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diff --git a/www/about.html b/www/about.html index bbfbc265..74eca0f2 100755 --- a/www/about.html +++ b/www/about.html @@ -1,42 +1,42 @@ <!--#include file="header.html" --> +<h1>Answers to <a href="#what">What</a>, <a href="#why">Why</a>, +<a href="#who">Who</a>, <a href="#how">How</a>, <a href="#when">when</a></h1> + <h2><a name="what" />What is ToyBox?</h2> -<p>The goal of the Toybox project is to create simple implementations of all -the important Linux command line utilities. These implementations should -be small (the entire project should total less than a megabyte, uncompressed), -fast, simple, and correctly implemented (which is related to standards -compliance, but isn't quite the same thing). Click for -<a href="design.html">more about the design goals</a></p> +<p>The goal of the Toybox project is to create simple, small, fast, and +correct implementations of all the standard Linux command line utilities. +There's a <a href="design.html">page on design goals</a>.</p> -<p>Toybox has configurable levels of functionality, and should scale from tiny -embedded systems up to full general purpose desktop and development -environments. The author plans to install it on his Android phone in -place of Toolbox, and the -<a href=/aboriginal>Aboriginal Linux</a> project is trying to get a complete -Linux system to rebuild itself from source code using toybox.</p> +<p>Toybox offers configurable levels of functionality, and should scale from +tiny embedded systems up to general purpose development environments. +The author plans to install it on his Android phone in place of Toolbox, +and the <a href=/aboriginal>Aboriginal Linux</a> project is working to get a +complete Linux system to rebuild itself from source code using toybox.</p> <p>Toybox is <a href=license.html>released under a simple 2-clause BSD-style -license</a>.</p> +license</a>. (Earlier versions were released under GPLv2, but +<a href=oldlicense.html>that changed</a>.)</p> <p>Toybox can be built as a single "swiss army knife" executable (ala BusyBox or Red Hat's Nash), or each command can be built as a traditional independent executable.</p> -<b><h2><a name="status" />What commands are implemented?</h2></b> +<b><h2><a name="status" />What commands are implemented in Toybox?</h2></b> -<p>The current list of commands implemented by toybox is at the top of the -<a href=news.html>news page</a>. That list is updated when new commands -go in. The list of commands yet to implement for the 1.0 release is in the -<a href=todo.txt>todo list</a>.</p> +<p>The current list of commands implemented by toybox is on the +<a href=status.html>status page</a>, which is updated each release. +There is also <a href=roadmap.html>roadmap</a> of planned commands for the +1.0 release.</p> <p>In general, configuring toybox for "defconfig" enables all the commands compete enough to be useful. Configuring "allyesconfig" enables partially -implemented commands as well.</p> +implemented commands as well, along with debugging features.</p> <p>Several toybox commands can do things other vesions can't. For example the toybox "df" isn't confused by initramfs the way other df implementations -are. If initramfs is visible, df shows it like any other mount point.</p> +are. (If initramfs is visible, df shows it like any other mount point.)</p> <b><h3>Command Shell</h3></b> <p>The Toybox Shell (toysh) aims to be a reasonable bash replacement. It @@ -95,6 +95,122 @@ versions ("tip" is the current development version).</p> <a href=http://lists.landley.net/listinfo.cgi/toybox-landley.net>mailing list</a> are also good ways to track what's going on with the project.</p> +<!-- +<b><h2><a name="why">Why do toybox?</h2></b> + +<p>Because smart phones are replacing the PC, and Android must become +self-hosting to beat the iPhone in establishing the new standard.</p> + +<p>This is the third such major transition in computer history: +(mainframe->minicomputer->microcomputer->smartphone). +The mainframe was replaced by the minicomputer, which was replaced by +the microcomputer (renamed the "personal" computer to make clear you could +access porn through it), which is being replaced by the smartphone. Nobody +needed to wait for printouts from a big computer in another building when they +could use a little one down the hall. Then nobody needed the big computer +down the hall when they had a little one on their desk. Now nobody needs the +big computer on their desk when they have a little one in their pocket.</p> + +<p>The new platform displaces the old when it becomes natively self hosting. +Often they leverage existing technology: just as early microcmputers used +teletypes and televisions for output, phones can use +<a href=http://us.toshiba.com/accessory/PA3575U-1PRP>USB docking stations</a> +to access a bigger screen, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc. Plugging a phone into +USB even charges the battery. But to use the phone as a development +workstation, it needs more software, such as a Posix command line, a native +compiler, and drivers for the USB peripherals.</p> + +<p>The new platform also eventually weans itself off of its dominant language. +Dalvik is to Android what ROM Basic was to the PC: something it must +eventually outgrow. Thus toybox is native C code, not Java.</p> + +<b><h3>So why aren't self-hosting smartphones attracting more attention?</h3></b> + +<p>Because most people are focusing on the legacy platforms, not on the new +stuff. Existing multi-billion dollar industries are getting evicted from their +decades-old established niche, and are trying to spin the transition as an +opportunity instead of a forced march onto reservations. When elephants run +from mice, it's easier to notice the elephants.</p> + +<p>History's our guide here: the previous technology always gets kicked up into +the "server space", moving from "the thing you stood in front of waiting for +your printout" to "that thing you sometimes accessed remotely via the new +computer". This time around they're calling it "the cloud" and pretending it's +a big deal; it's really just a beowulf cluster with a layer of +virtualization/containerization software implementing hotplug hardware and +live migration to provide cheap +commodity processing power that dominant players (like amazon) literally +give away for free. These old machines become secondary, only +accessed through the new machines users now directly interact with.</p> + +<p>Since there's only one server space, the mainframe ate the minicomputer in +the 1980's (when DEC went under), and this time around "the cloud" seems to be +eating the mainframe (IBM ain't happy). The inevitable consolidation leads +to drama, but doesn't mean much in the long run.</p> + +<p><a href=http://landley.net/notes-2012.html#12-07-2012>For more +on this topic...</a></p> + +<b><h3><a name="why_android">Why is Android important?</h2></b> + +<p>Major hardware transitions introduce +<a href=http://landley.net/notes-2011.html#26-06-2011>new software +standards</a> which are extremely sticky once +established, due to network effects.</p> + +<p>Last time around, the PC was stuck with +a proprietary operating system (DOS/Windows) which is still dominant on that +hardware platform's descendants 30 years later. This time around, the choice +is between Android (a Linux derivative) and iPhone (a closed BSD fork ala +SunOS, put out by a company already engaged in multiple aggressive IP lawsuits). +The main difference between Apple and Microsoft is that Apple is competent.</p> + +<p>And yes, it has to be Android, it won't be vanilla Linux any time soon, +for three reasons. 1) <a href=http://landley.net/notes-2010.html#13-08-2010>Open +Source can't do user interfaces</a> for about the same reason wikipedia can't +write a novel, 2) it's too late to the +party (a 5 year headstart is forever in computers), 3) preinstalls matter +(GPLv3 spooked all the hardware vendors, Android has a "no GPL in +userspace" policy which is rigidly enforced).</p> + +<p>And "any time soon" is important: attempting to displace an existing +entrenched de-facto standard is what linux has spent the last 20 +years trying (and failing) to do on the desktop. Spending another 20 +years fighting for less than 1% of the phone market would just be sad.</p> + +<b><h3><a name="how_google">How is Google less evil than Apple?</h3></b> + +<p>Because Android isn't Google's core business, attaching advertising to large +scale data searches is. Android and Chrome and such are Google's way of +"commoditizing their co-factors" to drive down the price of ingredients +to their core business.</p> + +<p>Thus Google is pursuing a commodity market and encouring as many vendors as +possible to participate, not to control the new space but to hold it open, +so that its search products are widely available without requiring the +permission of some other monopoly gatekeeper. Apple is attemping to corner the +smartphone market and extract monopoly rents, excluding all +vendors except itself.</p> + +<p>So if Google wins we get a commodity market in smartphone/tablet software, +and may be able to open it further in future. If Apple wins we get a proprietary +smartphone/tablet OS with a single monopoly vendor, which is likely to close it +further.</p> + +<b><h3>Why not just use BusyBox?</h3></b> + +<p>Android can't. Busybox predates android +by many years; if they were ever going to ship it they'd have done so by +now. Android has had a "No GPL in Userspace" policy ever since GPLv3 +came out (before the first Android phone shipped), and they mean it.</p> + +<p>Toybox also has a better design and simpler code. I did both +and this is the one I enjoy banging on; I tried to contribute a few things +to busybox and it was like crawling through a thornbush of #ifdefs. Busybox +development is just no fun anymore.</p> + +--> + <b><h2><a name="toycans" />What's the toybox logo image?</h2></b> <p>It's <a href=toycans-big.jpg>carefully stacked soda cans</a>. Specifically, |