Worth buying Pandora after Pyra announcement?

[_wb_]

The OMAPs have migrated from omapfb driver to DRM based omapdrm, so we'll have to migrate to omapdrm (DRM here is "direct rendering manager", not something else you might think). This is required to support HDMI output at least, and both drivers can't coexist. The DRM API is entirely different and much more complex that fbdev (which is used for almost everything on pandora), I'm still digging through it.. It would look like they're mostly equivalent in exposed OMAP functionality, but the rotation appears to be rather difficult to use (needed for that damn portrait LCD). This will make it hard to do efficient backward compatibility and SDL (without doing multiple buffer copying+rotation in software).


About softfp vs hardfp, all libraries and binaries are tagged with soft(fp) or hard tags in elf headers, if there is mismatch between tags, runtime linker will refuse to load the whole program.

Thanks for the answers!

So for PND support, softfp versions of all libs in SZ will be needed, even libs that don't use floating point stuff.

And SDL will require a lot of work to make it efficient -- I suppose the default SDL which uses X would work, but it does not have scaling and optimized blitting.

 

[Natsu]

There's a very good reason why ED has decided not to specify a time frame for the release of the Pyra.


Quite frankly, (IMHO) if you have any need of the functionality at all, it would be crazy to wait for the Pyra.  No one can be sure how long you'll be waiting, and Pandora won't be available for much longer. Get a Pandora now while you can. 


- Neelix

I think the announcement of near production will be in a 1-1 1/2 years time. I still think it best to wait at least until then before buying outdated and dying hardware.

 

[TrashyMG]

buying outdated and dying hardware.

Those are fighting words.


eh.. some of the best innovations I've seen in the opensource handheld scene are happening on this outdated and dying hardware.

 

[Hồng Thất Công]

Let's see who will die first, Natsu or OpenPandora.  I'm sure 100 years from now, my great grandchildren will still use my Pandora.  But you, Mr. Natsu, have long been dead

 

[Neelix]

I think the announcement of near production will be in a 1-1 1/2 years time. I still think it best to wait at least until then before buying outdated and dying hardware.

I hope it does happen that quickly...  Keep in mind though that many of the delays that plagued the Pandora could not possibly have been predicted.   Shit happens.   ED has learned from what happened with the Pandora,  and can plan to avoid some of the pitfalls, but there are no guarantees.  

Also a sudden drop in income because people stop buying Pandora would not help.

I would also argue that being unique in its niche means that by definition the Pandora is the current hardware, for this type of device, and by that definition will not be outdated until the Pyra is actually released.

Put simply,  if the Pandora meets your requirements it makes a lot more sense to buy it now, than to not buy it because the Pyra might  be released in the next 1-2 years.

- Neelix

 

[ekianjo]

outdated and dying hardware

Everything is outdated every 6 months nowadays, so then with your logic you shouldn't buy anything anymore and wait forever for the next best thing

The definition of "outdated" is when it's not supported and not useful anymore. You can still get new software, new OS (Slackware, Pandian) on Pandora and that's why people still use for many different purposes. 

 

[levi]

A lot of the delays that hit the Pandora happened because the production took so damn long. Over the course of 4 or so years there are bound to be the odd natural disaster and the occasional national holiday.

 

[Natsu]

Those are fighting words.


eh.. some of the best innovations I've seen in the opensource handheld scene are happening on this outdated and dying hardware.

lol


Yes, and ideally they will all move to the Pyra.

Let's see who will die first, Natsu or OpenPandora.  I'm sure 100 years from now, my great grandchildren will still use my Pandora.  But you, Mr. Natsu, have long been dead

What nonsense is this? And you wouldn't? lol


Also, I'm pretty sure they would what the most recent Pyra of that time.

I hope it does happen that quickly...  Keep in mind though that many of the delays that plagued the Pandora could not possibly have been predicted.   Shit happens.   ED has learned from what happened with the Pandora,  and can plan to avoid some of the pitfalls, but there are no guarantees.  


Also a sudden drop in income because people stop buying Pandora would not help.


I would also argue that being unique in its niche means that by definition the Pandora is the current hardware, for this type of device, and by that definition will not be outdated until the Pyra is actually released.


Put simply,  if the Pandora meets your requirements it makes a lot more sense to buy it now, than to not buy it because the Pyra might  be released in the next 1-2 years.


- Neelix

I was talking about this person specifically. I'm not going around and telling people not to buy it.  That said, I'm pretty sure other people are thinking the same


as me when they get word of that Pyra even exist.


Also,

A lot of the delays that hit the Pandora happened because the production took so damn long. Over the course of 4 or so years there are bound to be the odd natural disaster and the occasional national holiday.

This.

Everything is outdated every 6 months nowadays, so then with your logic you shouldn't buy anything anymore and wait forever for the next best thing


The definition of "outdated" is when it's not supported and not useful anymore. You can still get new software, new OS (Slackware, Pandian) on Pandora and that's why people still use for many different purposes.

But not usually dying hardware as well. He said it himself that some parts are EOL and "soon" Pandora completely.

 

[klapse]

A lot of the delays that hit the Pandora happened because the production took so damn long.

Congratulations for todays top redundant statement.

 

[Klumpen]

 

[Kumaki]

Also a sudden drop in income because people stop buying Pandora would not help.

I would also argue that being unique in its niche means that by definition the Pandora is the current hardware, for this type of device, and by that definition will not be outdated until the Pyra is actually released.

Put simply,  if the Pandora meets your requirements it makes a lot more sense to buy it now, than to not buy it because the Pyra might  be released in the next 1-2 years.

- Neelix

Well, it might help some people buy a Pandora, if those buying were given certain assurances that either

A - They could later trade the Pandora in on a Pyra

or

B - Replacement parts, especially batteries...will be available for some time to come on Pandora, in case one buys a Pandora and then it breaks.

I understand the boards may not be made/replaceable for much longer, but things like screens, batteries, etc...

I can't speak for anyone else, but that would be the thing that would make ME hesitate to buy a Pandora right now, with the Pyra coming...the idea that the Pandora will be completely abandoned, and then my expensive device might break and not be able to be fixed.

Thus, the guarantee from ED that such a device could either be fixed or given trade-in credit on a Pyra...would help keep the Pandora selling for as long as it is still being produced.

Just my $.02 worth.

 

[TrashyMG]

@Natsu, sure the hardware is reaching end of life. Also EOL doesn't mean dying, the parts are factory new... just hit a nerve, feels like you were saying that there isn't any life left in the Pandora Community when clearly things are still happening.

 

[EvilDragon]

We've got plenty replacement parts available and over 1000 batteries, freshly produced early this year.

Should keep you going a while

 

[Hồng Thất Công]

We've got plenty replacement parts available and over 1000 batteries, freshly produced early this year.


Should keep you going a while

1000 batteries!  Wow!  That's one nuclear bomb!   Keep this pile of 1000 batteries away from Pyra production building please! Don't want no delay to Pyra release

 

[Natsu]

@Natsu, sure the hardware is reaching end of life. Also EOL doesn't mean dying, the parts are factory new... just hit a nerve, feels like you were saying that there isn't any life left in the Pandora Community when clearly things are still happening.

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

 

[akeley]

Some hardware will never "die", in the usability sense of the word of course, not the actual physical lifespan.

I`ll never get rid of my NDS for example - it`s simply perfect for playing Crawl/Nethack/Powder, (and an okay e-reader too, nevermind the vast games library)

PSP rules on jRPG angle - native, PS1 plus 16 bit consoles. And of course you can do other things. 

Pandora, even if Pyra conquers other angles, will always be superb for early DOS and other obscure computer emulators. 

And they will only get cheaper. To the OP - as others said, don`t fret, grab Pandora now. You can always sell it and get Pyra later.

 

[Kumaki]

Well, a few of those batteries have my name on them.

Can I still get them from Link, or just thru you now, ED?

Is Link going to be involved in distributing Pyra?

 

[FBnil]

Better EE's! (mine is wearing down, need to recharge each 2 days... instead of each 3 days...) Still got one in the freezer though...

 

[Kumaki]

Better EE's! (mine is wearing down, need to recharge each 2 days... instead of each 3 days...) Still got one in the freezer though...

The freezer?

Does that help?

 

[WizardStan]

Freezer is overkill, but for optimal performance lipo batteries should be kept cool. Shouldn't need to go lower than 10 celcius. The problem with putting them in the freezer is condensation, don't want the batteries to get wet. An airtight container and just bringing them out to check every once in a while should solve that problem as well.

That's not really all that necessary either, just discharge the battery to about 40% for storage and it'll keep for years.