OSDev.org

I want to collect as much datasheets as possible and make them available on the web to ease us developers in having to search for datasheets regarding the most common drivers and architectures. At the moment there isn't many but I was hoping some of you could perhaps help me with URLs where I can download them.

I already have a place where I've put them but before I announce where I just want to make sure.

1. Is osdev more interested in hosting them?
2. Do you think there is any legal issues to "mirror" datasheets from other sites?

The terms for redistribution for datasheets vary by individual company and sometimes file, it is hardly advisable to be hosting them here or even advertising them, some members may on occasion offers hints at search engines being a viable way to obtain them.. but that isn't that same as legally endorsing it.

Perhaps filenames and/or document titles could be mentioned on the Wiki?

Maybe we could close our eyes and randomly type something that just happens to be a link to a torrent containg everything. And maybe the moderators would then lock the thread and make it sticky to embarass us. It could happen.

I have never had any problems for finding datasheets, and I don't see any reason to host them here when they are easily found.

Not everything is easily found. It gets harder and harder as you start implementing more advanced stuff.

I personally use this site http://www.wotsit.org/
It's primary good for looking up how to handle some formats.

Wotsit is one of the more pointless sites. It hardly adds anything related to OS development not found on the wiki, and for desktop use there's always a library that does the worst part of loading and saving.

Also, it's full of broken links.

Jezze wrote:I want to collect as much datasheets as possible and make them available on the web to ease us developers in having to search for datasheets regarding the most common drivers and architectures. At the moment there isn't many but I was hoping some of you could perhaps help me with URLs where I can download them.

I already have a place where I've put them but before I announce where I just want to make sure.

1. Is osdev more interested in hosting them?
2. Do you think there is any legal issues to "mirror" datasheets from other sites?

You might be already familiar with chipdb datasheets archive ?

http://datasheets.chipdb.org/

If not, might be you will find a lot of useful in that database.

Stanislav

The legal issues worries me.

I still want to collect datasheets but instead of hosting them myself I'll create a collection with links to where you can download them from the official sources.

Also, just to clarify, the datasheets I have are of course not illegally obtained but available on the web for free download. I read in some of them that it is not ok to distribute some of them in material form i.e. printed but I'm not doing that and it didn't say anything about mirroring as far as I could see.

Don't redistribute sheets. Provide hyperlinks . Way to go. Actually what you could do (and Im willing to help you with this) is take the data sheet and rip out the core info and redocument it. (now the lawyers cannot kill you)

Someone already thought of the wiki before you

stlw wrote:You might be already familiar with chipdb datasheets archive ?

http://datasheets.chipdb.org/

If not, might be you will find a lot of useful in that database.

Stanislav

Someone already thought of the wiki before you

It apparently needed a more prominent link

Combuster wrote:

Someone already thought of the wiki before you

It apparently needed a more prominent link

I didn't miss it, I was replying to ACcurrent's last remark.

Providing links might not be the best way, especially not for data-sheets that are not given out without NDAs and similar, as the company could find those links and make the document disappear. I have been able to find several of those data-sheets (for instance PCI and an RTL chip), but I wouldn't want to post them as that could make them disappear.

Better then to create a more informal service and exchange links in private. Alternatively, giving file-names only could be useful, as this could be used to be able to find the docs easier with Google.