FreeLists / openbeos / [openbeos] Re: What are the chances of getting some corporate development support

["Solaja, Zenja" <solaja@xxxxxxxxxx>]

The other week I had an idea of getting together with some friends to make a
prototype DVD-HDTV-PVR-MP3 box, looked around the internet for a wonderful
chipset to use (Motorola and $secret_company), found something just perfect
(which also ships with a Linux development kit and reference boards which an
IDE connection), made a few phone calls, and basically was told to piss off.

If you're not a chinese or taiwanese company interested in buying millions
and millions of these chips/boards, they dont wont to waste time with you
(at least, not the people I spoked to). But since when did "marketing" have
strategic vision anyway.  As I once read, the best marketing effort 99% of
these guys did was get themselves employed.  Getting anyone interested in
using Haiku instead of Linux for embedded stuff is a **long** time away.
Heck, why do they even consider Linux when there is NetBSD (the most
portable free OS out there).  But since when did marketing listen to
engineers...

The desktop is where its at, for now...









-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Phipps [mailto:mphipps1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Sunday, 4 July 2004 1:38 PM
To: openbeos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [openbeos] Re: What are the chances of getting some corporate
development support


This is not stupid thinking. 
When we get the final paperwork from the IRS, this sort of thing will become

part of my duties, as I find time. There are many companies that we would be
an 
interesting match with. Both in the "quasi-embedded" world (think Tivo, not 
microwave) and in other markets.

I will caution everyone, though, that these sorts of things often take a lot
of 
time and a lot of money and a lot of progress. These people are generally
not 
going to be impressed with booting to a shell, for example, in spite of how 
much effort we have put into it and what an impressive achievement that it
is. 
If we had a usable R1, right now, I still have my doubts about how impressed

many of these companies would be. 

The one thing that is of value to us is our status as a charity. Why? Well, 
it's like this - when a company decided to partner with Be, Inc., what 
happened? Well, they gave Be a small pile of money. That money was, for
them, 
along the same lines as purchasing a service. That means that, to them, they

can write it off over some number of years. In our case, as I understand
things 
(IANAL - I am not a lawyer), they can write it all off in the same year that

they donate the money. And since licensing is not an issue, they can use our

product as much as they want without ever paying us a dime per device
shipped. 
That is why so many embedded devices are choosing Linux. Because of the low 
(no) royalty rates. The advantage that we have, in this, is that our system 
will be/is easier to build, easier to use AND has an even better license for

them.

So I think that corporate support would be wonderful. It isn't something
that I 
will pursue with great effort quite yet, but I think that the time is
quickly 
coming where it will be the best thing for us.

In the meantime, I am looking into grants and other charity funding. If
anyone 
out there knows something that I don't, please get with me offlist.

Michael


On 2004-07-03 at 17:35:17 [-0400], Eric MARTIN wrote:
> I was reading about M$ media O$ and was wondering if you guys were 
> trying to
> get some help from big companies that could use this fine OS for for their

> new HDTV systems. Companies like Sony.Maybe some partnership. I read some 
> articles about Asian companies trying to use LInux also.
> 
> Is this stupid thinking ?

----------------------------------------------------------------------
IMPORTANT NOTICES
This email (including any documents referred to in, or attached, to this
email) may contain information that is personal, confidential or the subject
of copyright or other proprietary rights in favour of Aristocrat, its
affiliates or third parties. This email is intended only for the named
addressee. Any privacy, confidence, copyright or other proprietary rights in
favour of Aristocrat, its affiliates or third parties, is not lost because
this email was sent to you by mistake.

If you received this email by mistake you should: (i) not copy, disclose,
distribute or otherwise use it, or its contents, without the consent of
Aristocrat or the owner of the relevant rights; (ii) let us know of the
mistake by reply email or by telephone (+61 2 9413 6300); and (iii) delete
it from your system and destroy all copies.

Any personal information contained in this email must be handled in
accordance with applicable privacy laws.

Electronic and internet communications can be interfered with or affected by
viruses and other defects. As a result, such communications may not be
successfully received or, if received, may cause interference with the
integrity of receiving, processing or related systems (including hardware,
software and data or information on, or using, that hardware or software).
Aristocrat gives no assurances in relation to these matters.

If you have any doubts about the veracity or integrity of any electronic
communication we appear to have sent you, please call +61 2 9413 6300 for
clarification.