I wish ARM wasn't so messy for Linux, with out of date device trees etc.
All I want is something like a Macbook Air, but running Linux - long battery life, acceptable performance, an OS that respects me.
All I want is something like a Macbook Air, but running Linux - long battery life, acceptable performance, an OS that respects me.
Funnily enough, the device with probably the best "normal" desktop protocol support is the old Windows RT tablet, which features an ARM SoC that runs UEFI and ACPI and everything. It's locked down to Microsoft's secure boot keys, unfortunately, but thanks to Microsoft abandoning the device, there are exploits you can use to bypass that.
So now we have a world full of devices running open software but which are locked down. And a Linux foundation run by corporates.
To me it is clear this was indeed a huge problem. Linux might not have become as big as it is now if it had taken GPL3 on board but it would have made it a lot harder for manufacturers to do what they're doing.
It should have, IMO. Because now we're stuck with all these locked devices. Even PCs are becoming more locked now. FOSS (at least on the OS level) can't really exist without open devices to run it on. Otherwise you're dependent on the gatekeepers of big tech and there's nothing 'free' about it anymore then.
Maybe, but even if they wanted to, it would be almost impossible. In Linux, the license of contributed code says "GPLv2", period. Not "GPLv2 or higher" like a lot of other projects do. If you are not the rights holder, you can't "re-license" a piece of GPLv2 code as GPLv3 as you could with for example a BSD license piece of code. Simply because the GPLV2 is too restrictive. So that would mean getting in touch with all current and past right holders / contributors (and maybe even people who inherited the rights of contributed code if the contributor passed away?) and get permission to re-license to GPLv3.
QCOM in this case probably could make a standard ARM PC. The problem will be QCOM corporate structure will probably strangle it. They will want to create a patent license stream. The interesting bits would be behind NDAs. It is their bread and butter.
The reality is no one wants to be IBM in the IBM/PC clone market. Basically the ones who did the expensive work to make the board but everyone just copies it.
It’s not their fault per se, but it’s discouraging.