Hi, yesterday I read an article in the German computer magazine c't that gives an overview over the projects dealing with Linux-based smartphones. As you might know besides OpenMoko there is the LiMo Foundation (lots of companies), Open Handset Alliance (Google, Android) and the LiPs Forum.
As it turns out none (!) of those competing projects is going to provide you (the device owner) with the freedom to tinker with the device, use it for every mean, install your own kernel, access the hardware directly and so on. I find this a shocking fact. A short summary. LIMO: Produces 'common' stuff that can be used only if you are a member of the LIMO foundation. Membership fees are in the ten thousands a year. Besides that there will be non-common code which you have to license from another member. So you have non-free stuff and even more non-free stuff ... :$ OHA: The stack produced by this group shields you from the actual hardware. If you want to write a program for Android it must be Java at the source level (will be compiled into something different than Java bytecode) using proprietary APIs (no SWT/AWT/java-gnome/qtjambi). Low-level plumbing (kernel + device drivers) must be done by the OHA members themselves. LIPS: Became part of LIMO[0]. End of story. At LinuxTag 2008 I learned that Motorola is giving you the kernel sources but are using signed kernels and the bootloader to prevent you from putting your own kernel on the device. I expect that phones provided by LIMO and OHA will have the same 'feature'. Unfortunately its the linux kernel's GPLv2 which has no clause against such misuse. So even if soon Linux-based smartphones from LIMO and OHA will appear soon. All with great hardware, fancy graphics and whatnot they managed to rip all the fun and freedom out of it. :| Regards Robert [0] - http://www.lipsforum.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=98&Itemid=165
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