[Liverpool] Linux on ARM

[Stephen Watkin]

  On 08/10/10 16:35, Sebastian wrote:
> In many ways (and I know this might just start a flame war - but bear 
> with me) I am thinking that Android is nowhere near what *I* would 
> have hoped from a Linux based os for portable devices.

Me too, although it's mostly because years ago I decided against 
learning java in favour of python.

>
> I do understand the need for phone manufacturers and networks to lock 
> these devices down - to minimise costs.

I don't think it's as much about minimising cost as it is about 
maximising revenue. I think the number of hours wasted supporting 
devices that have been dicked with in unsanctioned ways is truly 
negligible - the real reason is to make the software a selling point for 
the hardware. I wouldn't be as inclined to drop £500 on a new handset if 
I could upgrade my current one so it does all the same stuff, and I 
think a significant (enough) portion of the market would agree!

It's pretty low, and at the rate I'm adding manufactures to my own 
personal shit list (motorola for the droid debacle and more recently, 
HTC with their G2 that manages to re-flash itself back to the factory 
image if you root it), I won't have much to chose from when my contract 
is up in a few months!

> But strictly from a technical perspective, I am looking forward to a 
> device which is truly shrunken down computer. Smaller size, long 
> battery, but still the same level of connectivity and compatibility of 
> an x86 based Linux machine. Even if it would only be a small tablet 
> form (but with 3g data link integrated and access to a good sip 
> client) which works on a standard platform - so that devices from 10, 
> 20 or 50 different manufactures can be upgraded with the same 
> distribution/software set - that would be really good. Otherwise the 
> community effort will have to be really fragmented, each project 
> working to support the vagaries of each ARM micro-platform - be it 
> NSLU's, various tablets, mini-gaming console or anything else. The 
> community development and support of these ARM devices would surely be 
> far more effective if all of them would be based on the same booting 
> method, same firmware upgrade method etc.

Yeah, unless you're willing to pay about £100k+ each for these devices, 
I wouldn't hold your breath. We're strictly in the minority on this matter.