[IAEP] Which cheap 2016 Laptop should be our reference?

[Jonas Smedegaard]

Quoting Sam Parkinson (2016-06-23 00:07:34)
> I think that the issue was mainly it was hard to install Sugar on the 
> 1st generation rpis.  The 1st gen was a special snowflake and it 
> didn't run normal distros that could normally intall sugar.

RPi1 _also_ was slow, like most devices of that era, but...


> I think the situation has changed?  Can't the rpi3 run mainline 
> kernel?

No, it cannot *boot* without non-free blobs!

No ARM devices can do 3D graphics without non-free blobs, but the RPi 
boards are particularly bad in that the 3D graphics is hardwired to the 
bootup process.

If you want the RPi, then admit that you compromise on freedoms, don't 
try fool yourself and your surroundoungs by claiming differently.


> There are actually a few funny tablets that run mainline kernel, like 
> the 2013 nexus 7.  (not the 2012 nexus7, that's a tegra chip) Maybe 
> those are of interest to us.

No, I am pretty sure Nexus 7 is the one I checked a bit closer recently 
and found to only be limping when using mainline kernel - mostly 
relevant for Canonical to stuff their non-free blobs on top, and for PR 
folks to fool wanna-be purists who don't read the fine print to tag 
along).

If you want a free(ish) phone, buy a GTA04 (but it isn't cheap).

If you want a free(ish) tablet, buy an Allwinner-based one that you have 
double-checked is working with Debian.  Not some vendor-shipped "Debian" 
but what _Debian_ calls Debian - with kernel distributed from Debian!


...or don't - but then call it something else than "free", please: 
Consumers watering down the terms is far more confusing than Microsoft 
inventing "shared source".


 - Jonas

-- 
 * Jonas Smedegaard - idealist & Internet-arkitekt
 * Tlf.: +45 40843136  Website: http://dr.jones.dk/

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