Linux boots on the iPhone [LWN.net]

Linux boots on the iPhone

Posted Nov 29, 2008 18:46 UTC (Sat) by endecotp (guest, #36428)
In reply to: Linux boots on the iPhone by ssam
Parent article: Linux boots on the iPhone

I agree with your sentiment, but
- The Openmoko phone is 2G while the iPhone is 3G.
- The iPhone has a camera.
- The iPhone is cheaper, if you're prepared to sign a contract. (On the other hand, if you just want the hardware I think the Openmoko phone is cheaper.)
- The iPhone can actually be used as a phone if you "dual boot" into the Apple firmware. I'm under the impression that the Openmoko software stack is barely capable of this at present though of course the position will improve.

No doubt similar comparisons can be made between the iPod Touch and things like the Nokia tablets.

The fact that people are prepared to go to such lengths to modify their iPhones shows how much value they put on the hardware features that it offers. Openmoko (and anyone else) have no choice but to offer the same or preferably better features, if they want to get very far.

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Linux boots on the iPhone

Posted Nov 29, 2008 19:29 UTC (Sat) by pboddie (subscriber, #50784) [Link]

I agree with the sentiments of the original commenter. With the lack of sufficiently open hardware continually hampering Free Software adoption, it makes sense to support projects which intend to provide the community with genuinely open hardware.

Of course, people can always make the "captive audience" argument that the iPhone is already out there, which is broadly the same as the claim that giving Windows users Free Software applications is somehow as good as giving them a complete stack of Free Software from the operating system through the desktop to the applications they use, and that people shouldn't try and challenge the economics or the status quo. I can see the merits in subverting the iPhone hardware by putting Linux on it, but apart from potentially figuring out how to make certain chipsets work with Linux (which could be valuable), it doesn't seek to change the fundamental problem that is the scarcity of devices which encourage rather than resist Free Software solutions.

The fact that people are prepared to go to such lengths to modify their iPhones shows how much value they put on the hardware features that it offers. Openmoko (and anyone else) have no choice but to offer the same or preferably better features, if they want to get very far.

For mass-market adoption, giving people all the most sought-after features might appear to be a necessity, but there are also plenty of people who don't want the most shiny things on their phone or who value the openness more. I'd buy a Neo Freerunner just for the openness aspect because I'm sometimes less than impressed by Sony Ericsson's attempts at user interface engineering. Some people would rather keep their phone and have the bugs fixed than be forced to "upgrade" to another one.

A final note about contracts, features and iPhone competitors. Here in Norway the price of an iPhone under contract works out at around $900 for 12 months on a subscription which might not immediately invoke additional costs for fairly normal usage (unlike other iPhone offers), which is pretty expensive for a phone. In addition, there are other phones having better hardware, like the LG KC910, available for less. As for the built-in camera, although there's always a convenience argument for them, I don't think I'd want to "upgrade" to the iPhone's camera even from a budget compact.

It's worth questioning the "give the punters what (we think) they want" strategy. In digital photography people bemoan the megapixel race which makes people think that a 14 megapixel compact is better than last year's 9 megapixel one, and let us not forget that the pundits all told us that no-one would buy a cut-down laptop: such people are not always right.

Neo as a phone

Posted Nov 29, 2008 20:55 UTC (Sat) by tajyrink (subscriber, #2750) [Link]

FWIW, I use Neo FreeRunner as my only phone, among all the other things I can do with it.

It requires quite a bit of tweaking. If you want a little bit less tweaking, wait for the (supposed) stable release of 2008.12 (the repository name will stay at 2008.8 ("stable" would be better) but the release will be called 2008.12 if it gets released in December). I have all the important fixes manually applied, and they address the main issues, but it'd easier to have those out-of-the-box.

Then again, if tweaking is something you don't really run away from, I'd bet many of you would fall in love with Debian running on your phone. It's also usable as a phone with Debian.

Neo as a phone

Posted Nov 29, 2008 22:10 UTC (Sat) by ssam (subscriber, #46587) [Link]

when my current nokia 3310 dies i may get a openmoko. but it just keeps on working :-(

Neo as a phone

Posted Nov 30, 2008 9:29 UTC (Sun) by SimonKagstrom (subscriber, #49801) [Link]

I've successfully used the washing machine to kill my former phone. Just forget it in your pocket and start washing!

That said, I also have a freerunner. It's great fun and very useful to hack on, but so far I've not started using it as a phone. My main issues with it is that the battery life is too short, no GUI to connect to bluetooth headsets and a general instability (especially when suspending). Personally I'm prepared to wait for the software to stabilize and improve, but I understand people who dismiss the freerunner for these reasons.

(The phone I washed was the one I got from work. Had to order a new one among great embarrassment)

// Simon

Neo as your only phone

Posted Dec 1, 2008 1:15 UTC (Mon) by dps (subscriber, #5725) [Link]

Where I live, in the UK, someone calling your mobile phone is free. You have to be very desperate or in bad position not have a fixed line phone too. I need a mobile number to get a job but then I have got a PhD :-) Understanding some mathematics[*] did matter and my life time experiences did not.

The cheapest mobile phone is 10p/min to landlines and the same network and fixed lines, and more elsewhere. Fixed line phones are much cheaper and the rates are more like 1p/min and free at weekends, which is a better deal even after you include line rental.

3G which is cheaper to use that 2G but much more expensive to call. You can only get a 3G phone at sensible price with an expensive contract which carries very high commission. Even with the cheapest pay as you go deal the handset is subsidised.

Having seen the phone salesmen's price sheets I know expensive contracts have commission in the £100-£300 range ($150 to $450). This pays for quite a fancy phone with some room to spare.

The cheapest the high street offered me was £40 ($60) for a phone tied to a network. An unrestricted version that model costs them only £20 ($30). The profit margin here is clearly significantly more than 100%.

A decent fixed line phone, with no contract, costs under £10 ($15).

Most phones can be untied, or bought tied to a network of your choice. Apple invited bids for the privilege of supporting iPhone users, and it is probably almost impossible to use any other network. (Hacking your phone could invalidate its license to use regulated mobile phone frequencies,)

[*] Many people think they understand the mathematics I used but actually dont. When the mathematics is used in anger the difference becomes obvious.