Hackable devices: one step forward, one step back

On the down side, Sony recently announced a new set of PlayStation 3 systems, featuring more storage, a smaller box, and lower power consumption. This device also "features" the removal of the "install other OS" option. The "other OS" in question was invariably Linux. Users did not normally install Linux for its superior fragging experience; instead, Linux on the PS3 was most useful as an affordable way to gain access to - and hack with - the "Cell" processor architecture. Linux-running PS3 systems could be used to create low-end supercomputing systems and clusters or do any of a number of other interesting things. The locking-down of the newer PS3 models represents a real loss for the Linux community.

The reasoning for this change is said to be cost-cutting; Sony simply did not want to expend the resources to make the "install other OS" option work on the new system. A good chunk of that cost, it seems, is in the creation of a hypervisor under which secondary systems actually run; this hypervisor's reason for existence would appear to be to prevent other operating systems from making use of the 3D rendering engine. One would assume that the above-mentioned superior fragging experience offered by Linux (while legendary) would not be such a threat to Sony that it feels the need to wall off parts of its hardware, but that is evidently not the case. Evidently, the fear of high-performance nethack is enough to drive Linux off this platform entirely.

[PULL QUOTE: Evidently, the fear of high-performance nethack is enough to drive Linux off this platform entirely. END QUOTE] Sony can certainly build its hardware the way it wishes. But some of us might still wish that the company would look harder at where the raw materials for its products come from. Sony is, of course, a heavy user of embedded Linux; there is a whole range of Sony products with Linux inside. If you read books on a Sony reader, take pictures with a Sony camera, make movies with a Sony recorder, or watch movies on a Sony television, chances are that you're using Linux. Even the Sony WallStation Doorbell Adapter product uses Linux. It's interesting to wander through Sony's download page, where the company satisfies its GPL obligations, and see how many products are listed there.

Sony clearly is deriving great value from Linux. And that is great - that's what Linux is there for. And Sony is not absent from the contributor community; a quick look at kernel contributions since 2.6.26 shows 113 patches from Sony, putting the company just slightly ahead of LWN on the list. But surely Sony will find that Linux is a better platform for its products if it lets the development community play with those products. There are developers out there who (1) built the platform that Sony is using in its products, and (2) would love to help make those products run better. Frustrating those developers does not seem like a path toward long-term success with Linux.

The announcement of Nokia's N900 "mobile computer" shows a different approach. The N900 is a Maemo-based tablet, but, unlike its predecessors, it also functions as a telephone. It looks like a nice device, though, perhaps, a bit large for some pockets. Your editor is convinced that he must obtain one of these phones for review purposes; journalistic integrity demands it.

While the official propaganda attracted a fair amount of attention, many in the community were more struck by Quim Gil's posting on the subject. Cellular telephones are notoriously locked-down devices, but, it seems, the N900 will be different:

Nokia's path toward more open devices has been slow, but the company appears to really understand where its software comes from. Linux is not just a platform it can ship with its phones and avoid royalty charges; it's a living component which can be actively encouraged and helped to improve. If the N900 is successful, it will indeed encourage a new wave of developers who will help to make Linux better for all of us. And, in the process, they will make Maemo-based phones much better for Nokia.

What remains to be seen is how much of this openness remains when the N900 makes it to end users - especially those who buy their phones from their cellular carriers. Truly hackable devices may only be available to those who buy them through other channels, at full price. But the existence of that option is a major step in the right direction. Opening up the cellular carriers is a job for another year - and a lot more patience.

Here we have examples from two companies, both of which are known for making stylish, consumer-oriented devices. Both have chosen to base some of their products on Linux. One has moved in the direction of openness, providing full access to the device in the hope of energizing developers and taking market share from a dominant rival. The other has closed down a product, locking out interested developers, in the name of lowering prices. There is no doubt that the open approach is better for our community than the closed approach. Over the longer term, openness and support for the community really should prove to be better for business as well.