copied from first post in threadLast month I was nattering on about ARM needing a hardware standard such that a general purpose broad range ARM FOSS operating system or two could be written.
Asus then came out with a $179 Chromebox that could run Ubuntu as well as Chrome OS and I thought
"Well, Chrome has a hardware standard built into it that is actually enforced by Google, and it is the ONLY hardware standard/interface standard that currently exists in the ARM world".Since then Microsoft's new exec has had his worker bees sniffing around FOSS for code sources and media pundits are talking about MS trying to fork Android into their own personal flavor called "Windroid" by the press guys.
I wrote a prediction that the $179 Asus Chromebox signals that a tipping point is coming, when HP starts shipping Chromeboxes it signals the tip is happening and when the Chinese Cheapie guys start shipping Chrome boxes it signals full acceptance has occurred.
.... AND THAT MS WAS IN REAL TROUBLE and had best be about DOING something about it before it was too late.Well, step #2 is here ....
http://www.zdnet.com/hp-to-join-chromebox-fray-with-mini-pc-available-in-four... Gots lots of stuff in between, but gist is that we are waiting for step #3 to come rolling around.
The original Chinese Cheapie guys have become HUGE Chinese guys now, they are not little incidental companies any more.
Allwinner, originally the smallest of the lot has become arguably the biggest of them now and Allwinner has just made an announcement concerning ARM standards for their chipsets.
Allwinner joins Linaro Digital Home Group, commits to open source chip supporthttp://liliputing.com/2014/03/allwinner-joins-linaro-digital-home-group-commi...Allwinner has just announced a hell for strong Octa Core chipset with the ability to run 3 desktop monitors wide (off a phone/tablet chip no less).
Folks are saying the Allwinner A-80 is really an ARM PC chip and Allwinner intends to use it to sell ARM all-in-ones and ARM desktop boxes.
This latest move, actually becoming a charter member of the Linaro Digital Home standards group and committing themselves (and VR graphics along with them) to adhering to the to be written Linaro standards going forward indicates that step #3 is coming soon (when Chinese cheapie guys adhere to an ARM FOSS standard so ARM based broad range OS products can be built).
So, you got a Linaro desktop standards body now. Allwinner’s not exactly the first chip maker to join Linaro. ARM, AMD, Broadcomm, Freescale, HiSilicon, Marvell, Qualcomm, Samsung, and STMicroelectronics are all listed as members.
Linaro is a non-profit working to bring Linux to ARM-based hardware and the team offers builds of Android, Ubuntu, and OpenEmbedded for a variety of ARM-based systems and chipsets. Think of Linaro as the grocery store that folks go to visit to pick up the bits and pieces to make up a tablet or phone or desktop using ARM processors.
If Allwinner and VR are serious about the FOSS standards thing, then Ubuntu will have them listed as supported partners in the next general Ubuntu release. Somebody will likely build a cheap chrome box or two with their chipset as well. Certainly an Ubuntu box or two.
Competitive pressure will fall on Rockchip and all the rest to do the same thing -- adhere to a build standard. Rockchip and Media Tek could be a no brainer for their next A-17 chip since it is a plain vanilla ARM reference design that is fully supported by Linaro anyway.
Ubuntu will support those chipsets if the boys actually do the output I/O connections to any reasonably complete standard
and actually do really connect up to all the traces (Rockchip is bad for not connecting up the ARM provided I/O traces for hard drives, etc. etc. etc.)
This will be step #3 --- Chinese cheapie guys making full free OS supportable products to a known build standard.