10 ms·

Isn't this was raspberry pi is?

azernik 11y ago
Raspberry Pi does not use open source hardware. The processor core (ARM) is proprietary. The GPU (VideoCore IV) is proprietary hardware, and even includes proprietary software in the form of microcode. And so on and so forth. Open source hardware refers to the silicon itself using open source designs.
- kyzyl 11y ago
  Indeed, Broadcom doesn't even allow you to buy their proprietary SoC (at least, last I checked), so you can't make a knock off RPi board, or integrate the SoC and peripherals into a custom application board. You need to use an RPi directly or get some other Cortex-A53 chip with a comparable architecture.
- dietrichepp 11y ago
  Open source hardware refers to both the system level design and the IC level design. Credit where it's due, Raspberry PI is open hardware on the system level. You are right that it is not open on the IC level.
  - adapteva 11y ago
    Nonsense. It's not open at any level by normal definitions (although some of the software is open source). The Raspberry Pi is a wonderful thing. It's cheap and it works great...but it's not open.
- LukeShu 11y ago
  The VC4 GPU is a lot worse than microcode! It's running the complete (proprietary) ThreadX operating system, regardless of what you choose to run on the ARM core.
  - sklogic 11y ago
    You meant VPU, not GPU? The GPU is fully open.
    - LukeShu 11y ago
      Yes, I called the VC4 the GPU because the parent post (and many other resources) call it a GPU. But yes, it is the VPU.
chongli 11y ago
No, but it is what RISC-V is! I'm really excited about RISC-V after reading Andrew Waterman's PhD thesis[0] on it from earlier today. [0] http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2016/EECS-2016-1.pdf http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2016/EECS-2016-1....
- code5fun 11y ago
  Will the US allow something like that happen? The future is developing towards hardware backdoors in all processors and this would make it really hard to implement such system. There is no way this is going to happen.

Raspberry Pi does not use open source hardware. The processor core (ARM) is proprietary. The GPU (VideoCore IV) is proprietary hardware, and even includes proprietary software in the form of microcode. And so on and so forth. Open source hardware refers to the silicon itself using open source designs.

kyzyl 11y ago
Indeed, Broadcom doesn't even allow you to buy their proprietary SoC (at least, last I checked), so you can't make a knock off RPi board, or integrate the SoC and peripherals into a custom application board. You need to use an RPi directly or get some other Cortex-A53 chip with a comparable architecture.
dietrichepp 11y ago
Open source hardware refers to both the system level design and the IC level design. Credit where it's due, Raspberry PI is open hardware on the system level. You are right that it is not open on the IC level.
- adapteva 11y ago
  Nonsense. It's not open at any level by normal definitions (although some of the software is open source). The Raspberry Pi is a wonderful thing. It's cheap and it works great...but it's not open.
LukeShu 11y ago
The VC4 GPU is a lot worse than microcode! It's running the complete (proprietary) ThreadX operating system, regardless of what you choose to run on the ARM core.
- sklogic 11y ago
  You meant VPU, not GPU? The GPU is fully open.
  - LukeShu 11y ago
    Yes, I called the VC4 the GPU because the parent post (and many other resources) call it a GPU. But yes, it is the VPU.

chongli 11y ago

No, but it is what RISC-V is! I'm really excited about RISC-V after reading Andrew Waterman's PhD thesis[0] on it from earlier today. [0] http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2016/EECS-2016-1.pdf http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2016/EECS-2016-1....

code5fun 11y ago
Will the US allow something like that happen? The future is developing towards hardware backdoors in all processors and this would make it really hard to implement such system. There is no way this is going to happen.