Ok, who wants to get open source to the HPC?

As the "we need a new web browser!" thread has made me think about open source on HPC, I decided I wanted to start a thread on that. Anyone have ideas of how to get this started?

-please know that I am an open source freak and really would like to get that kind of development onto this platform

Well it'd need an infrastructure like that of source forges to bounce around the source code and manage it.
There would also need to be a control group that would over see the work and perform central builds - like Firefox.

That will require a huge commitment not only by platform developers, but by the people that have to run it & write the infrastructure.

We could also do with an open source library. There are a lot of developers areleady who release source code for applications. That could do with compiling into a repository. Each of the developers would need to be concted with information on the group. It's not safe to assume that the developers are activly perusing the community hub sites any longer. (us, HH Addict, HH Attitude)

Yes, it really is sad that the HPC community is so small now. I do know that all it would take is a group of people who really want this to be done to complete this task. But I think if we could just get a few people to make a good programming architecture, that would be all the work needed. But I do understand the fact that developers would not even see this conversation right now because many don't even know about this platform.

If you find anyone who says "no" to the question, they need their head examined

What I would suggest is worth doing is coming up with what you're planning ("open source to the HPC" is a bit vague), then get a list of developers who have released something HPC related in the last 2 years, then mail them to see if there's any interest that can be generated.

I think it's painfully obvious that there's not that many developers on this site, and it seems that the most active topics require some developers to be committed to the HPC...

I wholeheartedly support the idea of open source: there's precious few of us around, so let's get what we are doing out in the open for everyone to learn from. People are quite welcome to get their grubby mitts on my port of Magnetic to WinCE once I've finished it off a tad. Given that it's my first wince app, it's *very* hacky

We don't need something "like" sourceforge, we can use sourceforge! Why reinvent the wheel?

Cheers,
Nick.

Great idea. But I think to get into sourceforgewe all need to decide on what project we want to do first. I think we might not want the web browser to be the first project we do, maybe just a few ports first to get started and to be out there. If we do the web browser first, it will take a while and it might die before we can even get developers out there to notice us. So, anyone. Any ideas on some good functional tool we should create or port first?

I assume you mean opensource the windows CE?

If not have you looked at netbsd or opie?

I really am starting to think like the biscuity one. If you want to access open source software, you've got two options:

- Port the lot to the WindowCE API, using porting tools from Rainer Keuchel (see http://www.rainer-keuchel.de/software.html)
- Pick an OS that already has the tools you want to use, such as Linux or NetBSD, and cross-compile for the ARM processor

FOr option 1, get yourself on the wince-devel yahoogroup, where it appears that Rainer still lurks, and others are porting.

Option 2 involves minimal changes to code, but an investment in setting up the toolchain, and your HPC. You lose the existing Windows CE OS, to have it replaced with Linux or NetBSD. Of course, you will hit troubles trying to run the more memory intensive stuff... But it is an option for those that want to take it.

Option 2, when coupled with physically replacing the ROM with a linux kernel in a flashrom, is the most appealing to me however obtaining a flashrom board is a bit like the holy grail. See handhelds.org's jornada mailing list for more info!

Option one it is then.

So with option 1 does such a group exist already? if so please let us know what it's called so I can have a look.

With option 2 why does the memory suffer?

Having never used opie or netBSD I can only comment from Redhat/Suse versus Windows type situations but linux has always been far less memory intensive in these cases.

Cheers, Rob.

Hi Rob, yes the group exists. it's http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wince-devel/ . Also check out Rainer's work - link already provided.

Memory suffers because, at the moment, we're having to have the Kernel and all assorted gubbins in RAM (rather than ROM or flash) which immediately kills a couple of meg or so. Also, power management is currently less than optimal, but isn't terrible.

Opie is a program running on top of the Linux kernel, and is very marginal to run on a 16MB machine like the 680... NetBSD development seems to have stalled somewhat?

Sometimes Linux can be lighter, but sometimes it can be heavier - swings and roundabouts, and all that.

It is great to have more people interested in hacking at this sort of stuff though, we actively need people to roll sleeves up and get elbow deep in code

An interesting discussion.

Perhaps we should all trawl the net and newsgroup and see what has already been ported, what projects are currently discussed, what new drivers are available and include in the database.

There has to be a rally point that includes as many users and interested parties as possible.

Open source has to be the longterm goal, so maybe a hardware manufacturer can be brought on board in the future.

Regards

Helmut

Helmut, I'm trying to get a manufacturer lined up to make flashboards for the jornada 720, but as of yet he's not got back to me. I believe the sticking point is the connector used, which whilst being a standard molex part has not been made for a few years

The idea is that if we can flash our own roms, we stand a better chance of getting Linux to run on it reliably, and could also possibly roll our own stuff in the ROM for WinCE, though that one is more fraught with legalities.

As for a central rallying point - well, how about here?

Ok, let's settle on the app to port then. Ignoring the browser for the moment, what's the most needed non-existent hpc program that exists elswhere to port?

I can't think of anything that I need that I can't buy, even if it means I use the ppc version.
Wait, scratch that. So far I haven't found a good mp3/raf voice recorder.It may not be a glamorous app to port but IMO it is a useful one. I tried several PPC versions and they all failed miserably. The hpc versions I looked at are hopelessly out of date.

So there must be a good versatile open source voice recorder out there somewhere.

Have you got a drawing, part number, picture or manufacturer of that connector?

Have you got a drawing, part number, picture or manufacturer of that connector?