[ih] internet-future mailing list ?

[Toerless Eckert via Internet-history]

On Wed, Dec 18, 2019 at 11:35:13AM -0800, Dave Taht via Internet-history wrote:
> Pretty good rant on a recent MIT paper from dave reed:
> 
> https://lists.bufferbloat.net/pipermail/bloat/2019-December/009453.html
> 
> but it's really not MIT's fault. They are locked out at the most basic
> level - be it firmware or gates - from participating in what otherwise
> could be an exciting next phase in wireless development.
> 
> About the only bright spot I see at the moment in terms of hardware, is
> the burgeoning risc-v stuff. 

Hmm. Not sure if its really infeasible to get access to and modify 
WiFi firmware. I think to remember at least to have been toold that
various startups are re-using larger bendors "WiFi" chipsets and
wrote modified or their own firmware for better / non-wifi radio
solution. But of course i don't know what the licensing conditions
where for the API to the chip itself.

I believe the problem you seem to be referring to is more fundamental
for router/switch forwarding plane (research). Whereas WiFi chips
really are AFAIK mostly general purpose CPU/DSP based, the hardware
of switches / routers often has a much more convoluted model (e.g.: multi-stage).

Abstractions like P4 try to hide so much of those HW programming models
that several researchers i talked to have a very tainted opinion about what
router/switch forwarding hardware could do, and that of course influences also
how research and the industry at large seems to perceive what better
protocol functions would be feasible to support in next-generation 
high end router/switches.

Cheers
    Toerless
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