# Intro
-Several things in this update: the OpenPower Foundation released their EULA;
-RISC-V Foundation opens access to *some* mailing lists;
-we had a last-minute decision to go to FOSDEM to meet NLNet; we have new
-team members helping out and making really good progress.
+Several things in this update: the OpenPower Foundation released their
+EULA (which is really exciting); RISC-V Foundation opens access to
+*some* mailing lists (but doesn't tackle the important stuff); we had
+a last-minute decision to go to FOSDEM to meet NLNet (and meet lots
+of nice people including someone from the EU Commission); we have new team
+members helping out (and making really good progress).
# OpenPOWER Foundation releases the Power ISA EULA
# RISC-V Mailing Lists
+By complete contrast to how OpenPower is being managed...
+
Since the last update, some of the RISC-V Mailing lists have become "open".
There was no announcement. You can't get access to the prior archives.
Critically important lists - such as the UNIX Platform Working Group -
Still, they're finally making an effort.
They still have not responded (as is legally required under their Trademark
-obligations) to any of the twenty to thirty reasonable in-good-faith
-requests for inclusion of Libre Businesses with "full transparency"
-as part of their business objectives.
+obligations) to any of the twenty to thirty very deliberately public,
+prominent, and reasonable in-good-faith
+requests for inclusion in the *innovation* of RISC-V (not just its
+"use", its **innovation**) by Libre Businesses with "full transparency"
+as part of their core business objectives.
Failing to allow public participation in the UNIX WG is particularly
damaging to RISC-V's reputation. Telling u-boot and linux kernel developers
real-world infrastructure for the benefit of EU Citizens (and incidentally
the rest of the world) is a bit of an eye-opener.
-Also it was fantastic to meet Staf, and talk to him about the upcoming
+I had a brief chat with the person from the EU Commission. He was
+delighted to be able to see the sheer number of people involved and being
+sponsored by NLNet. I had an opportunity to ask him about the anti-trust
+aspects of the RISC-V Foundation's ongoing intransigent behaviour.
+He initially expressed puzzlement and some concern, because the EU is
+funding quite a lot of RISC-V projects, and none of them had any issues.
+I asked him a very simple question: "how many of those projects are
+simply *implementing* existing RISC-V Standards?", and he replied, "all
+of them". I then asked, "how many of those projects are *innovating*,
+developing alternative extensions to what is dictated by the RISC-V
+Foundation?" With the answer being "none", *that* was the point at which
+he understood the extent of the problem, and how the RISC-V Foundation -
+and its members - are at risk of violating EU anti-trust legislation.
+
+oops.
+
+# Meeting other LibreSOC people
+
+It was fantastic to meet Staf, and talk to him about the upcoming
test chip that he'll be doing. He will be including an SR-Latch cell for
-us, because it saves such a vast number of gates. There were several other
+us, because it saves such a vast number of gates in the Dependency
+Matrices if we use a D-Flip-Flop: 50,000 gates if we use an SR-Latch,
+and a *quarter of a million* if we use a DFF.
+
+There were several other
people we met, including one who can help us to develop a
[BSP](http://bugs.libre-riscv.org/show_bug.cgi?id=164) (Board Support Package).
+Also we got a chance to talk to several other people with cross-over skillsets.
+
+This alone was worth the time to go to FOSDEM, this year. Now what
+we have to do is make sure to plan properly in advance, to put in some
+papers at appropriate conferences. We really need to organise a proper
+conference where everyone meets up.
# New members
projects / crowdsupply.git / blobdiff