[libre-riscv-dev] PowerISA, NLNet grants

[whygee at f-cpu.org]

Hi Luke,
your presence and replies are very appreciated :-)

On 2020-01-19 00:34, Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton wrote:
> no, we are a commercial project with the goal to reach 100 million 
> units
> and above.
> 
> how can we reach 100 million units when we cannot even use the RISC-V 
> name
> because the RISC-V Foundation fails to acknowledge reasonable requests 
> for
> inclusion, under Trademark Law?

I don't know...

but then, I have a sincere concern about all the other "open source" 
projects that
have started under the impression that it would be "really open".

I asked questions here because I want to substantiate and document
the problems caused by the NDA.

> what do you think the consequences would be of going to market, having
> massive world-wide adoption, with "custom" instructions where OTHER 
> VENDORS
> clash with those exact same custom instructions?

It would highligt the problems of the Foundation.

Now, you see why I embarked in the F-CPU saga 21 years ago.
Unfortunately I can't propose it as a fallback plan :-/

>> So do we all agree that the trademark is not a real problem ? :-)
> 
> not in the least, whygee.  as a Certification Mark Holder i had to 
> research
> this, and i can tell you, right now, the RISC-V Foundation's 
> intransigence
> is a serious problem.

I understand it, and I welcome all your explanations.
You're on the fronlines and you have a great strategic perspective.

And much of my presence here is also motivated by the need to understand
what dangers the R5F poses to Free Software.

> l.
yg