diff options
authorhellekin <>2016-11-19 00:15:50 (GMT)
committerhellekin <>2016-11-19 00:15:50 (GMT)
commitcabdbe8d27a8ba55e712fe5f06c5d2ef9bbae13f (patch)
parent08f14e1e7d4a15f769bbd68d504a03ab2e9b8c2d (diff)
Go NeoN!
1 files changed, 4 insertions, 80 deletions
index 5e09f33..f5febd4 100644
--- a/content/weekly/
+++ b/content/weekly/
@@ -91,70 +91,6 @@ As always with delays, we cannot really set dates in stone (that's
what global corporations do because they have the workforce and
capital to bend time to their will.)
-08:54 <Joerg-Neo900> zxss: yes, specs are pretty much locked down
-09:50 <user__> Joerg-Neo900, would you say the phone will be ready within 2 years?
-09:53 <Joerg-Neo900> I very much think and hope so, however I've learned to be humble and not do fortune telling
-09:58 <Joerg-Neo900> right now the *plan* is to start building proto_v2 this year, we are negotiating with several layouters, trying to get the process started (originally, aka 10 months ago, the plan was that Nikolaus would do the layout and we could already deliver now. Alas this changed in unforeseeable ways). You _always_ run into nasty surprises like a layouter offering "1 to 2 weeks for doing the job", then when you negotiate with them, it's suddenly 6 months
-09:58 <Joerg-Neo900> instead of 2 weeks
-10:02 <Joerg-Neo900> what doesn't help either is the fact that Neo900 UG isn't a huge company that can hire and fire and rely on employees doing their job, we need subcontractors and we don't have a network of reliable ones yet, so we need ro build such network aka find people who can do the jobs in a reliable way
-10:08 <saper> in other words, don't hold your breath
-10:09 <Joerg-Neo900> the utopia plan would be: in 3 weeks we got the layout for proto_v2, in 8 weeks the ready built proto_v2 hardware (some 10 boards), then we send out those to the community software developers and them and us start evaluating/testing those proto_v2 for a 4 weeks and don't find major issues. Same time we start a kickstarter based on those proto_v2 to show off, to ramp up the number of preorders to the economic zone. So in 12 weeks we could start
-10:09 <Joerg-Neo900> layout and building of proto_v3 (release candidate), and in 16 to 18 weeks we could start final sales and production
-10:10 <Joerg-Neo900> this plan is not very likely to come true, we *always* seen that the unforeseen delays are the major factor determining how long any step takes
-10:11 <Joerg-Neo900> so, no matter the honesty of the numbers I gave above, this won't happen
-10:13 <Joerg-Neo900> nevertheless we try hard to make it happen exactly according to this schedule, even when we have to accept that it's not possible to keep the deadlines
-10:18 <Joerg-Neo900> just one 'funny' little story to illustrate: I ordered a 6 BeagleBoard-xM almost 2 years ago, for the proto_v2, at mouser. They postponed delivery by another 2 months on a regular basis each time the shipping date came near, since ComponentCo (maker of BB-xM) didn't deliver to Mouser. Until a 3 weeks ago they finally announced the BB-xM isn't available anymore. Luckily exactly same time I finally made to source 2nd hand BB-xM from USA and UK,
-10:18 <Joerg-Neo900> thanks to ravelo (community member) who helped a damn lot with that
-10:21 <Joerg-Neo900> status right now: we're honestly ready to start proto_v2 layout, and that *should* not take any longer than 4 man weeks til completion, for the mere layout and associated tasks. Then producing the proto boards should be relatively straight and manageable a task
-10:23 <Joerg-Neo900> I hope this helps to give some insight into our current status and planning
-10:24 <Joerg-Neo900> as much as I'd like to, I can't give any more binding, more precise prognosis
-10:25 <Joerg-Neo900> I just can tell a 100% sure how long it will take *at least* until production start
-10:25 <Joerg-Neo900> see above
-10:29 <user__> Joerg-Neo900, do you mean "in 16 to 18 weeks" after 12 weeks (making it 28-30 weeks total) or you mean 16-18 weeks in total?
-10:30 <Joerg-Neo900> that was total, based on adding the schedules in that explanation. But again, this is utopia
-10:30 <user__> so we should expect 5x that
-10:30 <Joerg-Neo900> I don't dare to speculate on that
-10:30 <user__> i see
-10:31 <Joerg-Neo900> since if that was a honest way to estimate, I'd already had done it
-10:31 <user__> well i'll probably get a oneplus 3 in the meantime i guess
-10:31 <user__> if utopia happens i'll just sell it
-10:32 <Joerg-Neo900> probably pragmatic plan to handle tings
-## FSF's RYF Program
-The Free Software Foundation is well-known to be picky about user's
-privacy. Their [Respects Your Freedom] program
-[Respects Your Freedom]:
-10:32 <user__> Joerg-Neo900, has richard stallman or anyone from the FSF commented on neo900?
-10:32 <Joerg-Neo900> i'm sorry I can't promise anything more cheerful
-10:32 <Joerg-Neo900> several times, yes
-10:33 <Joerg-Neo900> I had an email conversation with RMS just less than 2 weeks ago, I still hope to receive a reply to my last email
-10:35 <user__> Joerg-Neo900, he is usually adamntly against mobile phones, have you managed to convince him to use neo900?
-10:35 <Joerg-Neo900> basically it boils down to RMS trying to ignore out of existence the fact that *every* legally certified modem module has a firmware in flash storage that per consequence from regulations isn't alterable by user but of course is always updateable by manufacturer in either documented or secret ways
-10:37 <Joerg-Neo900> even if we could build a modem with FOSS firmware that is alterable by user, as required by FSF rules, such modem would be illegal to use outside an anechoic chamber
-10:38 <Joerg-Neo900> likewise there's no way to make sure the firmware is not updateable by manufacturer, since we can't look inside the module and see what can and what can't get done. We only have the docs of manuf we may or may not trust in
-10:39 <Joerg-Neo900> a basic truth is: flash storage is flashable :-)
-10:39 <Joerg-Neo900> and no modem will use One-Time-Programmable storage for their firmware
-10:41 <Joerg-Neo900> also note that all this "firmware not updateable" requirements are *ONLY* to allow FSF/RMS to ignore the fact that there _is_ software involved in this blackbox. It has not other purpose at all
-10:43 <Joerg-Neo900> what can I say... in the end of the day it's Free *SOFTWARE* Foundation, and they are not _really_ in a position (nor obviously do they have the expertise needed) to judge on HARDWARE design quality
-10:45 <Joerg-Neo900> our hardware design is as open and user friendly as it possibly gets. What you do with it and thus if FSF is happy with it or not (which both relates to, or is determined by, the SOFTWARE used on the hardware) is not on us to decide on or have a major saying in
-10:47 <Joerg-Neo900> as soon as some brilliant community member finds a way to flash a new user defined firmware on the 'blackbox' chips, suddenly the hardware was fulfilling FSF's wildest dreams
-10:51 <Wizzup> Joerg-Neo900: again, this as a post on the web would be cool (your not-quite-fortune telling remark and what follows)
-10:51 <Joerg-Neo900> we seen that with Openmoko Freerunner. First it been FSF endorsed/compliant since there was no known way for user to update the modem firmware. Then I finally published a modem firmware bugfix update and thus any FSF approval got moot. And then eventually the Osmocom folks published OsmocomBB - an experimental flaky but FOSS firmware for the Freerunner's calypso modem - and suddenly Frerunner was FSF compliant again, more than ever. All the
-10:51 <Joerg-Neo900> time the *hardware* didn't change at all
-10:52 <Joerg-Neo900> Wizzup: I agree wholeheartedly, alas I'm not the guy updating the website. Maybe we can discuss it with how900/hellekin
## Neo900 Operating System
### Or Why Maemo Needs to Change?
@@ -197,7 +133,7 @@ both the Fremantle Porting Task Force (`Pali`, `Freemangordon` aka
Ivo, and others) as well as the [Devuan project](
need more active developers to help with those very important tasks.
-## Should I just buy a new phone or wait for neo900?
+## Should I just buy a new phone or wait for Neo900?
@@ -218,23 +154,11 @@ If you need a smartphone right now, you might want to pick one up
readily, and sell it when we're ready. But of course **we build to
order** and not for the shelf, so there won't probably be any devices
-your order now, so if you have the cash and didn't pre-order one
+your order now. A better solution that relinquishing your freedom to
+some shiny gizmo would be to **get your hand on a N900, and order a
+NeoN board**. So if you have the cash and didn't pre-order one
already, please, [go ahead and support Neo900]: every pre-order
reinforces the project, every donation helps us and boosts our
confidence that we can deliver free hardware to free people.
[go ahead and support Neo900]:
-## Use your Neo900 as a thermometer
-Silego seems they want to discontinue SLG46531, for the supposed
-replacement we have fun with [SLG46537]. Revision 100 has a
-"temperature sensor" unlike the preliminary [revision 051].
-[revision 051]:
---> \ No newline at end of file