Summary: Proof that Nokia's Linux endeavours were not a dead end, unlike Windows, which is dying on devices

THE platform whose development was originally led by Nokia (Maemo, then MeeGo/Moblin, and now Sailfish or Tizen) is not dead, based on news reports we recently posted in daily links. In fact, it is joined by other platforms that are Linux-based, including one from Mozilla (sales [1] and partnerships [2] show true health).

Nokia is a lost company with Microsoft and it is diving deeper into the abyss with a tablet adventure that involves the scnadalous Surface maker:

The Only Thing Worse for Nokia to Do, than Launch a Tablet Now - Is to launch a Windows based tablet

[...]

The Nokia share price was $9.36 on the day before this mad Microsoftian misadventure was announced. Nokia's share price is now $4.06.

Had Nokia stayed with Linux, it would have possibly stayed a giant. Instead it is going extinct. Nokia could go with Android and it nearly did so. Microsoft gave a bribe and it had also planted a mole, Mr. Elop. Nokia could have been in the privileged position Motorola is in [3,4] (rather than hack at Android with patents it could help defend Android), remain a top contributor to Linux [5] (which it was), and even connect Qt (which it had acquired) with Android, the same way KDE does right now [6,7]. Nokia is a living (for now) lesson about the destructive nature of Microsoft, the world's leader in corruption, fraud, and destruction of competition. ⬆

Related/contextual items from the news:

1. Firefox OS smartphone sells out on eBay in US and UK

   ZTE turned to eBay in the US and UK to sell its first Firefox OS handset, with the first batch going up on Friday, August 16. However, all of this initial stock has now sold out in just three days.





2. LG signs up for a Firefox phone

   Mozilla's Firefox based mobile operating system is starting to gain some momentum.
   
   LG has announced that it is going join Alcatel, GeeksPhone and ZTE in the Firefox OS market.
   
   During an interview with Bulgarian tech press, LG's mobile communications head in Bulgaria, Dimitar Valev, has spilled the beans on the company's plans for the future.





3. Android Open Source Project now has latest 4.3 fixes for most Nexus hardware

   The latest Android 4.3 updates brought a slate of unfortunate software bugs to the party and to Google's own Nexus devices, ironically enough. Thankfully, the Mountain View crew is hard at work patching things up, as evidenced by the Nexus 7 update earlier today that resolved its multi-touch and GPS issues.





4. Motorola Touchless Control appears in Google Play Store

   Motorola has just put up on Google Play Store its Touchless Control app. This is the very same app available on Motorola’s Moto X flagship smartphone and latest DROID devices which lets users control the phone and get information with nothing but the sound of their voice.





5. Key Lime Pie could boost Android to Linux Kernel 3.10

   We don’t know what number or name the next version of Android will be, but if all signs are pointing in the right direction we’ll likely see Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie here soon from Google. There’s no question they’re hard at work on the next major release, possibly set for later this year, and today we’re seeing some interesting tidbits on the Kernel side.





6. KDE Connect brings together your Android phone, Linux desktop

   Say you’ve got an Android phone in your pocket and a Linux computer on your desk. Ever wonder why you have to pick up your phone to see notifications, or use your PC keyboard to control media playback on your computer?





7. Video: KDE Connect Android (mobile) with Linux (desktop)

   
   
   KDE Connect can best be described as a utility that allows your Linux desktop to receive Android phone notifications, while transforming your smarpthone into a remote control for music and video players.
   
   As Liliputing's Brad Linder notes, developer Albert Vaca is working on KDE Connect as a Google Summer of Code project.