RB use Manufacturer's Firmware?

[jjefferies]

Does RB use the manufacturer's firmware at any point? I'm running a Sansa Fuze 8 gig V2 and was looking at increasing the sdhc card size. I believe Sansa claims that it can handle up to 32 gigs. There have been issues with some 32 gig sdhc cards and I'm wondering if upgrading the manufacturer's firmware would be a solution or does RB use only its own code?

In a like vein with the Sansa is the maximum sdhc card size determined by the firmware or the hardware?

thanks.
J.

[saratoga]

Does RB use the manufacturer's firmware at any point?

No.  We're a GPL firmware, we can't use any non-GPL software.

I'm wondering if upgrading the manufacturer's firmware would be a solution or does RB use only its own code? 

Upgrading the OF updates the OF.  Upgrading Rockbox updates Rockbox.  Theres no connection between the two.

[jjefferies]

Does RB use the manufacturer's firmware at any point?

No.  We're a GPL firmware, we can't use any non-GPL software.

Not sure that the word "can't" is makes sense. I know of a number of non-GPL products which use GPL code primarily as loadable libraries and I would assume that GPL code could likewise use non-GPL code as long as the entry points were known. So I would say the word "don't" is more appropriate.

But my last question is what determines the size of the sdhc card that can be used? Or is there a single limitation imposed by either hardware or firmware?

J.

[saratoga]

Not sure that the word "can't" is makes sense. I know of a number of non-GPL products which use GPL code primarily as loadable libraries

Everything in rockbox runs within a single process in a unified memory space.  We don't have the ability to side step the GPL like PC applications can.

I would assume that GPL code could likewise use non-GPL code as long as the entry points were known.

Just because the entry points are known doesn't mean you can ignore license terms.  Generally when applications use GPL software without being GPL (e.g. lame), they do so by running a GPL program and then capturing its output.

But my last question is what determines the size of the sdhc card that can be used? Or is there a single limitation imposed by either hardware or firmware?

The SDHC driver determines if a card works or not.