ticpu
New Member
Posts: 6 
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Post by ticpu on Dec 15, 2013 6:11:09 GMT
I was absolutely suprised when I came to the RFduino web site today to find out that the link to the forum was missing, then a Google search for the forum redirected me to the main web site. I made a small twitter search and found out 2 interesting tweets And it is true, the code repository has disappeared from GitHub too... The product is awesome but I don't think the spirit of open source was respected at all by the author. I found this forum via the Kickstarter comments or else I wouldn't have known where to start. I re-uploaded the repo on GitHub github.com/ticpu/RFduino just in case, I'm not sure it will stay there for long as I don't know the policies of GitHub concerning deleted repos not owned by you, for example, if I had forked the repo. |
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ticpu
New Member
Posts: 6
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Post by ticpu on Dec 15, 2013 6:36:26 GMT
A quick look at the change in the source really shows that they are changing avrdude for their own RFDLoader, I guess this really raises questions about licensing issues with them. Too bad they couldn't just publish the changes they made to avrdude instead.
Same for the closed source bluetooth stack.
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Post by Admin on Dec 15, 2013 14:51:05 GMT
All other BLE chips has a BLE stack that belongs to the manufacturer, and that has to be respected.
The fault that was made is that the project creator never told the crow founders the truth.
If they project had a overview: Which software and hardware parts is in use and who they belong to, licensed, copyright and so on. With a overview would a discussion never have been started, but they didn't.
And having Open Hardware logos and then censor peoples posting is in direct violation of Open Source Hardware (OSHW) "Statement of Principles". I and a friend of mine has been banned on facebook from posting comments in the projects group, I'm amused :-) and a bit stunned, have never encounter such behavior.
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Post by rodrigozanatta on Dec 16, 2013 18:43:51 GMT
I still not understand about the big problem with the source. The library they don't want to show the code was created by rfduino team? Or is something from nordic skd? Or there are others things?
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Post by Admin on Dec 17, 2013 0:17:07 GMT
I still not understand about the big problem with the source. The library they don't want to show the code was created by rfduino team? Or is something from nordic skd? Or there are others things? Rodrigo, The problem for me is that I don't know what I have got when I crow founded RFduino. From the kickstarter project posting I got the impression it was open source. Why ? 1. The creator named himself "Open Source RF" 2. In the creators biography on kickstarter you can read: And when reading all comments on kickstarter I saw a pattern, the project creator started to avoid answering some topics. And then I saw the trend continue in the forum. I asked the RFduino creator to step forward, make a declaration what software parts is open source and what is closed source. No answer... The situation is like buying a car, the care salesman say "oh if you wan't to repair it, just pop the hood and start digging" and after a while you wan't to adjust the cardurator, pop the hood and discover that the engine is encased in a big box with a sign "You are not alowed to open this box"!!! Fals marketing is the word that pop up. Trust is something you earn and so easy to destroy... I have lost all trust in Armen, erasing postings from facebook, where I just posted a link to this forum and then banning me from making future post without a warning... Thats below me... Disapointed! /Mats |
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Post by rodrigozanatta on Dec 17, 2013 18:12:20 GMT
Do you think they want to do this all from the start? It is a little stupid strategy. I really believe they in some part of the project see that they can't open all the code. Maybe because this Armen stop to answer about it at some point. And when someone discovery the library, then all happens. Lol, they don't say what is really happing. We can just speculate  . |
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Post by Admin on Dec 17, 2013 22:11:28 GMT
Do you think they want to do this all from the start? It is a little stupid strategy. Not shure what you mean ? But just using "Open source" in the project description and then it isn't, seems a bit counter productive. That is true, and I never asked about "All the code" but a overview of what parts is under what license, quite simple task to do.... Your right. /Mats |
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Post by Admin on Dec 17, 2013 22:20:30 GMT
I must add, one positive thing about RFduino is that I have learned a lot about market communication and market expectations versus what is delivered.
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Post by sorphin on Dec 18, 2013 0:47:51 GMT
FYI, the old forum is still cached by google, so i've been able at least to find a thread or 2 or so.
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Post by drobscure on Dec 18, 2013 14:36:35 GMT
It appears Armen has re-posted the GitHub depository and claims that a 'revised' forum will return, it is not up as of now.. However, nothing has changed otherwise... He also sent out a long apologetic letter to backers expressing what a huge mistake he has made..
We still have no breakdown of the restricted modules or why...
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Post by rodrigozanatta on Dec 18, 2013 18:28:32 GMT
Well, they do not say about what happens? They did a mistake, that all. They put proprietary software in that library, so they can't open it and will not do it!
I believe now is time to think the solution to this scenery and not what they need to have done in the past.
The action they did today was better than what they did in last week: close the forum and github. And assume the error.
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Post by GermanStarter on Dec 18, 2013 20:07:23 GMT
Hi Guys,
for my understanding you can choose yourself if you will upload the arduino stack with the BLE stack from RFduino, or you can take an empty RFduino and fill it with the S110 (peripheral), S120 (master) or S130 (observer, broadcaster) BLE stacks from Nordic Semiconductor. The marketing guy from rutronik.com explained me what´s inside and which software is avaiable etc.... very interesting... and the RFduino BLE stack is NOT the same as the S110 from Nordic, which is frequently improved - but nobody knows the different in detail... the BLE stack from Nordic is also a binary, while application code is open source....
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Post by GermanStarter on Dec 18, 2013 20:25:31 GMT
...and by the way: Nordic had already a BLE stack for the nRF8000 series since years - now the hired further 70 BLE engineeres to improve the stacks further. When I imagine the total sallery, I can´t believe that a small company like Armen´s team is able to make such software themself.... so keep realistic and don´t expect to get any BLE stack as open source.... that´s my understanding...
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Post by drobscure on Dec 19, 2013 19:01:36 GMT
just as a clarification...
I don't think most of us want to write our on BLE stack...
We just want access to the SDK to use the available stack(s) in our own way.. not simply 'as we may allowed' through some other parties 'thin layer' that hides the functionality of the device..
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ticpu
New Member
Posts: 6
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Post by ticpu on Dec 20, 2013 1:14:39 GMT
We just want access to the SDK to use the available stack(s) in our own way.. not simply 'as we may allowed' through some other parties 'thin layer' that hides the functionality of the device.. Exactly my though process when I started this thread. I feel most of the available feature of the BLE stack are missing from the current layer imposed by RFduino. More event based callbacks, different communication channels and such. |
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