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SOME HAPHAZARD THOUGHT AFTER SOME SURVEY & ANALYSIS !! |
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(not that much professional enough) |
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If you hate pessimists, please don't read this mail. |
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First set of facts: |
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GNOME 3 (considered as the main GUI/DE for Linux distros) is trying to be be suitable for small screen devices. |
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KDE 4 (considered as the GUI/DE for UNIX power users) have interface for similar devices. Now Qt5 is being optimised for such devices, so how far KDE will remain different !! |
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Qt5 is promoting QML (somewhat similar to HTML5), forget simple UNIX, C/C++, direct hardware access. I am not a great programmer and not saying about merits of HTML5, just do a survey how many websites you can open & render with an web browser properly unless it's optimised for that !! According to my analysis, HTML5 is the next hot thing from Google, it's being developed as more a programming language than markup, no relation with why HTML was once created. |
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Ubuntu is as usual, copying others, they will (if at all any device ship with Ubuntu on Phone) promote QML/HTML5. |
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Jolla Sailfish OS, also have similar strategy of promoting HTML5/QML/Java and optimized for small screen, low resource devices. |
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Tizen !! don't know wether it will at all come out of the egg (I'm not the egg)?? Even then, it will be another Android, locked to Samsung or .... |
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Second set of facts: |
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Small screen, low resource devices = |
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Resolution smaller than or equal to VGA. CPU is RISC (ARM, MIPS), or may be some are running using Microcontroller/DSP only. RAM 128MB or lower. So far what I have found, these are low cost devices and run by chips manufactured by Broadcom, Qualcomm, MediaTek or similar such companies who have nothing to do with FOSS. |
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Once these used to be known as "smartphone", now they are included under "feature phone". |
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So legally or without voiding warranty you cannot run FOSS system on these devices with confidence, at least impossible in next 10 yrs. |
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Smartphone/Tablet (as it is today) = |
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From hardware POV, they are comparable to the desktops/laptops 7yrs back, with exception of reduced connectivity options (may be we should thank the ever intelligent hardware manufacturers, Apple & Microsoft). |
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High end Smartphones/Tablets technical specifications are very much well documented and manufacturers do provide the sourcecodes, and don't know why (I can guess) these high priced devices have very vibrant community here & there. |
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So these present day Smartphone/Tablets are capable of running FOSS system using GNOME 2, KDE 4, Xfce, ... as they proved 7yrs back, atleast if I consider about the hardware. Infact, Intel Atom SoC are x86 CISC, may be with some tweak; remember, GNU Linux was hot favorite with Atom powered netbooks. |
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Third set of facts: |
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Present strategies to get the benefit of Android being opensource: |
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1. some people are installing some community made ROM, removing OEM provided ROM. |
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2. some people are using some hack to get administrative previledge and run GNU Linux in 'chroot' environment. |
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3. [if anything left, please enlighten me] |
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Now the problems with the 1st strategy: |
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Void warranty. Very much at risk of bricking your device. |
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How trustworthy are those ROMs ?? What great advantages they are giving than the OEM provided ROMs ?? |
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All those ROMs are just little modification of the Android source, so I don't think these give really any freedom from Google !! |
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All devices are not supported. |
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Now the problems with the 2nd strategy: |
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So far it was possible to use some method or hack and 'root' the device. I don't think it will be possible in future anymore, may be excluding few high cost devices. |
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Microsoft & its relatives will be more interested in secure boot, infact FOTA will make it unnecessary to get the bootloader/recovery image menu. |
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Now the conclusion: |
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I think we need to change the subject of this thread to "smartphone experience on desktop/laptop !!" |
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(I doubt how many people will use desktop in future! laptop is being replaced by ultrabook/convertible) |
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As for running UNIX like FOSS system on portable devices, my only hope left is on Intel Atom SoC on $300 Tablets (Phone is useless, considering 3G/LTE being too costly), unless it succumb to Microsoft/Google or their relatives pressure and make access to BIOS/Bootloader (or equivalent) illegal. |
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Till that become reality, I can use any other mobile device using apps from F-droid or similar repo, atleast that will serve as my PDA. |
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Another possibility is to develop something similar to Wine (probably the most difficult & doubtful solution). |
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DISCLAIMER: I have no personal/professional relation to any company/project came under discussion above except using (free, paid) devices & softwares & protocols produced by some of them. Also I have no personal hatred against any of those company/project, just discourage who are doing wrong and praise for the good work. |
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=========== |
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I'm yet a learner, warn me if I'm doing any wrong... [|:-) |
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