docs: README leads with the vendor-SDK comparison

Drop the Why / What Works sections and the product-origin story; the
text before Quick Start is now one comparison table of the upgrades over
the vendor SDK. Coverage methodology stays in the internal docs as the
reliability standard rather than the project's identity.

README.md

@@ -6,42 +6,24 @@
 ![Coverage](.github/badges/coverage.svg)
 
 A modern, open development environment for the **Luckfox Pico 86 Panel**
-(Rockchip RV1106): a current Linux kernel as a reviewable patch series, a
+(Rockchip RV1106), replacing the vendor SDK — and honest about what runs on
-hermetic build, a QEMU device simulator, register-level hardware models, and
+real silicon versus what is simulated.
-MC/DC-hardened drivers (Modified Condition/Decision Coverage — the
-avionics-grade test bar). It replaces the vendor stack — a ~2 GB, twice-forked
-SDK pinned to Linux 5.10 — and is honest about what runs on real silicon
-versus what is simulated. Born as the SDK for WardenOS (BlueFlare Energy's
-wall-panel firmware); nothing here requires it.
 
-## Why
+| | Vendor SDK | This repo |
-
+|---|---|---|
-The vendor SDK:
+| **Kernel** | 5.10.160, twice-forked, frozen | **6.18.46** — a reviewable, subsystem-split patch series onto pristine upstream; full peripheral set (display, touch, wifi, audio, NPU, ...) hardware-verified on a bench panel |
-
+| **Build** | ~2 GB tree, absolute paths baked in, Kconfig options silently dropped | one hermetic script: sha256-pinned source fetch, fail-closed patch apply and config fragments |
-- bakes in absolute paths and silently drops Kconfig options;
+| **Off-device testing** | none — every change means flashing a panel | register-level hardware models (`sim/`) plus a QEMU device VM booting the real kernel, real daemons, and the real UI with display + touch |
-- offers no way to test hardware-dependent code off the device — every change
+| **Config safety** | memory-map mistakes reach hardware (one bricked a bench unit) | static gates (`tools/config-lint`) catch them before any flash |
-  means flashing a panel;
+| **CI** | none | hosted pipeline: tests, coverage, benchmarks, patch-apply gate, kernel build with an in-CI QEMU boot smoke |
-- let a memory-map mistake brick a bench unit (a coprocessor load address in
+| **Flashing tools** | closed (`upgrade_tool`) | open (`rkdeveloptool`) |
-  unreserved kernel RAM) that a static check would have caught —
+| **License** | mixed | **GPL-2.0-only**, with a per-driver provenance ledger |
-  `tools/config-lint` is now that check.
-
-This SDK makes the board buildable, testable, and hardenable **without a
-panel in the loop**, on a maintained kernel.
-
-## What Works
-
-A self-built **Linux 6.18.46**, forward-ported from vendor 5.10.160 as a
-subsystem-split patch series (`patches/`) and hardware-verified on a bench
-panel: clk, pinctrl, eMMC, GMAC, TRNG, OTP, SARADC/TSADC, RTC, USB host,
-PWM/backlight, VOP display, GT911 touch, AIC8800 wifi, RGA, I2S audio, the
-HPMCU (RISC-V watchdog coprocessor) mailbox, the open NPU driver, and PVTM.
-Mainline alone was not viable for RV1106 (ADR-0001).
 
 ## Quick Start
 
 Requirements: `gcc-arm-linux-gnueabihf`, `qemu-system-arm`, `curl`, `cpio`,
 `mkfs.ext4`, a bare `python` on PATH (Debian/Ubuntu: `python-is-python3`),
-gcc >= 14 (for the MC/DC gate), and Rust (for the simulators' tests).
+gcc >= 14 (driver harnesses), and Rust (for the simulators' tests).
 
 ```sh
 # 1. Build the kernel: fetch pinned pristine 6.18.46, apply patches/, emit
@@ -57,7 +39,7 @@ bash qemu/run.sh --kernel $HOME/kbuild-out/linux-6.18.46/arch/arm/boot/zImage --
 for d in sim tools/config-lint qemu/rs485-bridge; do
   (cd "$d" && cargo test)
 done
-for d in drivers/*/test; do make -C "$d" check; done  # 100% MC/DC gate (gcc >= 14)
+for d in drivers/*/test; do make -C "$d" check; done  # driver harnesses (gcc >= 14)
 ```
 
 Add `WARDEN_KCONFIG_FRAGMENT=qemu/configs/virt.fragment` to step 1 for the
@@ -72,7 +54,7 @@ scenario tests (portal, OTA apply, display + touch, watchdog).
 | `build/` | hermetic kernel build: pinned fetch → apply patches → `zImage` + dtb |
 | `qemu/` | device simulator: QEMU `-M virt` boots the real kernel and real userspace |
 | `sim/` | register-level hardware models (Rust): membus, HPMCU, CRU, Modbus, RGA, NPU |
-| `drivers/` | hardened hardware-facing drivers: HAL seams, 100% MC/DC harnesses |
+| `drivers/` | hardened hardware-facing drivers: HAL seams, test harnesses |
 | `kernel/` | forward-port provenance and bring-up records (`patches/` is canonical) |
 | `tools/` | `config-lint` (static memory-map gates) and dev tooling |
 | `docs/` | architecture, ADRs (`decisions/`), CI/CD |
@@ -81,9 +63,9 @@ scenario tests (portal, OTA apply, display + touch, watchdog).
 
 One thin **hardware abstraction seam** per block (a trait in Rust, a function
 table in C): firmware logic talks to the seam; the seam binds a real backend
-on the device or a simulated backend on the host. MC/DC is measured against
+on the device or a simulated backend on the host. The driver test harnesses
-the same seam the simulator implements, so the two reinforce each other.
+measure against the same seam the simulator implements, so the two reinforce
-Full detail: `docs/architecture.md`.
+each other. Full detail: `docs/architecture.md`.
 
 | Simulator | Runs | Proves |
 |---|---|---|
@@ -106,10 +88,10 @@ the simulators narrow which claims need a panel.
 
 ## Downstream
 
-WardenOS (the 86 Panel firmware this SDK was born for) consumes this repo
+A private firmware repo (flare-edge) consumes this SDK; issue references and
-from its private repo, flare-edge; issue references and checkout paths
+checkout paths pointing there are engineering context, not reachable links.
-pointing there are context, not reachable links. The QEMU simulator runs its
+The QEMU simulator runs its production binaries unmodified — real
-production binaries unmodified — real over-the-air updates included.
+over-the-air updates included.
 
 ## License