6 ms·

Calling this open source is a bit of a stretch. At the heart of this phone there is a huge proprietary dependency (the Adafruit FONA module).

fsh 7y ago
This module is basically just a 3G baseband chip on a board. By your definition, no circuit that contains a chip would be open source.
- _-___________-_ 7y ago
  "just a 3G baseband chip" does hide an enormous amount of complexity. The point is just that this design contains both non-open-source hardware and non-open-source software (running on the 3G baseband chip). It's still mighty cool!
  - krilovsky 7y ago
    It's very cool indeed, even if it was all closed source :)
- krilovsky 7y ago
  Except it's not "just" a 3G baseband chip. That chip[0] runs a closed source software that even contains a Lua interpreter. That's a proprietary binary blob that I don't know what it does, so this is not something that I would call "open source" even if the controller is open source. [0] https://simcom.ee/modules/wcdma-hspa/sim5320/ https://simcom.ee/modules/wcdma-hspa/sim5320/
  - saalweachter 7y ago
    Boy howdy, you are not going to like to hear what happens when those radio signals leave your cellular telephone.
taneq 7y ago
It's hard to get any open source software finished, what with all the goat farming. (https://pics.me.me/i-thought-using-loops-was-cheating-so-programmed-my-own-12251946.png https://pics.me.me/i-thought-using-loops-was-cheating-so-pro...)
- pratio 7y ago
  I was about to post the same link
pratio 7y ago
It goes opensource in my book maybe you will create an opensource alternative for the hardware. This sort of gatekeeping is maybe the reason why hobbyists avoid HN.
- krilovsky 7y ago
  Huh? I didn't say that wasn't a cool project. On the contrary, I think this is a great project even if it was all closed source. Maybe I should have clarified that I just meant to highlight the fact it's almost impossible to understand what many of the devices around us are doing because of the dependency on fundamental building blocks which are closed source and have no open source alternatives. I'm sorry if my comment came out offensive in any way. That wasn't my intention.
  - hellotomyrars 7y ago
    I think your comment is pretty fair and not an indictment of the project. It's 100% worth mentioning.
  - pratio 7y ago
    I understand if that wasn’t your intention but i saw a cool project on HN and you gatekeeping. It seems the author open sourced everything they knew. Your comment didn’t mention any alternatives to open hardware or such. It felt condescending, something cool and hacked up. I didn’t like the tone, hence the comment.
clSTophEjUdRanu 7y ago
The problem with these open source phone projects is that all the modems use closed source drivers (I think). Do you know a path forward to do this entirely with open source?
- krilovsky 7y ago
  Unfortunately I don't know of any project in the area of open source basebands. There was OsmocomBB for GSM, which used the TI Calypso chipset, but I'm not aware of any such efforts for 3G/4G.

fsh 7y ago

This module is basically just a 3G baseband chip on a board. By your definition, no circuit that contains a chip would be open source.

_-___________-_ 7y ago
"just a 3G baseband chip" does hide an enormous amount of complexity. The point is just that this design contains both non-open-source hardware and non-open-source software (running on the 3G baseband chip). It's still mighty cool!
- krilovsky 7y ago
  It's very cool indeed, even if it was all closed source :)
krilovsky 7y ago
Except it's not "just" a 3G baseband chip. That chip[0] runs a closed source software that even contains a Lua interpreter. That's a proprietary binary blob that I don't know what it does, so this is not something that I would call "open source" even if the controller is open source. [0] https://simcom.ee/modules/wcdma-hspa/sim5320/ https://simcom.ee/modules/wcdma-hspa/sim5320/
- saalweachter 7y ago
  Boy howdy, you are not going to like to hear what happens when those radio signals leave your cellular telephone.

taneq 7y ago

It's hard to get any open source software finished, what with all the goat farming. (https://pics.me.me/i-thought-using-loops-was-cheating-so-programmed-my-own-12251946.png https://pics.me.me/i-thought-using-loops-was-cheating-so-pro...)

pratio 7y ago
I was about to post the same link

pratio 7y ago

It goes opensource in my book maybe you will create an opensource alternative for the hardware. This sort of gatekeeping is maybe the reason why hobbyists avoid HN.

krilovsky 7y ago
Huh? I didn't say that wasn't a cool project. On the contrary, I think this is a great project even if it was all closed source. Maybe I should have clarified that I just meant to highlight the fact it's almost impossible to understand what many of the devices around us are doing because of the dependency on fundamental building blocks which are closed source and have no open source alternatives. I'm sorry if my comment came out offensive in any way. That wasn't my intention.
- hellotomyrars 7y ago
  I think your comment is pretty fair and not an indictment of the project. It's 100% worth mentioning.
- pratio 7y ago
  I understand if that wasn’t your intention but i saw a cool project on HN and you gatekeeping. It seems the author open sourced everything they knew. Your comment didn’t mention any alternatives to open hardware or such. It felt condescending, something cool and hacked up. I didn’t like the tone, hence the comment.

clSTophEjUdRanu 7y ago

The problem with these open source phone projects is that all the modems use closed source drivers (I think). Do you know a path forward to do this entirely with open source?

krilovsky 7y ago
Unfortunately I don't know of any project in the area of open source basebands. There was OsmocomBB for GSM, which used the TI Calypso chipset, but I'm not aware of any such efforts for 3G/4G.