06-20-2006, 12:00 PM
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Executive Editor, Android Thoughts
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 3,233
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Unlikely Allies To Build Linux-Based Mobile OS
"LIBERTYVILLE, Ill, TOKYO, YOKOHAMA, Japan, SEOUL, South Korea and NEWBURY, England --15 June 2006 -- Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic Mobile Communications, Samsung Electronics, and Vodafone announced today their intent to establish the world�s first global, open Linux-based software platform for mobile devices. A world-class Linux-based platform aims to provide key benefits for the mobile industry including lower development costs, increased flexibility, and a richer mobile ecosystem - all of which contribute to the group�s ultimate objective of creating compelling, differentiated and enhanced consumer experiences."
Can mortal enemies work on the same project without it blowing up in their face? Michael Mace doesn't seem to think so (see source link), which would be good for Windows Mobile. Personally a linux-based OS seems to be far more complex a subject than I believe manufacturers currently think, but then again, more heads in the game could mean better results.
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Dr. Jon Westfall, MCSE, MS-MVP
Executive Editor - Android Thoughts
News Editor - Windows Phone Thoughts
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06-20-2006, 02:10 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Wow, didn't they learn anything from Symbian? This will fail - ultimately one company will try to control it to get what they want...but it's a good sign that Symbian is failing as well.
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06-20-2006, 02:41 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 481
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Re: Unlikely Allies To Build Linux-Based Mobile OS
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Jon Westfall
...Personally a linux-based OS seems to be far more complex a subject than I believe manufacturers currently think, but then again, more heads in the game could mean better results.
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I don't know much about the moral side of these guys getting together but since a front end GUI is the same in any implementation I think that the only thing that would make or break an offering is the apps behind the OS. Windows mobil has such a rich offering it will be very hard to come up with enough apps for people to buy into another OS.
I have Opie running on an old 3700 iPAQ and a sharp running linux and they're both great. But... There are no 3rd party apps. On the PPC I have a number of 1st class apps in every category imaginable. So IMHO I think it has more to do with the 3rd party offerings (apps) than it does with the OS.
The only reason Palm lost out was that the OS was prehistoric which is not the case with Linux. Some nice apps but nothing to compare with what is being offered on the PPC.
I think that Linux is a 1st class OS but there's no apps so all I have is whatever apps that come with the OS. Most of the Linux distros come with a great set of open source apps bundled together with the OS, much more than MS ever came with. So we have to see what will come bundled with their PDA. Even though you have quality open source apps on the desktop doesn't mean that you'll have them on the PDA. But I know that there's a great community working on it.
As for me just because I like Linux doesn't mean that as soon as it comes out I dump my PPC. I've been using PI, AF, etc for years and you would have to have a lot more than an OS to pull me away from my PPC  pclove:
Jeff- :soapbox:
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06-20-2006, 03:03 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 481
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
Wow, didn't they learn anything from Symbian? This will fail - ultimately one company will try to control it to get what they want...but it's a good sign that Symbian is failing as well.
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Microsoft was very successful at controling things to get what they wanted so maybe someone else will also have a chance. It comes down to out-marketing your competition. The bottom line in any business is $$$ and marketing not so much the technology. But it will be nice getting to read about the fights - maybe even some streaming live...
Jeff-
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06-20-2006, 03:28 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by lapchinj
Microsoft was very successful at controling things to get what they wanted so maybe someone else will also have a chance.
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But remember Microsoft isn't making hardware to compete with Dell, HP, Toshiba, etc. That's why the big names defected from Symbian, they were cooperating with their biggest competitors, and someone always loses in those scenarios.
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06-20-2006, 03:28 PM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 541
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I get the feeling that Linux is "the answer" to all the problems, different companies are facing when competing in mobile marketplace.
If you are unable to develop a competitive OS (Palm Source) - you take Linux.
If you are not sure what to use on your devices, because your current OS is prehistoric (Palm) - you take Linux (your version or the version from Access/Palm Source).
If you build phones and your Phone OS is not usable for the device (Nokia for their Tablet) - you take Linux.
If you are a company building PDAs (Sharp) - you take Linux.
If you are a group of companies (see above posts) that want to have something different - you take Linux.
It's a magic wand, that works for everybody, it's "free" and has low development cost. And on top of all that, it has a community, that will provide everything...
Well, the problem is, you still have to develop the thing and you still have to support it - no community will do it for you just because you created a Linux device. And of course, then there is a "small" problem of compatibility between different versions/platforms...
Linux is great core, but having 10 versions that are not compatible between each other, that have little or no support from the manufacturers and small software base - why bother (unless you are a hacker)...
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06-21-2006, 02:26 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 481
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
But remember Microsoft isn't making hardware...
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Yeah that's true I really didn't think of that. I just thought that Microsoft had great armor and they were always able to beat back the hords.
Jeff-
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06-21-2006, 10:55 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 37
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Quote:
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Wow, didn't they learn anything from Symbian? This will fail - ultimately one company will try to control it to get what they want...but it's a good sign that Symbian is failing as well.
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That would be the Symbian that's outselling Microsoft 10:1, right?
And before you say "But it's all Nokia..", check out their Japanese sales. Not a single Nokia phone in sight and these sales alone comfortably beat Windows Mobile's global figures.
I think this Linux alliance will take time to gel, but I can see the benefits for manufacturers and operators in the long term.
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06-22-2006, 06:39 AM
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Theorist
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 300
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
Wow, didn't they learn anything from Symbian? This will fail - ultimately one company will try to control it to get what they want...but it's a good sign that Symbian is failing as well.
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I have a philosophical difference with you here, Jason :twisted:
Having had numerous Windows mobile devices over the years (nowhere near as many as you, of course), and a few other mobiles as well (my Geos-based Casio Zoomer, and all my mobile phones until my present one, which is Windows CE 4.2), I truly do believe that Microsoft puts out it's best products when it has serious competition to motivate it.
Internet Explorer is a case in point - they browser languished, with few new features, until Firefox began eating into it's market share. The same case can be said for Windows Mobile 5.0 - it was the dominance of Palm OS, and the threat of Symbian, that forced Microsoft to continually improve the mobile OS, and the result is what we have today - possibly the best mobile OS on the market.
So I am constantly cheering on competitors, because the competition is not only good for us - the consumers - it's actually good (in the long-run) for Microsoft as well. Without Palm's focus on simplicity in the UI, Microsoft may never have abandoned the Windows CE 1.x and 2.x GUI's nested-menus, etc, and we might never have seen the "Pocket PC" shell.
I hope the consortium comes up with a decent mobile Linux for phones and other mobile devices, since any cool features, ideas and enhancements they think up will ultimately make their way into Windows Mobile 6.0 :-) Go Symbian, Go Mobile Linux, and would somebody please save PalmSource from total irrelevance??
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