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As ANN TV has learned, LINARO is going to shutter the 96Boards project
with immediate effect and refocus on writing ARM software. Remaining
stock at manufacturers and distributors is to be bought by LINARO and
put in a LAVA cloud project. Engineering resources will be made
redundant, management move to a strategy project codenamed "Hootenanny".
Internal sources are being quoted, that the failure to produce a
coherent and implementable spec which would yield a useable development
board was the deciding factor. Despite being in the works for a long
time and a lot of internal and even occasional external feedback the
spec remains in its original state. It was impossible for manufacturers
to come up with even one compliant product, actually most were abandoned
in the design stage or right after being announced and never became
available.
A HW design engineer at one of the board manufacturers went on record
"It's as if this spec was written by software people who never held a
soldering iron. Let them fix it in software then." He requested to
remain anonymous.
LINARO management said that the 96borads project was immensely
successful, but strategic focus had evolved. When asked to elaborate
they added "It may depend on your definition of 'immense' and
'successful'.".
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Well, I guess that answers some questions - doesn't it?
Thomas
PS: If you haven't yet, check your calendar.