A Linux-based mobile phone consortium [LWN.net]

Here's a press release stating that a set of cellular phone companies (Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic, Samsung, and Vodafone) has established a group to create "the world's first global, open Linux-based software platform for mobile devices." Interestingly, there are no distributors (embedded or otherwise) in this group. Wouldn't it be nice if owners turned out to be able to change the software on this "open" platform?

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A Linux-based mobile phone consortium

Posted Jun 15, 2006 14:40 UTC (Thu) by simlo (subscriber, #10866) [Link]

Here we go again:

Wouldn't it be nice if owners turned out to be able to change the software on this "open" platform?

See previous comment by me: http://lwn.net/Articles/187862/

Yes, it would be nice. But for whom? Mostly for the cellular phone companies, which will then get development for free! So in essense it would hurt themselves more than the users, if they don't open the possibility for hackers to change (improve!) the software of the phones and thus improving them compared to the competitor's phones. I can only refer to http://lwn.net/Articles/187662/.

So it is only makes sense for a manufacturer to open the phone as much as legally possible. The source code for the kernel and all the drivers has to be published anyway.

A Linux-based mobile phone consortium

Posted Jun 16, 2006 7:05 UTC (Fri) by lamikr (guest, #2289) [Link]

It is already possible to build your own Linux distro and phone apps for
certain GSM phones to make phone calls. (iPAQ h6300 series and HTC blueangel)

See more info how to get installable software for them from

http://www.handhelds.org/moin/moin.cgi/HpIpaqH6315 (news section)
http://handhelds.org/moin/moin.cgi/BlueAngel