Raiding of Identical Duplicates: An Unusual Incident

Raiding of Identical Duplicates: An Unusual Incident

Unfiltered, uncensored exploration of the Beepy success story

Let's dive into the fascinating tale of how one open-source project sparked a lineage of cool Linux PDAs, all thanks to the power of open-source and the determination of a few passionate hackers.

Last week, I shared the captivating journey of Beepy—an innovative Linux PDA that captured the hearts of makers and tinkerers. But the story didn't end there. As you'll soon discover, Beepy's flaws were cleverly tackled by enterprising hackers, pushing the boundaries of what was possible in the world of hardware. Buckle up, because we're about to take a wild ride through the annals of open-source hardware.

Beepy was a brilliant invention, yet it wasn't without its quirks. Three major issues plagued the device: a board-killing 5V boost regulator, an undersized charging current resistor, an undersized power path diode, and a lackluster feature package. But sure enough, the Beepy community was eager to fix these problems and create something even more spectacular.

Unfortunately, Beepy's trailblazing journey came to a halt at version 1. It's speculated that sourcing troubles with the Blackberry Q20 keyboard might have stymied further development, but a loss of interest likely played a part as well. The thrill of creating something groundbreaking, however, was too infectious to snuff out completely. It wasn't long before other mavericks picked up the challenge and forged ahead.

A Tricolor of New ventures

To fully appreciate the ethos of open-source, it's essential to discuss all shades—from the brilliant to the gloomy. That brings us to our first subject: Colorberry.

Colorberry, born from Beepy's DNA, promised to remedy two of the three Beepy flaws while introducing support for a color display from JDI. However, they erased their lineage from product and project pages and closed-sourced the files, much to the community's disappointment.

Beepy's PCB is licensed under a reciprocal (copyleft) license. This means that derivative product designers are supposed to share any changes they make. Without access to the source, it's difficult to confirm the improvements made by Colorberry. Moreover, it limits the longevity of the product and makes it harder to diagnose and repair the hardware.

Colorberry's controversies didn't stop there. The code for driving the color screen was heavily based on a Beepy community driver. Despite the GPL requirements for changes in the code to be made public, the developer said it would be released once the driver was ready, a year later—the new excuse being that it would happen when he runs out of his personal stock of color screens.

The updated driver is only published as binaries on GitHub, requiring it to be recompiled and republished by the creator every time there's a Linux kernel update or a new distro that Colorberry could be used with. It also makes the installation process more cumbersome than it should be, and there's evidence that the driver contains a bug that will reduce the display's lifetime.

Colorberry's puzzling closed-source decisions seem to be a major reason why the project didn't gain more traction.

Meanwhile, other players in the scene were eager to carry the torch. Let's check out two more examples.

Forging a New Path

PiBerry—a sight to behold—was the first of the bunch. It brought a higher-resolution color display to the party and didn't attempt to distance itself from Beepy's legacy. However, the board design files weren't included in the PiBerry repository, leaving some to question the creators' intentions.

It's worth noting that in a later version of the PiBerry, designed in the same form-factor, the creators published the KiCad files. Perhaps it was an oversight, but let's give them the benefit of the doubt and attribute it to simple forgetfulness.

The final entry in our tricolor of Beepy derivatives is Hackberry Pi. This ambitious project takes the Beepy design to new heights. Its visual identity is distinguished by a 720x720 DPI screen derived from Adafruit's Hyperpixel design and a Q20 keyboard.

Hackberry Pi is a testament to the power of open-source. It's no surprise that certain parts of its earlier iterations were visibly derived from Beepy. But what sets Hackberry apart is the prolific nature of its creator, Zitao, who has continually refined and improved the platform.

From Pi Zero-based versions with Nokia batteries to Pi 5-based devices powered by 18650s, Hackberry Pi has evolved through various iterations. Just recently, a Compute Module-based version of Hackberry Pi hit the market and has been selling like hotcakes.

Zitao's hardware is inspiring in many ways. Innovations such as using USB instead of I2C for the keyboard, powerbank chips with LED battery level display, and even soldering a small Bluetooth receiver module on the board to drive the speakers from the Pi running the show, all contribute to the device's functionality.

Hackberry Pi devices are closed-source, but at least schematics have been made available. This is good enough to spot most bugs, and the schematics have already been useful for people pointing out poor design decisions in the first versions.

Embracing the Open-Source Ethos

Closed-source devices leave a sour taste in my mouth, especially when they leverage an open-source ecosystem and then do an about-face, essentially sterilizing the land that open-source projects need to thrive.

Over the past half-year, I've had the privilege of working on the Blepis—the Beepy successor crafted by a hacker collective I'm a part of, known as HackMods. Designed, planned, and assembled by us hackers, our goal is to create a fleet of Linux PDAs.

The Blepis is built on an open-source philosophy, taking inspiration from the projects that came before it and pushing the boundaries even further. Not only have we made improvements to the screen support, but we've also added a USB ecosystem onto the free space on the board, including a microSD reader, a USB-C slot, and a USB hub chip.

Our expansion connector offers unparalleled access to interfaces, with over-current and backflow protection on all power rails and ESD protection for I2C, SPI, UART, SDIO, PWM, and I2S.

The Blepis is made to work with JLCPCB PCBA, with GitLab integration for exporting the project files available—all the JLC part numbers are input into the schematics, so just upload the files, and you'll have a batch of motherboards delivered to your doorstep. To complete it, gather a Pi Zero, a battery, a Blackberry Q20 keyboard, a compatible display, print the shell, and get ready for an unforgettable journey.

Our enrichment section sheds light on the potential consequences of closing open-source hardware projects. It reveals that such a decision can stifle innovation, damage reputations, and create ourripple effects across the ecosystem. Open-source projects, like the Blepis, rely on the participation of communities to maintain, improve, and grow. By closing the source code, it becomes nearly impossible for the community to contribute effectively. Consequently, the project may fall into obscurity or become prone to donor fatigue, ultimately leading to its downfall.

Remember, the spirit of open-source is sharing and collaborating, and closing the source code goes against the ethos that makes these types of projects so special. Supporting and contributing to open-source projects allows us to stand on the shoulders of giants and, in turn, help others to do the same, creating an endless cycle of creativity and progress. Long live open-source!

1. The closed-sourcing decisions made by Colorberry, such as the erasure of their lineage from product and project pages, limiting access to the source code, and publishing incomplete drivers, seemed to hinder the project's traction.
2. In contrast to Colorberry, Hackberry Pi, a Beepy derivative, has made advancements, including a 720x720 DPI screen and a Q20 keyboard, while keeping the open-source ethos intact, offering schematics for the device and embracing the community.
3. The Blepis, a Linux PDA that is a successor to Beepy, is designed, planned, and assembled by a hacker collective known as HackMods, following an open-source philosophy, releasing project files for fabrication, and encouraging collaboration within the community.

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