Re: [libreplanet-discuss] Reverse Engineering

[Giuseppe Molica]

>Fabio Pesari <fabiop@gnu.org> writes:

> Fortunately crowdfunding exists, so we could gather those resources
> simply by paying for them, just like everybody else in the industry does!
>
> The free software movement must quit the mentality that it should rely
> on volunteer contributions, for its own good. There's no reason a free
> software supporter has to support themselves by working another day job
> which often involves creating proprietary stuff (and signing NDAs and
> non-competing clauses which prevent them from doing more); the only way
> to get leading experts on things like hardware design is to hire them,
> because they aren't as plentiful as programmers and can find a job at a
> big company pretty easily.

Read the financial results of companies like Intel, and search the
R&D part.

> And free software supporters should also be more willing to donate their
> money regularly to organizations like the FSF and SFConservancy and to
> the people who develop the software they use daily.

Here I agree with you.


> I am no hardware expert but these might interest you:
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RISC-V
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenRISC
> http://www.lowrisc.org/

In realizing CPUs you have to do two things:
I) Project the ISA;
II) Implement the microarchitecture.

Then, you have to build the chip. Now, this requires a lot of time,
resources, and then you have to modify all the software you want to port
on your architecture.
> Sadly, it seems like RISC-V has already been co-opted by Google, HP and
> Oracle, but hopefully everything they produce will be released under a
> free license so this might not be a big deal.
>
Well, I am not so sure.

-- 
Giuseppe Molica

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