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Preview of Linux Based FreePad

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the stuff-to-read dept.

suwalski writes "ZDNet is running a sneak-preview of the upcoming FreePad, as announced on Slashdot awhile ago. The FreePad is a wireless device that can be used as a wireless phone and as a web browser. The technology appears to be finished, and the FreePad looks like a toy that could be in your house pretty soon." Provided you live in scandanavia ;) Its a lengthy article with lots of good stuff: standards in open source, certification, wireless protocols in europe vs the US.

1 of 30 comments (clear)

  1. The Usefulness of the FreePad by hayfever · · Score: 3
    From looking over the posts about the FreePad, I get the same message over and over again. If it's not "free as in beer", we're not interested; it's not powerful enough; etc... Some people need to realize that there IS a word larger than the geek compound. Sure, the open source community would be happier if it used XFree86 and an open-source browser. However, what about this closed source stuff? Most open-source is GPL'd, which they might have trouble with if they need to make substantial modifications to the programs for use on their embedded systems. Remember, they designed their distro from scratch. They have access to the source for Opera and Nano-X, and they said code will be released into the community. Perhaps Opera and Nano-X will be released as Netscape was, from closed to open. And as for the power issue. These systems are not targeting the geeks of the world with their 1ghz servers and Transmeta laptops. They are targeting John Doe's grandmother, who is 78 years old and has never used a computer. They are targeting Jim Corporate who discovers that he can use this instead of lugging projectors and overheads around the office for presentations. They are targeting everyday people, trying to make their lives better. And they are doing it with Linux. What does this mean? This means that, if it catches on, a whole generation of suits will be given a reason to start using open-source software. This means that people may start to realize that open-source /= security problem. This is a chance to get Linux into the hands of the people who WILL make a difference, the consumers. We can try all we want to force Linux on the world, but unless your average consumer starts asking for Linux, it won't make it in a Wintel world. Let's give FreePad a chance, and hope it sets the world on fire.