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The number of affordable still very powerful SBCs has grown to the point we probably need something like the rosettacode (.org) site, but aimed at comparing way

The number of affordable still very powerful SBCs has grown to the point we probably need something like the rosettacode (.org) site, but aimed at comparing ways of obtaining the same tasks in a few chosen languages but on different hardware, for example how to flip a gpio, how to send a pwm signal to a mosfet, how to read this or that sensor, how to draw on graphics LCDs, communicate with RF modules, etc. followed then by a list of boards and method to accomplish the task on all of them using similarly named functions and variables when possible to make comparison easier. In some cases the code will likely be identical, while some lower level or optimized stuff will need to be more specific for a given hardware. A site like that could quickly become a place to go when looking for ideas and/or compare different SBCs. Opinions?

kjs3 3y ago
Sounds closer to the OSDev Wiki[1] than Rosettacode, but sure, that's a pretty nifty idea. I would gauge how many people are SBC collectors/hoarders before I went looking for a seed round tho. I'd guess outside of RPi's, Arduinos and a handful of other big names, there's a pretty small community that is really playing with multiple boards much less different processor archs regularly who could maximize a service like this. Most people I know focus on one or a small number of platforms, either because of budget or cognitive burden, but that's anicdata so who really knows. I will of course suggest my obligatory pet peeve: for boards where it's applicable, indicate "can it run a stock kernel or does it rely on out-of-tree, vendor or community supplied/supported blobs" before I waste a lot of time reading further. [1] https://wiki.osdev.org/Expanded_Main_Page https://wiki.osdev.org/Expanded_Main_Page
- throwup238 3y ago
  > indicate "can it run a stock kernel or does it rely on out-of-tree, vendor or community supplied/supported blobs" before I waste a lot of time reading further. Seconded. At this point, unless a client is explicitly paying (a lot) for a specific processor, custom BSPs with outdated kernels are an absolute showstopper. I won't even bother evaluating the platform any further.
  - squarefoot 3y ago
    For SBCs that can run Linux, such information can be found on Armbian and DietPI forums where usually they discuss porting and availability of kernels and/or other software.
    - kjs3 3y ago
      Let me add a requirement: Do I have to google the shit out of multiple forums to find out what it can run and how to keep it running? Also a waste of my time. P.S. - SBC here means more than Arm.

kjs3 3y ago

Sounds closer to the OSDev Wiki[1] than Rosettacode, but sure, that's a pretty nifty idea. I would gauge how many people are SBC collectors/hoarders before I went looking for a seed round tho. I'd guess outside of RPi's, Arduinos and a handful of other big names, there's a pretty small community that is really playing with multiple boards much less different processor archs regularly who could maximize a service like this. Most people I know focus on one or a small number of platforms, either because of budget or cognitive burden, but that's anicdata so who really knows. I will of course suggest my obligatory pet peeve: for boards where it's applicable, indicate "can it run a stock kernel or does it rely on out-of-tree, vendor or community supplied/supported blobs" before I waste a lot of time reading further. [1] https://wiki.osdev.org/Expanded_Main_Page https://wiki.osdev.org/Expanded_Main_Page

throwup238 3y ago
> indicate "can it run a stock kernel or does it rely on out-of-tree, vendor or community supplied/supported blobs" before I waste a lot of time reading further. Seconded. At this point, unless a client is explicitly paying (a lot) for a specific processor, custom BSPs with outdated kernels are an absolute showstopper. I won't even bother evaluating the platform any further.
- squarefoot 3y ago
  For SBCs that can run Linux, such information can be found on Armbian and DietPI forums where usually they discuss porting and availability of kernels and/or other software.
  - kjs3 3y ago
    Let me add a requirement: Do I have to google the shit out of multiple forums to find out what it can run and how to keep it running? Also a waste of my time. P.S. - SBC here means more than Arm.