[GRLUG] Where do you meet and when?

[Tim Schmidt]

On Wed, May 13, 2009 at 8:27 PM, Michael Mol <mikemol at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, May 13, 2009 at 7:27 PM,  <eric at erichartwell.net> wrote:
>> But we should. With summer well on its way maybe we can get a geek party together. :)
>
> What constitutes a geek party for a demographic that's not known for
> gaming, anyway?  The only toys I can bring to the party are a low-end
> laptop running Ubuntu 9.04, and a smartphone running an OS that'd get
> me shot if this were comp.os.linux.advocacy. ;)

As a former board member of the Open Hardware Foundation (which is
sadly no more), I run my life on FOSS gadgets.  Here's a short list
off the top of my head:

- An OpenMoko Neo FreeRunner phone
- A Hanlin V3ext (rebadged as BeBook) e-ink ebook reader running
OpenInkpot (an all-FOSS firmware replacement)
- Several Netgear WGT634U Wireless routers running OpenWRT (and one
with Debian Etch running via USB flash drive)
- An OLPC XO-1 with cheap ($35) ebay USB GPS unit running TangoGPS and
Navit for in-car navigation
- many many Arduinos (a few controlling my two CNC machines in the
form of the v2.5 and v3 RepRap electronics)
- of course, a few x86 desktops running Linux, all using Intel or ATI
graphics adapters, with Free drivers - including a Dell 1420n laptop
which came pre-loaded with Ubuntu
- several Sandisk Sansa e250 MP3 players running the Rockbox FOSS
firmware replacement
- a Canon SD1100IS 8mp digital camera not yet flashed with CHDK FOSS
firmware replacement

Over the years, I've also owned several Sharp Zaurus Linux PDAs, and
I'm sure I'm missing a few other things.

Surprisingly, many of these are Free down to the firmware - the
OpenMoko, OLPC, and Netgear routers all run FOSS bootloaders (in this
case, replacing the functionality of the x86 BIOS).  I'm unsure if the
ebook's bootloader is FOSS or not.  I have yet to experiment with
Coreboot (formerly LinuxBIOS), or verify that all my wireless hardware
uses Free drivers...  that will come with time.

I can say with certainty, however, ensuring all my devices can run
FOSS software and firmware has afforded extra features, support long
after manufacturers stopped caring (in the case of RockBox
especially), and overall, smoother, more functional devices.

It's amazing to me that today, it's possible to use FOSS software on
all the 'necessary' gadgets for day to day life.

--tim