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New Nokia Linux tablet packs slideout keyboard (LinuxDevices.com)New Nokia Linux tablet packs slideout keyboard (LinuxDevices.com)Posted Oct 17, 2007 21:46 UTC (Wed) by leoc (subscriber, #39773)Parent article: New Nokia Linux tablet packs slideout keyboard (LinuxDevices.com)
Out of curiosity, can anyone say how much of the software/drivers running on these devices is closed source and cannot be upgraded outside of what Nokia allows? I'd be interested in buying one, but I am concerned about being left in the cold as Nokia moves on to newer and better models. Will I be able to run new applications and newer versions of the OS over time?
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nokia open source drivers Posted Oct 17, 2007 22:19 UTC (Wed) by undefined (guest, #40876) [Link] i don't know specifically about the n8[01]0, but see this lwn article response about the 770's closed source drivers. http://lwn.net/Articles/229838/ specifically see daniel stone's (daniels) comments as he is employed by nokia to support the tablet hardware (in the know), but is a part of the free software community (tells it straight, imo). there's also the concern that the maemo software platform is (partially) closed source (though opening more as time passes), but penguinbait has gotten both xfce and kde running on the device, which i don't believe require the closed source bits. i own a 770, and while it may have been official abandoned by nokia, it's still supported by the community (of which nokia and/or its employees are part): microb for 770, os2007 hacker edition, etc.
nokia open source drivers Posted Oct 18, 2007 0:32 UTC (Thu) by dlang (✭ supporter ✭, #313) [Link] I asked a similar question a couple of months ago, and the answer that I got was that there are a couple drivers related to power management that are closed. I wasn't able to confirm this (and have held off buying one as a result)
nokia open source drivers Posted Oct 18, 2007 13:27 UTC (Thu) by mgedmin (subscriber, #34497) [Link] IIRC the boot loader is non-free, and the userspace daemon that monitors the battery charge is non-free. I don't remember if the wifi driver needs a binary blob or not.
nokia open source drivers Posted Oct 19, 2007 12:02 UTC (Fri) by dlang (✭ supporter ✭, #313) [Link] that doesn't sound bad. I'm willing to live with non-free userspace tools, and if the binary blob for the wifi is for the firmware of the card (as opposed to the driver) I'm fine. the bootloader could be an issue, but I'd have to see what options there are (and what capabilities the bootloader has. as long as it can boot my own kernels I don't have heartburn with the concept)
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