[Freedombox-discuss] Allied Efforts.

[ya knygar]

> We've been keeping an eye on the Serval Project for a while.  They
> have a slightly different but still compatible goal in mind
> (telephony, as opposed to a general purpose data network).  One of the
> ways we differ is that we are not designing custom hardware for
> Byzantium, preferring instead to make maximal use of commodity
> hardware already extant (namely, laptops, netbooks, and wi-fi enabled
> mobile devices).

Hello,

the Serval's site states "… without infrastructure, without mobile
towers, without satellites, without wifi hotspots, and without
carriers. Use existing off-the-shelf mobile cell phone handsets. Use
your existing mobile phone number wherever you go, and never pay
roaming charges again."

"Rooting the phone will allow for adhoc mesh network capability and is
required for
full functionality of the software. By choosing not to root the phone,
the software
will still be able to provide free calls to phones that are connected
to the same
Access Point."

actually [ http://developer.servalproject.org/files/Serval_Manual_Prototype_v0.05.pdf
] they provide

"
• Adhoc will enable you to participate in a mesh network. This option
will only be
   available if you have super-user privileges on the phone.
• Client will enable you to connect to an access point.
• Access Point will enable other phones in Client mode to connect to your phone.
"

possibilities.

It is Village Telco that sells it's own Mesh Potatoes, AFAIK because
they were willing to work with fully open source-able hardware and
existed variants weren't able to provide this.

That all means - Serval Project isn't about designing a custom hardware.

Also, apparently from their mailing list, they have

"subproject ... to create an application that allows to spread files
over the mesh network by exchanging with servers that the handset can
see (could be peers and web servers). This app will eventually be
merged to batphone."

some code here - https://github.com/rbochet/Rhizome-Retriever/

-- that is for the "data network" aspect.

also they have the well grown support and organization IMO,
so i think - the allied efforts is a good idea.

@The Doctor

> Byzantium is a distribution of Linux which makes it easy to set up an
> ad-hoc wireless mesh infrastructure.

> Byzantium, preferring instead to make maximal use of commodity
> hardware already extant (namely, laptops, netbooks, and wi-fi enabled
> mobile devices).

That means - the users would need to install a separate Linux distro
on all these devices?

Do you plan to provide the packages or virtual "images" to the existing OS's?

Distribution for the routers?

Applications for the poor mobile devices which are messed and would be
messed enough so user can't install another or replacing OS on them?

Thank you in advance.