Comments

• twitter

  2010-10-22 12:59:02

  If there is fragmentation and waste in the gnu/linux world, it is stuff like this that creates it. GPE and Opie were excellent mobile platforms back in 2003 or so but the world's telcos did not want their users to have software freedom. Users of GPE got X11 and most of what Debian had to offer. Instead of seeing devices with these mature platforms, developer effort was wasted creating apps for user hostile hype phone and android platforms. Tivoised android itself is an example of wasted developer effort. Now we see Microsoft entry into Nokia, which had come farther than most towards free software mobile devices, and more effort to port QT to Windows. If ever there was a waste of time, fooling with Windows is it. Behold the fruits of Steve Ballmer's effort to "outsmart open source". We can assume that the same source of trouble, propaganda and moles is also behind the apparent lack of cooperation required to prevent the development of free accelerated drivers for ARM chipsets.
  
  These efforts have mostly harmed Nokia, Google and smart phone users but have not helped Microsoft or Telcos much. Microsoft profits are down and Windows is increasingly irrelevant thanks to all of the competition, both free and non free. Windows Mobile remains a bad joke and Windows 7 is not selling. Telcos have relegated free software to those brave enough to jailbreak their devices for a community version of android, but they can not put off Open Spectrum forever. The technology just keeps getting better, and the last mile will sooner than later be free. Once that happens, free software devices will quickly take over the market. Google and Nokia might be in a better position than most to take advantage of this but they could be making money off it now instead of supporting the incumbent techtards.