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List:       opensolaris-laptop-discuss
Subject:    Re: [laptop-discuss] Re:  toshiba sd-card support?
From:       "Garrett D'Amore" <garrett_damore () tadpole ! com>
Date:       2006-12-31 16:51:07
Message-ID: 4597EA7B.3070909 () tadpole ! com
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Douglas Atique wrote:
> > Christopher Arthur wrote:
> > 
> > > Hi,
> > > 
> > > The built-in card reader on a toshiba (satellite
> > > 
> > pro m15) laptop isn't recognized by solaris by
> > default.  Can this be made to work?  I would try
> > mounting devices at random if I thought it would do
> > any good.   I don't really need it, but I find that
> > the sd card is a cool place to put the cache for
> > internet browsing, if nothing else. 
> > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > If it is a winbond controller or somesuch, then it
> > may be difficult. 
> > Historically programming information on SDcard has
> > only been available
> > under a fairly tight NDA.  We have written drivers
> > for SDcard on our
> > laptops, which use the Winbond controller, but NDA
> > prevents us from
> > releasing source.
> > 
> > 
> I could use it to load my Palm's SD card with my MP3s. I wonder if Tadpole wouldn't \
> be willing to build their driver for us x86 pals and make the binaries available... \
> 

This is unlikely to occur for several reasons:

    1) The driver is written such that it relies on certain
initializations from OBP, which x86 machines lack (most importantly, it
relies on OBP device nodes).

    2) This would cost us money to port, and maintain, with very little
upside.

    3) It would enable platforms that compete with ours, without any
tangible benefit to our own  platforms.

Given these, I'd be rather amazed if binaries for x86 drivers for this
hardware ever came out of Tadpole.

    -- Garrett
> > Btw, I would think using SDcard as an internet cache
> > would not be a
> > great idea, for a couple of reasons:
> > 
> > 1) write performance on sdcard (or any nor or
> > nand flash device) is
> > retty dismal, particularly compared to other, more
> > typical devices
> > 
> > 2) sdcards themselves have limited lifetimes in
> > the presence of writing
> > Anyway.... maybe you can get the prtconf listing
> > which shows your sdcard
> > device and someone can identify it and determine
> > whether a Linux driver
> > for it is available or not.
> > 
> > -- Garrett
> > nOS 5.10 Generic_118855-14 i86pc i386 i86pc
> > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > This message posted from opensolaris.org
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > laptop-discuss mailing list
> > > laptop-discuss@opensolaris.org
> > > 
> > > 
> > -- 
> > Garrett D'Amore, Principal Software Engineer
> > Tadpole Computer / Computing Technologies Division,
> > General Dynamics C4 Systems
> > http://www.tadpolecomputer.com/
> > Phone: 951 325-2134  Fax: 951 325-2191
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > laptop-discuss mailing list
> > laptop-discuss@opensolaris.org
> > 
> > 
> 
> 
> This message posted from opensolaris.org
> _______________________________________________
> laptop-discuss mailing list
> laptop-discuss@opensolaris.org
> 


-- 
Garrett D'Amore, Principal Software Engineer
Tadpole Computer / Computing Technologies Division,
General Dynamics C4 Systems
http://www.tadpolecomputer.com/
Phone: 951 325-2134  Fax: 951 325-2191

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