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 Post subject: 5121e and LimePC
PostPosted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 2:47 am 
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Genesi

Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2004 1:39 am
Posts: 1422
We have broken our silence on the THTF Project. We wrote a blog about it today.

The Race is On!

As just commented, the EFIKA is and will continue to be a reference platform. There will be follow on chips to the 5121e, some with graphics and some without, but the base development platform for the e300 core is and will be the 5200B based EFIKA. You cannot imagine how much we are looking forward to providing more details as the situation develops.

Please update your Project Blogs, and...

Thank you!


Sincerely,
R&B :)

_________________
http://bbrv.blogspot.com


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 Post subject: Re: 5121e and LimePC
PostPosted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 3:29 am 
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Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:11 am
Posts: 161
Hi,

Sorry to ask questions, to maybe commonly known topics.
But I'm not fully getting the LimePC/Efika connection.
Can you explain this to me?

Cheers
Gunnar


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 3:35 am 
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Genesi

Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2004 1:39 am
Posts: 1422
The LimePC is based on the 5121e.

The software is based on EFIKA Project #109.

The basis for the hardware development began with the EFIKA.

The 5121e presents some special challenges.

We will post more information when we can.

R&B :)

_________________
http://bbrv.blogspot.com


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 10:19 am 
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Joined: Sun Jan 14, 2007 8:01 am
Posts: 187
Oh nice :o It seems to have touchscreen!
I am almost afraid to ask: will it feature opengl-es?


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 2:43 pm 
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Joined: Mon Aug 21, 2006 2:57 pm
Posts: 38
Location: Austin, TX, USA
Looks neat, but I wonder what it'll do that the Nokia N800/N810 doesn't already.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 5:24 pm 
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Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2004 7:34 am
Posts: 130
Location: Bielefeld, FRG
Quote:
Looks neat, but I wonder what it'll do that the Nokia N800/N810 doesn't already.
The market is all about choice. And the market is broad enough for
alternatives. Also consider price, design, local preferences of
manufacturers, some irrational factors and - IMO the real gem - the
option to (maybe) run MorphOS on those devices.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 11:41 pm 
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Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2006 3:40 pm
Posts: 51
These were definitely in prototype stage, but this is not the last you will see of LimeOS. :}


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 3:49 am 
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Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2005 9:20 am
Posts: 242
Quote:
Looks neat, but I wonder what it'll do that the Nokia N800/N810 doesn't already.
For one thing the LimePC platform covers a lot more than just the tablet part...

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 10:08 am 
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Joined: Mon Jan 08, 2007 3:40 am
Posts: 195
Location: Pinto, Madrid, Spain
Quote:
Looks neat, but I wonder what it'll do that the Nokia N800/N810 doesn't already.
Something that Nokia can't do? Easy: It can't MorphOS!

Wait, neither can we... Ouch! Release 2.0 for Efika now!

By the way, BBRV said these two things:

1.- Current Efika MPC5200B is and will be the development platform.
2.- The MPC5121e (hopefully Efika 2) presents some difficulties.

Efika2 delayed? Cancelled, maybe? What's stopping the immediate release of Efika2?
Genesi's credibility will drop again if yet another promised hardware fails to materialize: Think Pegasos 3, OSW, TetraPower, Blade... Yes, they can all be considered a single development failure, but a failing Efika 2 is too much. We want fresh hardware now!


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 10:19 am 
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Joined: Sun Jan 14, 2007 8:01 am
Posts: 187
is not the lime pc fitted with an efika2?

Ps when can we buy these?


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 10:21 am 
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Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2006 3:40 pm
Posts: 51
Hopefully soon.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 12:04 pm 
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Site Admin

Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2004 1:39 am
Posts: 1589
Location: Austin, TX
Quote:
Efika2 delayed? Cancelled, maybe? What's stopping the immediate release of Efika2?
The design isn't ready yet.

Yes there have been some announced products but in the end all of them had really good, very technical reasons why they did not come to fruition - mostly down to hardware bugs (some of which are still not fixed), immense cost (the TetraPower (OSW) board had a BOM of over $800 at one point. That's *part cost*, and 80% of it was two slow processors and northbridge/system controllers) or simply the customer cutting funding or canceling the project mid-development.

The Pegasos III was never "announced" - it never even existed. It was an expected spin-off of using the Tsi109/110 for the Blade, coupled with a newer G4.

The Efika2 is taking it's time because we want to get it right. We have a few problems with the MPC5121E design which we need to sort out, the same way we delayed the Efika 6 months to sort out problems with the MPC5200B. Note, that you still cannot do UDMA disk access, this is a flaw in the chip we spent a LOT of time (>8 months) in discussion with Freescale about. The only thing stopping DMA disk access (so-called "DMA-assisted PIO") is a driver. I don't see you writing that, get back to work! :)

Some ideas, while they look great on paper, and the documentation says it is possible, when you get the silicon you are truly disappointed, and then when you spend 6 months to a year working on that silicon, you find out that you cannot produce it for a reasonable cost.

The PowerPC market these days is going to be compared with Apple and Intel, and there is not a single design we have been contracted to do, that uses a high performance processor from Freescale or IBM, that was as cost effective to produce as an Intel Core Duo system. If it is not, then it is not worth it. It is hard to imagine that substantial amounts of people will buy a motherboard and processor of such a "different" architecture when they can buy an Intel *LAPTOP* for cheaper.

Genesi is working AGAINST the status quo here, providing systems that are immensely affordable in a market where solutions do not exist or are actively discouraged. You should be a little more grateful that you have products to buy at all, and that a company out there is in fact attempting to bring Power Architecture back to the masses.
Quote:
We want fresh hardware now!
You are in a position to demand.. nothing.

If you want overly expensive, buggy hardware, go and buy an AmigaOne. If you just want expensive, Power Architecture hardware, I am sure you know where to buy an IBM p5 series.

_________________
Matt Sealey


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 1:26 pm 
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Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2006 3:40 pm
Posts: 51
Exactly, Matt.

Things are progressing, and I hope LimePC will have a full featured hardware set out to the public soon. There are simply a few more bugs to work out.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 1:29 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2005 9:20 am
Posts: 242
Quote:
The MPC5121e (hopefully Efika 2) presents some difficulties.

Efika2 delayed? Cancelled, maybe? What's stopping the immediate release of Efika2?
http://bbrv.blogspot.com/2007/12/state-of-union.html

5200, 5200B(1), 5200B(2), 5121e. "Developing a SoC can be a challenge. Developing a board based on a SoC can create even greater difficulties". Question is whether the 8610 really will offer *any less* of a challange. That too will be a Freescale SoC. And that one can very well be a year away from now.

"There will be follow on chips to the 5121e, some with graphics and some without".

I think this is cool, and looking forward to see more info about these. :-)


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 4:45 pm 
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Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2004 1:39 am
Posts: 429
Location: Secure Networks / Sweden
Do LimePC use bPlan's SmartFirmware? Or Open Firmware at all?


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