companies and transportation infrastructure.  Our specs
are -40 to +85C (-40 to +185F) without fans.  But for a box with similar
performance to a $100 plug computer, you are probably looking at $3000.
There just isn't any way to get large volumes on such stuff because it
costs too much extra and most people don't need it, so it is always a
niche market.

> Personal experience...
> 
> I purchase a G5 around 2005, and in a couple of years Apple changed to an
> Intel processor, then I was no longer supported.  Over a decade after the
> wifi hardware came out, it was still proprietary and I couldn't use the
> wifi for my box, which meant no Internet access.  And since my 'hot spot'
> was an Apple iPhone, I couldn't use the USB connection either (kernel Oops
> occurred).
> 
> I am for and would sign up for a newsletter.  Is there a possibility to
> have it be somehow selective as to what gets distributed?

Who would be writing such a newsletter?

-- 
Len Sorensn