5 ms·

Which is what is so depressing. They're the "closest", but not remotely close.

by octoberfranklin 5y ago

pabs3 5y ago
They have more RAM than my current desktop, so probably they are good enough for many people :)
- octoberfranklin 5y ago
  Can you be more specific? Like which model you mean? AFAICT all the SiFive products that are available to purchase and have workstation-ish amounts of RAM require boot blobs. I would be happy to be wrong about this. https://forums.sifive.com/t/remaining-agency-issues-to-be-solved/4578 https://forums.sifive.com/t/remaining-agency-issues-to-be-so... Apparently there was a very limited run of dev boards for which no blobs are needed, and then they promptly discontinued that product and replaced it with a (confusingly-similarly-named) blobbified product that you can pre-order via mouser (listed as "backordered, no ETA"). This product is already marked EOL which is not encouraging.
  - pabs3 5y ago
    I was just referring to their latest dev boards, which people have put in standard mini-ITX compatible cases, plugged in GPUs and used as workstations. Zero idea what blobs this requires. For eg: https://drewdevault.com/2022/01/15/2022-01-15-The-RISC-V-experience.html https://drewdevault.com/2022/01/15/2022-01-15-The-RISC-V-exp...
    - octoberfranklin 5y ago
      > Today I’m writing this on the HiFive Unmatched That board's firmware is not open-source at all. See the link in my previous comment. > Zero idea what blobs this requires. You've stumbled into the wrong thread, my friend. This thread is about open-source firmware. The stuff you're hyping does not deliver that.
      - pabs3 5y ago
        I hardly stumbled into this thread, I was the one who posted it to HN. I am definitely not hyping anything, least of all SiFive. This subthread started with the need for RISC-V workstations, I simply pointed out the closest thing to one of those. Of course I didn't mention the firmware situation, which was a mistake, but I also didn't know about the situation.

Which is what is so depressing. They're the "closest", but not remotely close.

pabs3 5y ago

They have more RAM than my current desktop, so probably they are good enough for many people :)

octoberfranklin 5y ago
Can you be more specific? Like which model you mean? AFAICT all the SiFive products that are available to purchase and have workstation-ish amounts of RAM require boot blobs. I would be happy to be wrong about this. https://forums.sifive.com/t/remaining-agency-issues-to-be-solved/4578 https://forums.sifive.com/t/remaining-agency-issues-to-be-so... Apparently there was a very limited run of dev boards for which no blobs are needed, and then they promptly discontinued that product and replaced it with a (confusingly-similarly-named) blobbified product that you can pre-order via mouser (listed as "backordered, no ETA"). This product is already marked EOL which is not encouraging.
- pabs3 5y ago
  I was just referring to their latest dev boards, which people have put in standard mini-ITX compatible cases, plugged in GPUs and used as workstations. Zero idea what blobs this requires. For eg: https://drewdevault.com/2022/01/15/2022-01-15-The-RISC-V-experience.html https://drewdevault.com/2022/01/15/2022-01-15-The-RISC-V-exp...
  - octoberfranklin 5y ago
    > Today I’m writing this on the HiFive Unmatched That board's firmware is not open-source at all. See the link in my previous comment. > Zero idea what blobs this requires. You've stumbled into the wrong thread, my friend. This thread is about open-source firmware. The stuff you're hyping does not deliver that.
    - pabs3 5y ago
      I hardly stumbled into this thread, I was the one who posted it to HN. I am definitely not hyping anything, least of all SiFive. This subthread started with the need for RISC-V workstations, I simply pointed out the closest thing to one of those. Of course I didn't mention the firmware situation, which was a mistake, but I also didn't know about the situation.