[Nottingham] "tivoization", iPhone, and GPLv3 lockout?

[David Aldred]

On Thursday 04 Sep 2008, Martin wrote:
> Or might we yet be saved by the Eee-esq minimalist proprietary hardware
> that is too minimalist for the proprietary software?

Could be, but I think a lot depends on how the minimalist proprietary hardware 
makers implement the non-proprietary software!

I've recently gone for an Acer Aspire One; the Acer-modified Linpus Linux 
setup is (at first sight) locked down to make the experience of a Linux 
netbook very restrictive for the newbie user who's never touched Linux 
before.   A couple of easy changes and you've got a proper desktop (though I 
must say that  practically I don't mind the Acer standard desktop in its 
place; on starting up a machine that size big chunky icons have the advantage 
of being easy to find!)

For the non-Linux savvy, though, the appeal of a familiar and flexible Windows 
interface is a tempting one, and the user forum indicates that many succumb!  
If the thing came with Ubuntu already there I think it would be a different 
story.  Some had even changed over to Windows and accepted a pretty horrible 
speed hit (due to issues with Windows driving the SSD storage).   A bad or 
limited Linux implementation doesn't win any friends. 

======

However even for the Linux-savvy, the story doesn't end there: the thing 
rewrites its /etc/hosts and /etc/fstab on every boot using a fairly 
impenetrable script (well, I haven't penetrated it yet, but I haven't tried 
awfully hard yet!), and responds to any slight error in the xml file which 
drives its 'standard' desktop by wiping the user version and restoring the 
original - so adding an icon may lose you any changes you've already 
successfully made.  Of course, after the first time, you back up the changed 
version, but the first time is annoying!

And then there is the vexed question of updates.  I may well work out how to 
make /etc/hosts stick; but the next update from Acer will probably cause 
reversion to Acer-standard behaviour.   

(On the other hand, the way it has a second SD card slot which automagically 
adds the space on an inserted SD card to /home, and with a sensible system to 
allow you to upsize that SD card at a later stage without losing stuff, is an 
clever thinking about the uses of his sort of device). 

I can feel a mini-Sidux installation coming on.   Not just yet, perhaps - but 
I don't think it will be too long before Acer-Linpus annoys me enough to be 
gone, despite one or two useful features......

-- 
David Aldred