Apple Releases Free, OS-Independent, FireWire SDK

mcwop writes "Apple announced the release of a free FireWire SDK for embedded devices. The kit is not OS-dependent. Is this a response to the release of USB 2.0 or is Apple simply trying to keep a steady stream of FireWire devices coming? What effect will this have on FireWire b? What are the effects on the Open Source community developing FireWire interfaces? Time will tell. Nonetheless this is an interesting development."

Comments

Yaay apple!

[CoolVibe]

I love firewire and the sheer openness of it. Also, the speed of it (in my own experience) is impressive. USB is just for peripherals, use firewire if you need to shift loads of data from one place to another _FAST_.

This is looking good... Also, the platform-agnostic approach is a good one. What's next, Aqua on Intel? ;)

Re:Yaay apple!

[Bart van der Ouderaa]

It's too bad firewire didn't catch on more ??? The name maybe, but IEEE 1394 not caught on?
IEEE 1394 is also called a DV connector, I.link (sony).

It's used on the playstation 2 (to connect to other playstations 2 among other things), every selfrespecting digital video camera has such a connector, there are a large number of external HD/CD-R/DVD peripherals that use the IEEE 1394 connector. You can get a IEEE 1394 card for your computer from a large number of different vendors.

Firewire is already embedded in the market and while USB 2.0 might become a competitor because of it's name, the peripherals are just now comming into the market. In the PC world however they seem to serve different markets (IEEE 1394 for video, USB 2.0 for peripherals).

I think IEEE 1394 will stay on the PC, although mainly used in video. Apple will continue to push (and improve I've seen stories talking about the next versions going to 1600 MB/s) firewire.

Re: Yaay apple!

[Antity]

the article is talking about USB 2.0, which moves data at 480 Mb/s, vs. the current (?) firewire speed of 400.

Firewire aka IEEE 1394 is the better technology. Why? Because you don't need a central host. This is important.

Firewire devices can interchange data point-to-point. USB always needs a host (read: PC, Mac, whatever) to keep the bus up. This is why Intel is pushing USB. Not because of technical aspects (ok, maybe to punish Apple), but because they want you to have to keep some central device (PC) to be able to exchange data between (USB) devices.

Again, on Firewire, this is not needed.

Re:Yaay apple!

[timothy_m_smith]

Please define "greedy." According to Apple [apple.com], the fee is exactly $0.00 for the license to use the name and logo (you can even apply on-line and save the cost of a stamp):

I think he was referring to Apple being greedy in the past. I believe that prior to this announcement, using the name FireWire cost the OEMs $1-2 per product.

Re:Sensationalist headlines

[af_robot]

Read carefully :)
OS-Independent == NOT OS-dependent

Will this make possible...

[Toasty16]

open source DVRs which are able to bypass restrictions imposed by DTV providers? From an earlier /. story:

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/08/0 7/1328207&mode=nested&tid=129

Also mentioned is a proposal being considered by the FCC that would allow cable companies to 'turn off' the firewire port, which DVR's will use to connect to digital televisions, so that some broadcasts can't be recorded.

Free, not?!

[jukal]

I read the EVALUATION LICENSE, which states for example:

"This Evaluation License does not grant a license to incorporate the FireWire Reference Platform, any portion of it, or any Modification into any board, module, integrated circuit, macrocell, core or other assemble or device. To obtain a license to develop or distribute assemblies incorporating the FireWire Reference Platform or Modifications, visit http://www.developer.applce.com/mkt/swl""

So, it seems that this is strictly for evaluation, or did I miss something?

Re:Free, not?!

[jukal]

And if you look at the available SDKs only, you will find that they are not OS independant. I think the writer of the ./ article mixed up content of two releases, about the SDK, and about the reference platform.

Re:Free, not?!

[mcwop]

You are correct. I mixed them up. The reference platform is designed to run on multiple embedded OS's.

Well, he got one out of three...

[Llywelyn]

Free? Not really, unless you count "evaluation" as free. Or perhaps I'm looking at the wrong thing, hard to tell.

Platform Independent? FireWire is, Apple's SDK is not (last I checked).

FireWire SDK. Yes, defiantly.

Well, I guess it *is* too much to ask on /. that the person and reviewer both actually *read* the information before commenting on it.

I guess it would also be too much to ask for a link to the actual press release.

Re:Let's hope this encourages more FireWire device

[jimbolaya]

There are plenty of FireWire hard drives (and CD/DVD) burners out there, and Orange Micro makes the FireWire iBot webcams. Epson sells a FireWire adaptor for many of its high-end printers Third parties (e.g., Archos) sell FireWire equipped Zip 250 drives.

As far as the keyboard and mouse...well, let's not push it!

Not just the speed

[pbrice68]

Although USB 2.0 may be 480 vs FireWires 400 MB/sec, there are other beneifts to FireWire (other than FireWire 2, at 800 MB/sec, should be out and about this year) like: 1. You don't need a computer to use FireWire. One FireWire device can connect directly to another FireWire device without a workstation. Although we don't see much implementation of this - it would be conventient. How about a FireWire port on my car stereo to connect my iPod? 2. FireWire can carry POWER as well as data. WHen you plug an iPod in with it's FireWire cable, it charges as well as trasmits data through the same cable. In fact, if you should need to recharge away from your computer, the usual AC plug for recharging is a FireWire cable. I do think that Apple fucked up when they made licensing the name so expensive. Instead of one name "FireWire" everywhere you go, you see FireWire on Apple's, iLink on Sony computers and cameras,...etc. With all these different names, nobody realizes how pervasive it is. SOme PC users don't even know they have FireWire, and most Mac users don't know they have "1394".

Re:(Mac) os independant

[glenmark]

The FireWire reference platform IS OS-independent. The SDK you reference is Mac-specific. SDKs for other platforms are available from other sources.