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The Ultimate Linux Handheld (Linux Journal)
The Ultimate Linux Handheld (Linux Journal)
Posted Aug 10, 2007 22:25 UTC (Fri) by dlang (subscriber, #313)In reply to: The Ultimate Linux Handheld (Linux Journal) by JoeBuck
Parent article: The Ultimate Linux Handheld (Linux Journal)
right, but if the N800 doesn't have closed drivers (or only has them for devices you can live without) then it won't matter nearly as much when Nokia drops support for the device.
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The Ultimate Linux Handheld (Linux Journal)
Posted Aug 10, 2007 22:50 UTC (Fri) by JoeBuck (subscriber, #2330) [Link]
It still has closed drivers. Since the Linux guys keep changing the API, closed drivers mean you can't update the kernel (though you can try to backport bug fixes) once Nokia stops the support.
The Ultimate Linux Handheld (Linux Journal)
Posted Aug 10, 2007 23:01 UTC (Fri) by dlang (subscriber, #313) [Link]
you can't upgrade the kernel without loosing the functionality the drivers provide.
but this may be acceptable, it all depends on what that functionality is (if you loose access to the camera but everything else works most people wouldn't care much for example)
can anyone identify what closed source drivers are in use?
and why don't some of the people who keep crying that closed source modules are illegal go after them to get the source for those modules?
The Ultimate Linux Handheld (Linux Journal)
Posted Aug 11, 2007 4:01 UTC (Sat) by mhw (subscriber, #13931) [Link]
One of the object files needed by the N800's 802.11 network driver isbinary-only. It can only be used with certain kernel versions, and
with certain configuration options.
Also, the battery charging application is binary-only. The associated
kernel driver is thin, requiring logic that lives only in userspace
and is not publicly documented.
There may be other problems as well, but these are the most important
ones I know about.
The Ultimate Linux Handheld (Linux Journal)
Posted Aug 11, 2007 23:46 UTC (Sat) by net_bh (subscriber, #28735) [Link]
>One of the object files needed by the N800's 802.11 network driver is>binary-only. It can only be used with certain kernel versions, and
>with certain configuration options.
And Openmoko's approach was to not ship with WLAN at all IIRC.
(http://lists.openmoko.org/pipermail/community/2007-Januar...)
The key being "power-efficient", of course.
>Also, the battery charging application is binary-only. The associated
>kernel driver is thin, requiring logic that lives only in userspace
>and is not publicly documented.
And Openmoko planned that for A-GPS -
http://lists.openmoko.org/pipermail/community/2006-Decemb...
Sean Moss-Pultz puts it very succintly in the above link, give it a read - "Vendors price and support their components based on volume. The promise of an innovative product alone is not very persuasive. I can go to a vendor now, telling them about the potential of OpenMoko and say, "allow me to GPL your driver." They will end our negotiations before things even begin."
It is very easy to get onto the ideological high pedestal and bash a company that just wants to do business. Perhaps, if you went about doing a small exercise and tried to develop an equivalent device (on paper) with completely free software, you _might_ see the problem.
That's not to say that Nokia is perfect. But they needed to start somewhere.
What Openmoko is doing is admirable indeed and if they succeed (or have already succeeded) in solving these issues, more power to them. Until then, playing the volumes game is the best way to convince vendors to open specs IMHO. Every battle isn't worth fighting.
/Amit (ex-Nokia)