Project Novena (open source laptop)

[comradekingu]

That's why I would like a "dislike" button.

you dislike it because the prototype is not all shiny and "bling bling" enough?

But "no binary blobs" doesn't mean what you think it does. Because it does need binary blobs in practice (GPU+W-LAN), it's just possible to go without them if your name is Richard Stallmann and you're okay living without Wifi and a graphics card.

There's an open source driver project for the Vivante GPUs called Etnaviv. Its far form beeing usable but they need to reverse engineer the whole thing. Recently its making progress a lot faster.

The wlan module is optional and WLAN chips without blobs exist. I'm sure you can have blob free WLAN somehow

it depends on what you need or want it for. I give you that. Its ceranly no good for anything that need GPU power. However I'd like to use it in combination with a Oixel Qi screen for reading, writing and so on, in broad daylight. http://www.adafruit.com/products/1303

http://www.gcw-zero.com/files/etnaviv-2013-09-13.html   Gwc-zero is using etnaviv. Albeit considerably lower resolution, i still think your comment is not factual. Blob free wireless is possible. As of late you can get x60 thinkpads loaded with coreboot and with free wireless drivers and firmware.

 

[ThinkPad]

Oh boy, 

First of all, this... "chassis" is a JOKE!

The "real" laptops (business class) perform so well not because of their hardware, but mainly because of the quality (material and design wise) of their chassis and cooling system.

The hardware in the 600 Euro Acer and 1200 Euro T series Thinkpad, in most cases, will be almost the same, but the materials and the design of their chassis and colling systems will be two completely different stories.

Second,

I am expecting the same old story of the "open source" hardware project, it will be way over priced (like all of them) and with crappy/crippled hardware/software performance. 

And Third,

What they shall do is to take this concept from the video below, and apply it to the open source laptop idea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr1-hzEpSR0

 

[slaeshjag]

^ I have seen that concept. I am very sceptical that they will get it to work. I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[ghostpatch]

^ I agree, its technically not that easy, size, pin count, routing etc. The problem is people are buying a new phone every 1 or 2 years because they want to, not because the hardware has become "unusable" My idea, make them more robust so they can survive a 1m drop without shattering the glas

First of all, this... "chassis" is a JOKE!

Why are you all focused about the improvised laptop "case". It serves its purpose, which is holding the stuff together, nothing more, nothing less. Its not even a prototype beta beta case...

I am expecting the same old story of the "open source" hardware project, it will be way over priced (like all of them) and with crappy/crippled hardware/software performance.

its overpriced because they want to suck every last dollar out of ya!

 

[comradekingu]

I guess you noticed lenovo tried their hardest at ruining everything thinkpad and that this at least has a usable keyboard?

 

[ThinkPad]

I guess you noticed lenovo tried their hardest at ruining everything thinkpad and that this at least has a usable keyboard?

Yup, I already manage to take a closer look of the new T540. They completely ruined the keyboard and on top of that, they added compleatly unnecessary back lighting on it, Think light is also removed. Thinkvantage toolbox is no longer supported by PC doctor since T530/430 W530 and so on and so on...

But somehow the new series are still holding a quantum of the original Think Spirit