I noticed as I was updating my EFIKA project blog that the TetraPower 970MP project has disappeared from the site?!?! Just curious... I had already noticed that all the project description texts had gone missing.

Curious...
Tim

It did not make any sense for us to continue to progress further with this development (at least not yet - it is on the shelf for the future). There was not enough interest in the hardware. It is a significant challenge for a systems intergator like Genesi to turn such a board into a commercial product when the semiconductor vendor is not willing to support the processes of commercialization. Selling hardware and building an ecosystem around a new platform is a big effort. Developing the hardware is the easy part. We did what we could. See OSW Business Plan:

http://www.genesippc.com/files/power.org/DP-WG.pdf

What needs to be done is what we are doing with the EFIKA. As you might suspect, it is easier when the hardware is less expensive. Our approach has not changed ( please note date - http://www.genesippc.com/press.php?date=20051218 ):

http://www.genesippc.com/slideshow/power.org/1

As you can see it is working for the 5200B and the EFIKA!

R&B :)

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http://bbrv.blogspot.com

where is my 1,7ghz board ? ;-)

kidding

It ran too hot and with too much power. We never released it.

http://www.genesippc.com/gallery/image/1483

That was in early 2005.

R&B :)

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http://bbrv.blogspot.com

I can completely understand. I already love you guys to pieces for the work you're doing with the EFIKA development, and not just because I got my project in. I believe whole heartedly in the free software movement and love seeing the hardware realm moving in this direction.

So far as my own TetraPower 970MP project proposal is concerned, I was thinking of retracting it anyway and writing a proposal for the 8641D instead. When I first submitted my proposal the project was still called the OSW. Once I saw the specs on the TetraPower I wondered if it was perhaps overkill for the project piece I intended. My EFIKA project is more of an ecosystem than one single device, and there are still a couple server roles to fill. But I believe the requirements for those pieces are a little more modest than quad core.

So, what is the status of the 8641D???

All and all, though, it is a shame the TetraPower 970MP didn't find more support. Oh well.. you are breaking new ground here. I believe the EFIKA project successes will help generate ever increasing awareness and interest in your "disruptive" business model. I think we will eventually see more players follow your lead, not only within the Power community, but the embedded and greater hardware development communities as well. I can hardly see reason not to be positive and excited about the work being done, despite the fate of this particular project at this as yet early stage in the game.

Rock on!!!

(Because you rock!)

Tim

Well, we are searching hard for more 8641D customers.

http://bbrv.blogspot.com/2007/03/argo-navis.html

The challenge for the 8641D is that PASemi has created "a disturbance in the force" and 8641D Marketing/Product Management Team has not adjusted to the new market presence. Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing, Extreme Engineering Solutions (X-ES), Mercury Computer Systems, Performance Technologies, Splitted-Desktop Systems and Themis Computer have all announced developments with PASemi processors. As of now, today, whether PASemi actually has the real goods to deliver against the 8641D we do not know. Some of our customers are certainly talking about this potential shift to PASemi in the high performance industrial/military target markets.

We are in the same situation with the 8641D as we were with the 970MP. The processor vendor has to be committed to system enablement if they want to capture customers and developer support. This is today's reality. You cannot do it all alone and you cannot hire every developer. The 5200B has been resurrected through the EFIKA Projects Program. This is why the 5200B is showing growth. It will be more successful than it ever was and we will be ready for "next" much sooner and on the market thanks to efforts like yours and all the other EFIKA Project participants.

One last note: the 8641D has AltiVec. Let's note forget that! We are focused there as we feel this adds a whole new dimension of performance that the silicon itself cannot deliver. Here is where a Developer Community sure can come in handy. We will have some news on this soon.

R&B :)

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http://bbrv.blogspot.com

Keep the faith bbrv, neko & others from Genesi !

We all want the Pegasos 8641D come to life :-)
We all hope that the Efika will be very successful for you so that you can also focus on a new Pegasos !

We really don't want a world only made of PC computers with Microsoft Vista ! That's not funny !

We want powerpc hardware, Linux, MorphOS, alternative computers and funny projects !

So you have all our support :-) Go go go for it ;-)

Well, two reasons; we don't have a sponsor for development (so none are being made for you guys as yet, see Bill's post) and second of all, all the project summaries disappeared from the database for some reason (the same happened to the XGI, 8641D projects too).

I took them down, and the 8641D ones too, while I fix it up and we work out the focus of these two programs. They'll come back over the weekend, after some other site work is completed.

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Matt Sealey

Thanks for the replies, bbrv & Neko... And along with Geoffrey I will be keeping the faith. I would like to see the 8641D come to be. I think it would make a fine platform. Evolution is coming on fast, and the need to follow the "WinTel" paradigm is beginning to erode.

ramblings
I believe that as FLOSS computing becomes more ubiquitous you will see the hardware vendors freed from the WinTel paradigm. Then we will see some real diversity in computing platforms from the hardware vendors!!! WinTel is a box too many computing technology companies are not only trapped in, but one wonders if many can really think outside it. Open software systems create a market where hardware vendors' platforms are not restricted to one company's vision. (And if you listen to Bill speak it is clear that the WinTel hardware vision has been actively directed by Microsoft.) They create a market where hardware designs can really compete (which is good for innovation) and specialize. I wonder how many of the major hardware players realize this? You would think that a light would go on somewhere, and they would start working with open projects for drivers and support as it is ultimately in their best interest. Ah well.. modern dinosaurs just playing in the tarpits. Whereas the meek little mammals, sharing their milk, will inherit the earth.
/ramblings

Language can be fun... I wonder if the milk counts as an additional mixing of the metaphor, aside from the juxtaposed evolutionary and christian themes. And why does my spell-checker think "christian" should be capitalized when used as an adjective as opposed to a noun?

Tim

It would be nice if you'd at least inform the people who submitted project proposals by email so they're aware what's going on.

None of the projects are approved and nobody can submit blogs anyway in that scenario. Since nothing is active there and there is no data to edit for current users, there is very little point spamming users with a mail detailing that there was a hiccup which will be restored.. :)

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Matt Sealey

Sorry, I was talking about the TetraPower 970MP project being on hold. After all, people were supposed to be informed some time last year whether projects would get accepted... I bet not everyone follows this forum and knows what's going on.

We still don't know so there is nothing to inform.

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Matt Sealey