The Ultimate Linux Handheld (Linux Journal) [LWN.net]

The Ultimate Linux Handheld (Linux Journal)

Posted Aug 14, 2007 12:24 UTC (Tue) by Janne (guest, #40891)
In reply to: The Ultimate Linux Handheld (Linux Journal) by elicriffield
Parent article: The Ultimate Linux Handheld (Linux Journal)

I read the comment you mentioned. It basically says that Nokia ships some pieces of proprietary code in 770. Well, I have one comment about that: boo-frigging-hoo.

Nokia supports free and open source software when it makes sense to them. Yes, that means that they are not gung-ho about it everywhere and all the time. And no, that doesn't mean that they are "enemy" of free software.

Fact is that Nokia has created a popular piece of consumer-electronics that runs Linux. That act alone brought Linux to the hands of thousands of people and that is a Good Thing (tm). They have also supported various pieces of free software (like the windowmanager that is used on 770 and N800. They have also provided patches to the kernel. All those things are Good Things and they have made Linux better.

As to Nokia not supporting 770... Well, I would like to see some industrious third-party release a new OS for the device. I mean, if we can get Linux running on iPaqs and iPods, why not do the same for 770?

As to 770 being "obsolete".... I use mine just about every single day. I wish someone had told me that it's "obsolete", so I could have stopped using that obsolete piece of junk! It doesn't feel obsolete, but it obviously is because someone on the internet said so.

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The Ultimate Linux Handheld (Linux Journal)

Posted Aug 14, 2007 18:24 UTC (Tue) by bronson (subscriber, #4806) [Link]

> boo-frigging-hoo. Nokia supports free and open source software when it makes sense to them.

> Well, I would like to see some industrious third-party release a new OS for the device. I mean, if we can get Linux running on iPaqs and iPods, why not do the same for 770?

Are you joking?? Erm, maybe it's because the 770 has closed bits?

To spell it out: unless someone devotes a lot of their own time to reverse enginering, only Nokia can produce an OS for the 770. You do realize this, right?

The Ultimate Linux Handheld (Linux Journal)

Posted Aug 15, 2007 13:06 UTC (Wed) by Janne (guest, #40891) [Link]

"Are you joking??"

"Erm, maybe it's because the 770 has closed bits?"

Then eliminate those bits. Either drop them completely or work around them. Linux has been ported to just about everything, and now you claim that it could not be "ported" to a device that is already running Linux?

"To spell it out: unless someone devotes a lot of their own time to reverse enginering, only Nokia can produce an OS for the 770. You do realize this, right?"

And that reverse-engineering has been done countless times before, what's different this time? Or if that reverse-engineering is too much trouble, simple drop those bits.

The Ultimate Linux Handheld (Linux Journal)

Posted Aug 15, 2007 16:24 UTC (Wed) by bronson (subscriber, #4806) [Link]

> Either drop them completely or work around them.

The flasher and the root FS? You can't drop them so, yes, people are working around them.

http://www.nopcode.org/0xFFFF/
http://osmtc.indt.org/projects/mamona

It just takes a long time. It might go quicker if you would help out.

Reverse engineering is *hard*. Not many people like spending time trying to get Linux running on a device that, as you say, already runs Linux.