Hello

I'd like to add that currently it is not possible to download hardware
specs from the simputer site.
The ".tar.gz" file is not available.

I guess a wider spread of the specs, in a true "open-source" spirit,
would encourage design-houses and contract-manufacturers around the
world to join the simputer effort, to some day achieve the intended
"critical mass".

I am particularly interested in stuying the simputer as a basis for
low-cost industrial PLCs, for use in developing countries like Brazil,
where the cost of industrial automation is still prohibitive for small
manufacturers.

Best regards

Victor



easlab@... wrote:

>There was previously something written about
>licenced and/or open-hardware simputer.
>
>Confirmed by newsgroups traffic [arm & embedded etc],
>there's an increasing number of people who would like to
>do some arm hardware hacking/experimentation.
>
>Apparently there are several boards available for this,
>but many would prefer to pay more and start from a
>running system. Like in the old-days when you wanted
>to develop/investigate some new pc-based hardware
>device, you would do so on your standard pc.
>With all the advantages of the running/proven system
>available for conventient I/O.
>
>So also a version of the simputer: open box, with convenient
>external PSU connector[s] and 'extendable facilities' would
>be of great value to many and involve negligable?sp additional
>development cost to the simputer marketers.
>
>Or do the existing I/O connectors suffice ?
>Apparently not, if the developer wanted to eventually develop
>his own arm-based product, he wouldn't be comfortable
>with a 'black-box' simputer, because the conceptual distance
>to his intended product would be too great.
>
>Eg. my prefered OS/lang is ETH-S3/Oberon and there's
>apparently an arm port, which I'd like to investigate.
>The handheld Sharp Zaurus started collecting a number of
>open-software contributions [these things take a few years
>to evolve] but now it's out of production.
>
>I still maintain that simputer's failure to reach critical mass is
>caused by the Indian society/tradition failure to understand
>the dynamics of free/open contributor based
>software/applications.
>
>== Chris Glur.
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>Yahoo! Groups Links
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