[Liverpool] Linux on ARM

[Sebastian]

On 10/08/2010 05:28 PM, Stephen Watkin wrote:
> 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!

Yes - I didn't add that to my list - but you are absolutely right. My 3 
year old laptop can pretty much do most of the things a current one can 
do. CPU speeds at the bottom end (to support long battery lives) have 
not increased massively - and most other hardware aspects are quite 
similar to what they were three years ago. Every time I needed a new 
function - I just went out and installed an extra piece of software. 
Actually - that's exactly how I would want the market for smaller form 
devices to be - full standardisation - so that I can just keep a device 
until it falls to pieces - and then install the new one with the same 
software I am used to - including easily transferring my data and 
settings over. Good point!

Sebastian

>
> 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.
>
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