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−FreeCalypso Tourmaline firmware project
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−=======================================
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−
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−In chronological terms, FC Tourmaline is our fourth firmware offering after
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−Citrine, Magnetite and Selenite.  FC Tourmaline supports the following two
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−fundamental modes of operation:
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−
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−* AT-command-controlled modem operation (no UI) is currently unchanged from
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−  Magnetite hybrid; standard modem operation is supported on Tango/Caramel2,
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−  FCDEV3B and Openmoko hardware targets.
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−
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−* The new work being done in Tourmaline is phone handset functionality - the
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−  goal is to produce firmware that can operate a suitable hardware unit as an
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−  untethered end user phone.  Only two hardware targets are supported in this
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−  FC Tourmaline handset UI development venture: FC Luna development platform
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−  and Motorola C139.
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−
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−See the following articles under doc for further details:
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−
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−C139-notes		-- running smallbw version of the UI on Mot C139
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−Luna-notes		-- running both UI versions on FC Luna
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−Modem-operation		-- using the modem configuration
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−
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−Technical details
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−=================
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−
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−Just like FC Selenite, Tourmaline is derived from the hybrid config of
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−Magnetite.  Also in common with Selenite, Tourmaline uses the new source
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−version of Nucleus.  However, unlike Selenite, Tourmaline retains sole use of
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−the original TMS470 compiler (runs under Wine), retains the original blob
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−versions of OSL and OSX glue components of GPF in the default config (see
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−doc/Blob-status), and includes both modem and handset functional configs.
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−
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−Purpose and goal
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−================
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−
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−As of late 2020, FreeCalypso has achieved everything that needs to be done on
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−the modem side: our Magnetite hybrid or Tourmaline stdmodem firmware running on
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−our Tango modem module embodies complete fulfillment of our long-standing desire
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−for a standard GSM+GPRS modem module with fully published circuit schematics and
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−firmware source code.  No more significant work beyond maintenance is deemed to
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−be needed on the modem side.
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−
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−OTOH, the other need for a FreeCalypso handset that can replace proprietary
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−phones like Mot C1xx or Pirelli DP-L10 running their original proprietary fw
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−still remains as unmet as it was when we started back in 2013.  Thus the new
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−FreeCalypso work direction is to finally produce this FC handset, initially in
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−the form of FC firmware running on Mot C139 (and on FC Luna to keep up the
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−bigcolor config) and allowing the possibility of new FreeCalypso handset hw.
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−
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−Seen from the perspective of handset rather than modem functionality, the
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−direction taken in Citrine and Selenite (going for 100% blob-free compilation
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−with gcc) is the wrong way to go.  That direction would make sense if one cared
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−only about modem functionality rather than handset, but we are currently in the
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−opposite situation.  In the case of handset functionality, going for a compiler
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−change to gcc in our current state when so many other parts are broken and in
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−need of fixing would be pure insanity, and we are not going there.  Let us
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−first produce a working FreeCalypso handset (with fw compiled with TMS470 under
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−Wine, keeping the tiny remaining blobs) that can replace Mot/Pirelli's original
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−proprietary firmwares for daily use, and *then* think about moving to 100%
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−blob-free gcc - in this order.