Microsoft acquires GitHub

Posted Jun 5, 2018 12:23 UTC (Tue) by nhippi (subscriber, #34640)
In reply to: Microsoft acquires GitHub by Wol
Parent article: Microsoft acquires GitHub

Nokias smartphone marketshare was going down when Elop was hired and it continued to do so after:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:World-Wide-Smartp...

The graph also misses the point that lots of people bought high-end nokia phones without being aware they were smartphones. Very few app installs on symbian phones compared to the market share they commanded.

Microsoft may indeed screw up github. But if they had continued independent, one day they would have to become cash-positive, and it would have lead to github looking like sourceforge.net looks like without an adblocker...

Microsoft acquires GitHub

Posted Jun 5, 2018 21:06 UTC (Tue) by Wol (subscriber, #4433) [Link] (5 responses)

On its own that graph says absolutely nothing!

Are you telling me that "Nokia == Symbian"? Maybe. I dunno. Was Nokia moving over to Android?

But a graph of *operating systems* tells me absolutely nothing about *hardware*.

Cheers,
Wol

Microsoft acquires GitHub

Posted Jun 5, 2018 21:42 UTC (Tue) by halla (subscriber, #14185) [Link]

Nokia... I was only a co-founder of one small miserable little subcontractor that was founded because we saw where Nokia was going with maemo and later meego. And I still sometimes boot up my last, pink, N9, to see what it was we wrought. It could've been greatness.

Was Nokia moving over to Android?

Posted Jul 7, 2018 0:31 UTC (Sat) by Tv (guest, #7109) [Link] (3 responses)

Very late but.. yes, Nokia absolutely had prototype Linux phones. They were experimenting with the next level UI after Symbian.

My conspiracy theory at the time was that the whole line of Linux products was never allowed to go beyond prototypes because of the existing stake in Symbian and perhaps some legalese about "being committed to" Symbian for N years that they signed with their partners.

Was Nokia moving over to Android?

Posted Jul 8, 2018 13:57 UTC (Sun) by jem (subscriber, #24231) [Link] (2 responses)

Nokia had several Linux devices, starting from the 770 "tablet" released in 2005. The first models did not have a 3G radio, so they didn't function as phones. The series culminated in the N9 Meego phone, which was released after Elop had been appointed CEO.

There were rumours of a Nokia Android phone. If there ever was one, it never got out of the prototype stage. The current Nokia Android phones are made by another company, and Nokia only licences the name.

And yes, Nokia as a company still exists. Contrary to popular belief, Microsoft did not kill Nokia, only the mobile phone division.

Was Nokia moving over to Android?

Posted Jul 8, 2018 14:35 UTC (Sun) by tao (subscriber, #17563) [Link]

Yes, the N9 was released after Elop took over, but development started before he did, and he immediately decided to go with Windows phone long term instead, and the only reason that the N9 was released is that Windows phone want localised for many of the markets that the N9 had localisation for.

The planned US launch of the N9 was cancelled because Elop wanted to focus on Windows phone only.

Was Nokia moving over to Android?

Posted Jul 23, 2018 3:09 UTC (Mon) by Tv (guest, #7109) [Link]

Nokia was experimenting with Linux devices at least half a decade before the 770. I really think they were contractually/monetarily bound to Symbian in some way that prevented them from putting a Linux device with cellular connectivity to the market at that time, and for a very long time had skunk works projects going just in case that ever changed.