NLNet Funds Development of a Libre RISC-V 3D CPU
This looks promising, but it's not encouraging to see Luke move onto another project before following through on the EOMA68 A20. The latest shipping date for the A20 has passed,[1] with no updates this time about what's going on. I hope this new project doesn't follow the same trajectory.
> This looks promising, but it's not encouraging to see Luke move onto another project before following through on the EOMA68 A20.
Luke made a comment today about the EOMA68 project on a Phoronix article about RISC-V 3D today[1]:
"oh? you're aware that several people have lied both publicly and privately about conversations that they've had with me, causing the EOMA68 project to be set back by at least three years, due to the harm that they caused? those people are directly responsible for the ongoing environmental damage that EOMA68 *would* have reduced if it had been possible to complete earlier, because more volunteers would have helped out to get it to a crucial threshold point."
"as it is, there is barely enough money left - just enough to complete the manufacturing production run - and that's with me, personally, shovelling every penny of my income that i can spare into it to bolster it, and with various other extremely welcome small donations from people across the world who believe in the project."
"bottom line: *be careful* before you pass judgement on me, ok?"
If we do business in this form, it would be better to report having done what everyday like a diary to stakeholders, for ourselves, too. Every hour is maybe too much, but it might be more reliable. Every minute... every year... you guys's reaction to the delay was a bit surprise for me because e.g. Japanese trains are really punctual then other countries people seemed to be slacker than here, especially Brazil. But it would create that curious own rhythm of their football bla bla bla anyway it seems I can buy a good cheap laptop within few years. Good.
"oh? you're aware that several people have lied both publicly and privately about conversations that they've had with me, causing the EOMA68 project to be set back by at least three years..."
I should note that, if you review the updates that have been posted over the years at https://www.crowdsupply.com/eoma68/micro-desktop/updates all of them are about technical issues and not what he mentions about people lying. I'll leave checking those old updates as an exercise for the reader. If true it's sad. I don't mean to say it's untrue only that this is the first I've heard of it in all this time.
I don't think anyone's trying to "pass judgement" though. Please don't read that anyone is blaming Lucas for anything in particular. At the same time I am not sure I want to back the RISC-V one if he's not even able to get his first one done. It seems premature to me to be working on a new crowdfunding campaign while the old one still hasn't even been completed yet, and has suffered from multiple year delays (which at the time in the blog he was attributing purely to other problems like technical issues), and he still owes the hardware to people that backed the campaign. For all I know the same may happen with his RISC-V project too. He should spend his time finishing up his current stuff rather than dividing up his time between them with the starting of another project.
Is he planning to using any of the funds from this NLNet grant to finish up the ARM version of the EOMA68 to get that out the door? I haven't heard that he is. I'd love to know what his plan is to get the hardware out to the people that backed the first campaign and have been patiently waiting all this time while reading the updates on the crowdfunding page.
@Masaru Suzuqi
> If we do business in this form, it would be better to report having done what everyday like a diary to stakeholders
In the past Luke has generally been pretty good at communicating, in my view (although I haven't been following this campaign from the beginning). It seemed that delays were always accompanied by an update on the technical obstacles and current progress. These delays did not bother me much, because the transparency was reassuring. However, when March 31 shipping date passed, the shipping date was silently changed to May 31, and we did not get an update until April 27. Now the May 31 shipping date has passed, and there has been no communication so far.
@andyprough
> "bottom line: *be careful* before you pass judgement on me, ok?"
I greatly admire Luke. What he's doing is important, and I don't exactly see a long line of people ready to step up and try to do it better. Navigating a supply chain intended for bulk manufacturing of non-free hardware is not an easy task. It's terrific that he's gotten as far as he has, and heroic that he hasn't given up. It's the recent lack of communication that makes me worry that something is wrong.
@jxself
> Is he planning to using any of the funds from this NLNet grant to finish up the ARM version of the EOMA68 to get that out the door?
I think it's likely that the grant was specifically for the RISC-V project, and so the funds cannot be used for other projects. If NLNet is interested in funding the RISC-V project, I certainly wouldn't want Luke to reject that funding just because the A20 isn't done yet. I still have concerns though, I think for the same reasons you do.
I think that your attitude that while kindly supporting someone in the one's good effort, criticising wrong is wrong is a necessary job of a community. If the one covers one's ears, it is almost the same way of the system. The one wouldn't threaten to silence people, generally speaking. We are tolerant of those failure if they still have the thought and the determination not to do it never, carefulness, experiences bla bla bla for our victory, aren't we? for our sakes. It is nothing. I cannot be tolerant toward the system, though. It is not nothing.