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DoCoMo To Use Linux On Their 3G phones

Posted by timothy on from the darl's-ears-perk-up dept.

ilbrec writes "Looks like NTT DoCoMo will be using Linux on their 3G phones next year. This actually was reported yesterday in Japan (here), but I could not find any article in English until now. While it's not clear who will be making the Linux phone for them, I would certainly be interested in seeing them once they are out. No word on this anywhere at DoCoMo's website at all, however." Reader paku adds links to similar coverage in Forbes and in Japan Today.

8 of 139 comments (clear)

  1. bad idea.... by k0d0 · · Score: 1, Insightful

    top use something like linux on a mobile IMO... we have enough exploitable mobiles out there already, better use something simple without toys...

    greetings,

    Kodo

  2. GPL by h4rm0ny · · Score: 4, Insightful


    How does this work as far as distributing the source code? Is that available for modification and if so is it possible to upload a self-improved OS to the phone?

    Does that open up the possibility of doing clever things or am I being ignorant? If the former then this could be great, if the latter - hey, I only wrote telecommns code for two years, what do you expect?

    --

    Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
  3. Will there ever be a standard? by SexyKellyOsbourne · · Score: 4, Insightful

    We all know Microsoft is trying to be the "standard" for cell-phone operating systems much in the way that they took over almost the entire desktop and workplace market, but will there ever be a Linux standard? I know Symbian is also trying to create a standard for cell phones that already is quite strong in Europe, but there really should be a consortium where Linux developers can get together and set standards, instead of them being scattered across the internet proposing a few ideas.

    If there's going to be standards, they should always be open source and free as in beer. Corporate control of standards only creates monopolies. Even in America, a lot of people are dropping their landlines for cellphones, and if there's ever a Linux standard for it, it should be created quickly before it's too late.

  4. Re:Well, it's an option anyway. by tftp · · Score: 3, Insightful
    The engineers decided on Linux, but the PHBs don't want to take risks (correctly, by the way.) So they, in their usual manner, tell us something while telling us nothing, and not committing to anything.

    But seriously, Linux is great on embedded systems. I am right now working with Arcom's PC/104 board that has XScale CPU on it. I left the board plugged in for several months, and when I checked it was still working fine :-) It's Debian, btw, and takes only 8 MB Flash (other 8 MB are free, and I have larger CompactFlash plugged in as /dev/hda for development).

  5. Probably will be modded a troll, but... by mental_telepathy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I mean this seriously. Would a good sign of Linux becoming more mainstream be when it's no longer news that a company is using Linux in their products?

  6. Re:3G is dying by tftp · · Score: 2, Insightful
    3G is not dead yet, but it is not alive either. From a few reports that I read, the network is a solution in search of a problem. Who would regularly need to stream real time video on the phone, paying 10 cents (or something) per minute, all the while trying to make out details of a tiny 2" barely visible picture?

    Maybe in Japan, or in Europe, train or bus passengers would want the network to entertain them in some way while in transit. But most likely IP rights will make it impossible anyway, so they will be limited to simple Web browsing (on a phone? come on...) In USA there are no trains or buses, for all intents & purposes; people fly. But you can't use 3G in flight, so back to old trusty laptop with all the wealth of video and audio one can only imagine...

    If anyone really wants to make a killer phone, make it just small enough to be worn as a wristwatch. That would be much more useful than all those petabytes per second. My friends always leave their phones where they themselves are not - on the desk, in a bag, in a car, at home - you name it, they left it there. And of course once someone leaves the phone on the desk and walks out, the phone rings...

    Many best things that we enjoy are not marvelous novelties, but something well known, but perfected to absolute excellence, to its limit. I dare say, the phone shall follow this path.

  7. Re:But will they include the sources? by aug24 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    AIUI, the FSF own copyrights over a large selection of code fragments in the kernel. It's quite unlikely that DoCoMo would be able to strip out the FSF's code and still have a running kernel.

    Anyway, anybody whose code is in the kernel can pursue any GPL-transgressor themselves if they like. In other words, Red Hat, IBM et al could chase it if they thought it was worth their while.

    J.

    --
    You're only jealous cos the little penguins are talking to me.
  8. Re:Phones and operating systems by aug24 · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Cos you can rip out what you don't need and add what you do fairly easily.

    For example, all the userland stuff can go - just cos it'll have a user doesn't mean it needs to use the existing, highly secure multi-user stuff.

    The multi-task stuff may well be of use, as phones are not RTE any more. The chips almost certainly are still, but certainly not the front end.

    Justin.

    --
    You're only jealous cos the little penguins are talking to me.