Allwinner releases A31 quad core Linux kernel source code
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This is big news.
The quad core makes it possible for ARM to be rapidly developed into tablets, phones, IoT devices, smartbooks, TV dongles, micro servers and so on because the computing power of quad core, low power operation, and Linux are all available at the same time in one place.
Finally China factories realize their huge mistake in keeping chip documentation a secret and companies like Freescale release all their documentation and making all the open source developers rush to build products with Freescale chips and ditch the Allwinner ones, despite being lower cost. Now the mistake is realized, it will possible to make extremely large quantities of Linux gadgetry on the back of the quad cores that are coming from all directions in high volume.
Many other Far East vendors have had quad cores out for some time, but because it is not accompanied by freely accessible and 100% complete documentation, they have shot their marketing and sales and withered because no one knows how to make product with it.
Would you reward a managing director that took such a decision as his sales flop all around him?
Today the open source world pushes most of the gadgets out of the factory and most run Linux to make a sale. If your managing director does not know that, your company is doomed to failure as amply demonstrated by the ARM quad core fiasco.
Caveats may still apply. It has been noted historically, that companies snatch defeat from the jaws of victory at the last minute by locking up some parts of chip and cause the whole thing to be unusable for freedom product developers. Or they get some big order from a big (US) company only to be canceled at sued at the same time (in USA, draining all resources). Classic MBA trolling tactics to down competitors. This time, there is too many quad cores from too many companies reaching the market, and the winner will be decided by dodging all the bullets thrown at the market place by MBAs who in their natural state would not have a single qualification to make a single product and make money with it if it were left to free markets. (They need to be reaching for the media, politician and trolls to help them out. Education has let down the MBAs of big crocporations big time.)
AMD is also entering the ARM market and soon it could be a big riot of quad cores with documentation hitting the market. The market for ARM chips is still counted in their billions, so there is room for all, but unless Allwinner go out of their way and contact companies like Canonical and Ubuntu distro makers, to assist them with porting FULL linux to quad cores and to help market reference designs more freely available, they won't have a big enough buffer against heavy weights like AMD entering the market and sweeping up all the developers with 100% free documentation. These days, the end can be quick - 6 months even.