Free Hardware

Jhoberg posted on 19 Apr 2007 21:39:00 -0700 in news:comp.arch.fpga :

"This it is a message of Richard Staman creator of free softeare fundation and GNU on an idea to construct free hardware in FPGAs.

"

On 2000 March 8th Richard M. Stallman has made a presentation in Trinity College Dublin. Near the end, a member of the audience has asked a question re the GPL and hardware. Richard M. Stallman has responded appreciating no relevance of freedom to hardware. Perhaps he had not been aware of code written in hardware description languages which had already been licensed according to the second version of the GPL by that time, and perhaps he has revised his opinion.

Regards, Colin Paul Gloster

The key word here is "code". IMHO RMS's point is that the types of freedoms that the GPL provides (use, change, share) do not apply to physical objects, because the cost of copying physical objects is non-trivial. So, you can GPL the code *in* an FPGA (software), but you can't GPL the FPGA itself (hardware). How could you copy a chip and share it with your friends? "Hey Colin, could you email me a Spartan 3?"

well FPGA's DO MAKE it possible to send HARDWARE per email.

the only assumption is that the receiving party has some equipment with an FPGA inside. this maybe the LCD TV as example or some other equipment.

so by loading the new bit file to the FPGA in his LCD TV the FPGA will transform to some hardware that did not previously exist at the premises of the receiver of the "hardware per email"...

so the issue about licensing is not trivial :)

Antti

To be pedantic, I disagree. You're not emailing hardware, you're emailing a way of configuring hardware that someone has. Same as emailed software configures your PC. Cheers, Syms.

On a sunny day (20 Apr 2007 08:37:57 -0700) it happened Antti wrote in :

Actually there is no difference between what you describe and software. "Hardware" refers to transistors, diodes, silicon, etc... Programs and HDL code (could even contain sequential stuff, a processor) are 'soft', in the sense as paint that can be applied to a canvas. The FPGA / PC, micro, what not, is the canvas.

This will all change the day somebody markets the 'replicator' (as in Startrek). Man that would be a day:-) Laws would have to be made, people would be locked away (like the ones who did dollar bills on the first photo color copier)... LOL.

You could replicate yourself before the Feds arrive. Which one would they gaol? Syms :-)

But doesn't Xilinx being a fabless chip vendor emphasize the point that the transistors, diodes, etc are also "software" in the sense that they too come out of the designers computers as data files? Likewise all modern PCB's.

You could argue that becuase they aren't changeable in a given device they are permanent, but then so is software (firmware) in a ROM.

On a sunny day (20 Apr 2007 10:14:48 -0700) it happened cs snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com wrote in :

Thats is true. You can even think of a relais system, that in fact executes a hardwired sequence -say program- as only hardware.

Maybe then it is only 'soft' as long as it is changable and can be copied. There are cases where it is not clear at all, a read protected FLASH micro or FPGA for example. It cannot be read and it cannot be changed (without losing the info), so then it is hardware. This is my view actually, I have sold PICs with code I wrote that just do some hardware function - so it is a different chip say now it is a display driver - as hardware. The new call it 'firmware'. In the patent world. although software here in Europe may not be patentable, 'firmware connected to some functionality is'. I am no lawyer, big companies could kill each other with lawsuits over things this.

It is very tricky, should a processor that runs Linux OS make its micro code available under GPL too ;-)? LOL

Some nonfree architectures exist at the moment but it is known as a processor JAVA and Core of processor ARM work like in which I could run GNU/Linux in FPGA, like a Spartan3:

JAVA Processor

Core ARM

Microblaze

This it is a message of Richard Staman creator of free softeare

Some nonfree architectures exist at the moment but it is known as a processor JAVA and Core of processor ARM work like in which I could run GNU/Linux in FPGA, like a Spartan3:

JAVA Processor

Core ARM

Microblaze

Colin Paul Gloster posted: "On 2000 March 8th Richard M. Stallman has made a presentation in Trinity College Dublin. Near the end, a member of the audience has asked a question re the GPL and hardware. Richard M. Stallman has responded appreciating no relevance of freedom to hardware. Perhaps he had not been aware of code written in hardware description languages which had already been licensed according to the second version of the GPL by that time, and perhaps he has revised his opinion."

In news: snipped-for-privacy@localhost.localdomain timestamped 20 Apr 2007

11:17:24 -0400, DJ Delorie of DJGPP responded: "The key word here is "code". IMHO RMS's point is that the types of freedoms that the GPL provides (use, change, share) do not apply to physical objects, because the cost of copying physical objects is non-trivial. So, you can GPL the code *in* an FPGA (software), but you can't GPL the FPGA itself (hardware). How could you copy a chip and share it with your friends? "Hey Colin, could you email me a Spartan 3?""

DJ's point may be completely true. I can not remember word for word what the hardware question slightly over seven years and one month ago was, and I do not remember word for word what Stallman's answer was then, but Stallman definitely did not demonstrate any awareness of HDLs at the time. He did not answer then by saying "We encourage the idea of free hardware designs", in contrast to

Hello , then serious a free architecture in this could be implementrd drivers some functions of DSP, but for this could be to constuir a sintetizador with GPL.

The concept would be a free architecture in this coul be implemented which drivers some functions of DSP , but for this could be to constuir a sintetizer with GPL.

the concept would be a free architecture in which drivers could be implemented and some functions of DSP of, but for this deberia to constuir a sintetizador with GPL.

The concept would be a free architecture in which drivers could be implemented and some functions of DSP of, but for this could be to constuir a sintetizer with GPL.

the concept would be a free architecture in this implemented which drivers and some functions of DSP of, but for this could be to constuir a sintetizer with GPL.

the concept would be a free architecture in this implemented which drivers and some functions of DSP of, but for this could be to constuir a sintetizer with GPL

The concept would be a free architecture in this implemented which drivers and some functions of DSP of, but for this could be to constuir a sintetizer with GPL.

The concept would be a free architecture in this implemented which drivers and some functions of DSP of, but for this could be to constuir a sintetizer with GPL