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58 Comments
- bsonline, on 10/10/2007, -1/+17Normally, I'd love to see Tux anywhere. Usually, just seeing the word "Linux" in conjunction with anything relatively new is reason to celebrate. Linux on cell phones? Hell yes, my brother, I drinks the kool-aid. But for the love of god, I don't want to see anyone talking about "Linux makes the phones cheaper".
WM5/6 does increase the cost of a phone, but that doesn't mean Linux lowers it. All cell phone companies use proprietary code on their phones. A Tux (tm) phone would still need to be customized, with proprietary code for each model. While the amount of code may be less, and a lot so for the features, I expect the shiny new Tuxers (tm) to be more expensive. Have you ever seen anything new and shiny that wasn't, other than a zit on prom night?
In closing, I'd like to stop typing. - jakswa, on 10/10/2007, -2/+12I am for the price of cell phone Os's staying as small as possible (so I will pay as little as possible), and I think Linux is the cheapest at a price of free.
*Thumbs up* - itsfullofstars, on 10/10/2007, -3/+11All hail the forthcoming Linux phones!
- giveer, on 10/10/2007, -1/+9I've seen porn stars use Symbian, but never seen a cell phone use it... hmmmm
- inactive, on 10/10/2007, -4/+11This is good news. iPhone sucks.
- mupwangle, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7Symbian is not an open source OS. It is a proprietary OS owned mainly by Nokia and (Sony)Ericsson. That's also why I can't imagine Nokia giving up it's Symbian investment and going Linux.
- medeshago, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6And if the rumors about google using linux in his phone linux will become really important int the mobile os market. Well, only if the rumors are true.
- aliguana, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4well, the Google Phone is apparently going to be free. And ad-supported. So if you can put up with being bombarded with ads every time you do anything, then go for it.
- terranaut, on 10/10/2007, -3/+6Anything that starts out with a miniscule user base and grows is going to be faster growing than the established players,
- jbelkin, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4WAS the fastest - now it's OSX.
- jworkin, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5Going from 0 to 1 would result in Linux phone OS's growing infinitely faster than any other phone OS.
- stockjones, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Your comment is exactly why I would never hire a hardcore open source/Linux/Unix zealot to build a good robust general user UI/application. You people dont get it. I'm in no way an Apple fanatic, but the Iphone interface makes anything linux seem mediocre at best. If it werent for companies like Apple and even MS to a degree computers and their interfaces would still be convaluted, archaic crap.
- bitspace, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Porn stars and your sister use Sybian. Mobile phones use Symbian.
- neodorian, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Don't know why you're digging down. The Apple fanboys drool over OSX's application of *nix to a specific hardware set but if it's some other company doing the same thing it's suddenly not cool? Seems like a good way to build on what others have done and put out there for use.
- aliguana, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2...and until Nokia load its phones with Linux, it isn't going to be the world-shaking mobile OS you want it to be. It will be a minority in a minority, Without the support of the major mobile manufacturers (ie more than one) it's market share will be minimal. Unless the LinuxOSphone is so world-shatteringly advanced and amazing that everybody wants one (re: iPhone). Don't get me wrong, we're at the hardware stage now where phones can comfortably run a Linux, and would be of benefit to everyone once it does. I just can't see it happening on a mass global scale any time soon. Not without the big players. Or unless Google practically give away its handsets in the millions.
- Sushubh, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2moto razr is technically a linux phone...
- Oakes, on 10/10/2007, -3/+5LINUX != OPEN SOURCE
Motorola et. al. have been putting their proprietary software on top of the Linux kernel for years. They are all absolute crap. - dlowder, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Nokia won't give up Symbian easily... however, it is the most god-awful platform to write code for, and there are a lot more Linux developers out there, so there is a good chance that even Nokia will spread their bets and produce some Linux handsets.....
- dlowder, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Linux may raise the cost of the phone in some ways, and lower it in others -- hard to say without a specific phone to talk about. I think manufacturers are hoping for two things from Linux: 1) reduced or zero OS royalties (even a small royalty per handset is a big deal), and 2) reduced time to market. Time to market is the biggest issue given the very high rate that manufacturers have to introduce new phones in major markets like Japan and Europe.
- Tenoq, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Not exactly a big claim, is it? Linux has what, 0.1% of the smartphone market at the moment? So lets look at this 75% increase, year over year:
Now: 0.1%
2008: 0.175%
2009: 0.306%
2010: 0.536%
2011: 0.938%
2012: 1.641%
Wow. They'll crack the 1% market share mark in 2012? What a revelation. I'm sure you would have guessed that yourself. :p - DonCarcharo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Muahaha! Soon I will be able to sync my market dominating Linux smart-phone with my market dominating Linux desktop. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to my dying Windows platform. I'm preparing an inaugural address for Ron Paul using Office 2007. I've got to hurry before OOo makes this thing obsolete.
- betterth, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Because Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Search, Picasa and Google Earth are terrible free products that bombard you with ads every time you do anything. Way to assume that the device will do a 180* from their current trend....
Maybe it will serve very few, very well targeted advertisements that are based on your Google account, and probably use voice recogition to recognize your conversations and drive ads based on what you talk about (lol!). - bsonline, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2The cool part about dupes is that I can dig and bury at the same time!
- Niz1, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2who's going to take up the OS? since every major manufacturer has their own, Nokia Symbian, I think SE uses UIQ or something, Moto use WM.
Only ones i can think of is the companies that sell under Service providers like i have the Orange SPV e650 its a branded HTC s710. It runs WM6 standard.
I would have liked it if a Linux OS existed because i also assume there will be free software available, instead im currently having to "buy" it. but i think they are a little late with the OS, all manufacturers have settled on an OS already. - zetsurin, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Next year will be the year of Linux on the deskt....I mean... in the pocket. Honest.
- Murdats, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1your right, I dont own one. want to know why? because i dont want to spend a fortune on a sucky phone.
add to that the fact its not 3g (the becomming standard in australia) wont run on non-american telcos
does not support SMS and in general does less then the phone I got for free from my provider. - TheSwashbuckler, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Per IDC's Worldwide Mobile Device Operating System 2006-2010 Forecast and Analysis (published in December 2006), in 2006 Linux had 16.5% of the market. Of course, IDC says that Linux's share will drop to 9.3% in 2011.
- chrismgtis, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I have experience with Linux operating systems on phones and I sure as hell won't buy another smart phone with anything Linux based again if I can help it. This whole "Linux is better" movement makes about as much sense as riding a bike 15 miles to school to save gas.
- neodorian, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2durr hurr hurr...
Mac OSX is proof that when you have specific hardware (like a phone handset) it's great to adapt something like Unix or Linux to work specifically with that hardware. In this case they will have a base to work from and then write drivers and software so that it works on the handsets and makes for easy development. Great idea really. - TheSwashbuckler, on 10/10/2007, -0/+11. Nokia Siemens (Nokia being the #1 mobile phone vendor in the world) is a member of the Linux Foundation and works on their Mobile Linux initiative.
2. Samsung (#2), Motorola (#3) and LG (#5) are members of the Linux Mobile (LiMo) Foundation
3. Motorola has publicly stated on numerous occasions that Linux will be used in 60% of its smartphones within the next two years
4. Per IDC, Linux is running well over 10% of the mobile phones today (more than Windows Mobile)
Linux will not likely replace Symbian as the #1 OS, but it will have a significant presense. - Laiden, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1http://www.openmoko.org
- darkmuck, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1motorola A1200, A780, etc.
- Theli, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Kind of a useless prognosis as you apparently pulled that 0.1% from your ass.
- bias, on 10/10/2007, -6/+7Don't forget this year is the Year of Linux.
- clperez390, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1The cool part about dupes is that I can dig and bury at the same time!
- aliguana, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I don't have a problem with Google's services. I use them everyday, on both my desktop and my phone. But the average cellphone has VERY limited screen real-estate, and if you're filling up half of that with ads... no thanks.
- sp1nm0nkey, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Has anyone thought that linux might not be the right OS for embedded applications? Maybe that some of the compromises made in the schedulers and in memory allocation might be geared towards servers and possibly desktops (in truth most of the compromises are made with servers in mind... oops). Linux is just a kernel with one set of compromises, the bulk of the code is in drivers, and it doesn't take much for a team to spin a new small kernel. Plus, it doesn't make things cheaper because companies like montevista and all these other embedded linux distributors charge an arm and a leg to support an OS that all the college students think is cool and want to work on (because it's Linux)
- lowlywrm, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Irritating that the article concludes with the implication that the supposed Microsoft patents will be a show stopper. As SCO's allegations went down in flames, so ultimately will Microsoft's. Yet the media continues to give credibility to them by mentioning them every chance they get, of course not buried in the middle, but as the last thought in the article. It would be so nice if the underdogs got a fair shake. *sigh*
- DteK, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1This is good news, however I must inform you
that the IPhone does not suck, as you most likely
do not own one. - theOster, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2*this* will be the year of th...ahh forget it
- aliguana, on 10/10/2007, -3/+3When Nokia, Moto and LG start producing Linux smartphones, then yeah. Until then, no.
- aliguana, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Symbian isn't a crap OS. Infact, it's perfect for what it does. It is the crippled operator-branded firmware that these phones are loaded with that makes them crap.
- geomon, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2This prediction has been made before. When Microsoft was failing to take over the cell phone business, Linux was predicted to dominate cell phones by this time. It doesn't.
The reasons why Linux does not dominate cell phone is complex. bsonline hit on some of the points:
"All cell phone companies use proprietary code on their phones."
That is one of the primary causes of slow Linux uptake. There is so much coding that goes into the chipset. And the chipset changes so fast that it a moving target that even Linux can't zero in on. Look at how many chipsets are slowed in their development by comparison to the x86, for instance. The uCSimm is virtually dead. Embedded space is almost all proprietary software.
"A Tux (tm) phone would still need to be customized, with proprietary code for each model."
True for the underlying code, but some of the code could be Linux. But the fraction is so small, the question then becomes "Why add it?"
"While the amount of code may be less, and a lot so for the features, I expect the shiny new Tuxers (tm) to be more expensive."
I don't think that is true. My Samsung phone has a proprietary hardware abstraction layer and then they code all of the upper applications with Java. I don't think a Linux phone would be any more expensive than a Java-enabled phone. - aliguana, on 10/10/2007, -3/+3you're in for a long wait.
- mikemx, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0i have used linux frequently and he is soooo right.
- UserSpace, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0This is just opinion, no logic behind it..... opinions are like *****, everyone has one that stinks.
- queesy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Go linux!!!!
running it on my smartphone Motorola Ming(A1200) right now! speeeedy quick :D - bitspace, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0You obviously haven't actually used linux, and are just spewing the party line of other people who also haven't used linux.
- kidlinux, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1So the term "smartphone" is a bit of a misnomer then?
- aliguana, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2well yeah. and no. The iPhone software/OS doesn't suck, it's excellent. Its the crap hardware it's running on that sucks. Wait until iPhone 3 before you buy one.
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