Re: modem not responding

[Ben Dooks <ben-linux-arm@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, Feb 01, 2005 at 11:00:47AM +0100, Jean Lee wrote:
> Hello all,
> 
> Just to give my experience as an example :
> 
> For a new project, I am currently searching an SOC with integrated USB 
> host, 2 UARTs, GPIOs, RTC and the support for Linux.
> I am new to linux and I am primarily an hardware developper. I think 
> that I can develop some applications using existing device drivers but I 
> think that I am too new to help to develop some new device drivers. What 
> I need first is something which is working.
> 
> After a short study, it seems that the SOCs which are well suited for my 
> application are the AT91RM9200 and Cirrus EDB9302. For both chips, the 
> only available kernel with peripherals support is a 2.4 kernel. (and 2.6 
> kernels are unofficial ones)

I have been working on the 2.6 s3c2410/s3c2440 ports, and these are
comming to the point where not only will there be a solid core of all
the peripheral blocks supported, but a good range of development boards 
as well.

> The conclusion is simple : I think that I will start developing a new 
> product with 2.4 kernel BECAUSE of device drivers availibility and 
> BECAUSE I'm too new to linux and I can't spend some time to learn how to 
> write an USB host device driver for a 2.6 kernel.
> It is not that I don't want but if I say to my customer that I need 3 
> month to port linux to his application : he will laugh.....
> When I will succeed with 2.4 kernel, I will then learn how to write a 
> device driver and start to help beginners.
> 
> I don't think that I am an exception. A lot of project are now going 
> through linux because it is opensource and for a lot of people, it is 
> the same as free. Moreover, I think that a lot of developpers can write 
> an application software but not a device driver.
> 
> Conclusion :
> I think that the real problem is that the kernel is in transition : 
> There are real linux developpers who are working on 2.6 kernels and who 
> don't want to hear about 2.4 kernels because it is one year old for 
> them. But I think that there are a lot of people like me for whom the 
> current linux version is 2.4 BECAUSE of device drivers availability (and 
> 2.6 is an experimental version)...

2.6 is not experimental. there are a few architecutres that are not
fully supported, but this is not, imho, an reason to call the whole of
2.6 experimental.

> There are two sorts of developpers who needs two different sort of help 
> in one list :
> 

> Personnal note :
> If anybody knows another SOC with integrated USB host, 2 UARTs, GPIOs, 
> RTC and the support for Linux 2.6, can you give me its name?

Samsung s3c2410 and s3c2440, which is my personal field of expertise.

-- 
Ben

Q:      What's a light-year?
A:      One-third less calories than a regular year.


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