Fedora Project Insider

User who follows Life: Infinity, Freedom and Voice.

Hi,

I have red an interesting movement from Mandrakesoft. Full news here:

http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/Mandriva-joins-ARM-Connected-Community-940186.html

We should join too?

I have begun to digg throuh for some free music, just for passion – just for relax. Well, I know at here, at Hungary not really widely spread the giveaway of freely downloadable music. No, not pirated music. Truly free music.
But after googling I have discovered an relatively young community called “Kommuna” – http://www.kommuna.org. They are begun cumulating independent hungarian musicbands who are able to give complete albums freely to anybody who is interested. Well, I haven’t expected that really… But it’s good to see they are living, growing and existing…

Good news, everyone [tm]!

I am hereby publicly announcing project OsmocomBB:  A Free and Open Source
software project to create a Free Software GSM baseband firmware.

The baseband chipset is the part of a mobile phone that actuall communicates
directly with the GSM network.  It typically includes a DSP and a
microprocessor running some RTOS, drivers for the baseband chipset,
the GSM protocol stack and some kind of user interface.

GSM has been deployed first 19 years ago.  Despite billions of phones deployed
world wide, all of them run a proprietary baseband firmware, consisting of
proprietary drivers, RTOS and GSM protocol stack.

OsmocomBB has set out to change this.  We do not want our phones to be
a black box connected 24/7 to a public network.  We want to decide what
kind of data our phone reveals about us or not.

The authors behind the project have already spent the last 15 months
implementing an Open Source GSM network side protocol implementation called
OpenBSC.  In January 2010, they decided to go after the phone side protocol
stack - which turned into OsmocomBB.

=> What is the project status?

Right now we are at a state where we have full control over the baseband
hardware, including the DSP and ARM cores, the analog baseband chip,
the RF transceiver, keypad, LCD display and other components.

We can scan the GSM band for cells, perform FCCH detection, run automatic
gain control to synchronize to the cells carrier, detect the SCH to get
BSIC and GSM frame number, as well as dump the BCCH and CCCH of the cell.

=> What does Osmocom mean? 

Open Source MObile COMmunications.  It is meant as an umbrella name for
various FOSS projects related to communications, including OsmocomBB but
also including sister projects like OpenBSC.

=> Can I make phone calls yet?

No. We are currently in Rx (receive) only mode, and have no Layer2 or Layer3
implementation yet.  However, the difficult parts of driving the GMS hardware
and implementing a minimal Layer1 are behind us, so we are confident to proceed
to actual phone calls during the months to come.

=> Where can I get the source?

The git repository is at git://git.osmocom.org/osmocom-bb.git
The mailing lists are at http://lists.osmocom.org/
The project homepage including wiki is at http://bb.osmocom.org/

=> What phones are supported?

We are implementing OsmocomBB as hardware-independent as possible.  At the
moment, we only have drivers for the Ti Calypso Digital Baseband chip.
Our main target are the following Motorola-branded phones (made by Compal):
C115/116/117/118/119/120/121/122/123/139/140/155

Adding support for other Calypso-based phones should be relatively easy,
but porting it to a different baseband chip is a lot of work, especially
without access to good documentation.
 
=> How can you help?

We need developers who have experience in microcontroller development working
on an ARM7TDMI core.  You do not need to know anything about GSM in order to
help us with tasks such as the UI, driving the battery charging controller,
etc.  If you want to join, get yourself a phone, serial cable, join the
developer mailing list and introduce yourself!

Happy Hacking
 Harald Welte

When I must to talk about our respins, I couldn’t go next to that these could be parts of an workgroup. Or better said – an open-source company. Especially I think on our Labs versions. Why?

Because of these are potentially could solve a bunch of problems, if these each one are extends to an DVD sized live system. If I took Security spin, this could give me an control on the whole (or a bigger part) security solution. Or additional we extend this with admin tools for daily usage (like netdisco), you’ll get an ultimate admin control for all of your machines.

If an company that designing electronics, ASICS parts, I took our Electronics Lab, and several CAD/CAM/ERP/POS solutions, with an component database and done – you could control a huge part of the company.

If we later on we have an Graphics / Movie Lab – with a collection of such type of softwares, like Blender, or Sunflow (http://sunflow.sourceforge.net/index.php), Gimp, Inkscape on steroids, bunch of cliparts – this takes again one piece from the bigger puzzle.

If we create an Music Lab – or better said an music studio, with Ardour, Traverso-DAW, Rosegarden, MusE, access to Jamendo… (I’ve got the whole list) and so on – we got an open-source music studio. Another piece. Without spending millions.

If we create an Health Care / Bio Lab (I have heard that we had similar project at Red Hat), we could tell to the people of Red Cross, that if catastrophe happens – downlad / (booting through boot.fedoraproject.org / use our respin – and they could analyse, support the nurses, doctors, or a huge part of an emergency hospital.

I could continue this all day long, but fact is: if these pieces are created, and connectable then we could sit down with any type of engineers, CEO’s, and single users too – and we could gain not just contributors, else supporters too. Because at the end with these respins fits, and insertable to any structure. We could tell them: we have an solution to their needs. GPL’ed. Or just with an small support, and an thanks.

Somebody has interest to go this way? There are companies has is interest in this? I’m surely after this to learn th creation process, and after to catch them. What do you think guys? I could get some help to have these SIG’s (more) alive and connected? Can I get help to create the missing parts of the respins?

Let’s say – we have an potential contributor, who wants to work with us, and want to be connected. Currently our contributor after installed Fedora, and the updates – must walk through several pages, and tons of registration process. This includes mailing lists, RSS, FAS, GPG, RSA keys, UI’s (like transifex, bodhi, koji – depending on contribution work). I think this is a lot of hassle. Could we shorten this?
I think maybe yes, if we giving an common interface to this in Fedora and in FAS UI too. But how?

Well, let’s have an launcher icon in applications / development: “I’d like to be a contributor!”. This icon will trigger for the user the FAS registration process. Opens locally an nice dynamic html page, where we explain each role where he/she could contribute. If after he/she clicks witch role want, this makes futher infos, additions /changes in the new contributor FAS page as preparing to the futher needed data, and could be provided at one place – like an installer. Every needed registration, keys, planet account, files, deactivation process, self removing – managed by one place. If I think on this more, then we could suggest tough – and install possibly needed, or commonly used tools for work, and sources, examples if this necessary.

Well, wouldn’t be great?

If I remember to this event I feel that myself so inspired, that never before. Yeah, I know this new feeling can change everything – but this is not bad at all.

I have arrived one day before the event, because of my plain has leaved afternoon from Hungary, but I’d liked so that I wouldn’t miss out from anything. My flight to Brussels was long awaited so I’ve been bit jumpy little bit around this: what will happen, how will I feel my self etc… But after my plain has landed, I knew that how feels to be near to God, and the Pope why kisses the ground after he steps down from stairs… And as addition I have met an very nice hungarian girl and her girlfriend’s grandfather, who has offered me to aid my trip by car from Charleroi to Brussels.

My first night was at the very tiny Hotel called Galia, near to the very nice Gare du Sablon, witch was really pretty – but too tired to look around after 19:00, so I checked in and battled a bit with the very weak wireless. Why? Because, not just I was a bit far on the 2nd floor, else the young receptionist has gave me an half sheet of printed paper with the AES/WEP key. I thought he’s kidding – but not, seriously: 128 random mixed chars, in three lines for each access points….. Ahem. Sure. Fast typing is easy on Eeepc 701…. also when you’re sleepy! Next day morning I had an very much liked true home-made breakfast: tasty fresh baked buns, and more tastier butter, and true jam, so the kitchen has compensated the earlier night flaws.

After this, I have moved to my next hotel, Hotel Moon, where I met my italian ambassador roommates: Lorenzo and Luca. Between it I had a lot of time, and tried to discover many things with my cam, what I have just red before in wiki pages. I have made over 200 pics, but I think not even a week enough to discover Brussel and the surroundings – so next time when I return, then really would like to see Lille, and Brugge, or maybe do a ride with Thalys to Paris.

At Hotel Moon, near to Grand Place, and two street down to Gare du Central, was much better: a nice daily cleaned room (daily changed towels!) with a really cheap prize, including free wifi, and breakfast. When I checked in – I have packed out, and awaited my roommates. But first when I connected to the internet, and to IRC, kital was online – and he told me the car accident and he maybe couldn’t come, together with Robert. Well, bad surprises coming always when is not expected… But this was solved later, and we could met next day at ULB Fedora desk. Few hours later first Luca has arrived, and we’re gone to eat something (it was Gaufre au Choc, mmmm), and looked after the restaurant Mort La Subite.
At there I was a bit shocked, a bit confused, as a new guy, and stranger between Famsco members – who’s who, a.s.o but sadly we have arrived to the end of the meeting. I have recognized several people from their typical hackergotchi (like Nicu), but later eating at Restaurant Opera, and on beer event at Delirium, was so great and we have talked a lot around linux, Fedora, and what life could give.

On two days at Fosdem talks, working with interested visitors, Kital’s awesome Security respin, photobombs, Lorenzo’s “pitagyros”, Kristos italian talk, drinking with Sascha… oh this blog not enough to tell everythnig….

How can I say? It was the lines of events of “very firsts” in my life. It was my first attend at an bigger conference, first time outer Austria, first time at Brussels, first time flew on plain, I met first time my mentor Kital,…and so long I could continue. I felt myself awesomely between – personally never seen – great (not just famous) friendly Fedorians, I know got new friends (Luca, Lorenzo, Jens, Sascha, Yaakov, Nicu, Nihed, and many more), and learned so many things. However I was sad a bit, because last year Cwickert has promised that we meet, after he has missed out Budapest… But it was an awesome event, and experience. I hope I could all of this goods return here at my country, maybe at my event.

See you next time guys! Hail to Fedora, Fedorians!

PS: I would like to thank you to everybody – specially to my roommates, Lorenzo and Luca… Sorry for snoring.