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Nokia Could Make Linux Top Embedded OS

Posted by timothy on from the sea-changes-considered-not-promised dept.

prostoalex writes "Nokia's experiment with N770 prototype device and its own Linux-based dev platform got the folks from ARCchart thinking - Is Nokia ready to jump the Symbian ship and switch to Linux? TechWeb chimes in: "Such a switch by Symbian would make Linux, in one fell swoop, the leading mobile device platform. It already is riding a wave with PalmSource's decision to port the Palm OS to Linux and a defection by Nokia would seal the deal.""

17 of 185 comments (clear)

  1. And the top post on the linked blog? by sH4RD · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Nokia to move off Symbian? Unlikely

    ARCchart do allow that the porting process would be possible if technically not an easy feat. This rather understates the difficulty involved. The strength of Symbian is and always has been the fact it has been designed as a mobile OS from the beginning of its life. From release 6 onwards it has been designed with mobile telephony at the heart of the OS. As a result the Symbian OS is structured is some fundamentally different ways to other OSs. Power and performance management are key considerations in design from the kernel upwards. As a result the Symbian OS is the most powerful mobile OS available. It would require fundamental changes in Linuxs core to achieve similar specifications.

    --
    WASTE - The Secure P2P
    1. Re:And the top post on the linked blog? by putko · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Exactly -- there's a reason they've been using Symbian. Supposedly, it does the job it is designed to do.

      If Nokia wants to switch to something else, they'll take on some risks, but perhaps it is worth it given the $140 million they have to pay out (just next year! -- nevermind the future).

      I suspect that having used Symbian for a few years, they know what Symbian-like features they need (and which they don't) in order to port over the apps they need. That would imply "they've outgrown Symbian." Adding those needed features to Linux (and releasing them ala the LGPL, right??!?) would make sense.

      However if they have to add so much crap to whatever Unix-like OS they use, why not switch to NetBSD, and keep it all closed source? That would seem to be a more rational business decision, given that their apps require only the services of a Java runtime, and not any Linux-specific features.

      --
      http://www.thebricktestament.com/the_law/when_to_s tone_your_children/dt21_18a.html
    2. Re:And the top post on the linked blog? by Coryoth · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Is Nokia likely to move off Symbian? Very unlikely from the sound of it. Then again Nokia has been interested in Linux, and given their work on, for instance, gtk-webcore perhaps we can see why: Symbian might be great for telephony, but much of the movement with cell-phones today is toward convergence devices that feature web browsers, MP3 players, vast amounts of PDA functions, cameras, etc. For such devices the greater flexiblity and more friendly development offered Linux might be considered valuable.

      Which is to say, Symbian is probably here to stay, but Linux may become Nokias OS of choice for its more complex devices. There's plenty of room for both in what is a diverging market.

      Jedidiah.

      --
      Craft Beer Programming T-shirts
    3. Re:And the top post on the linked blog? by rm69990 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You can't extend a GPL'd piece of software and then release your extensions under the LGPL. Perhaps you should read the GPL.

      Unless of course you are talking about something in userspace...then that is of course possible.

    4. Re:And the top post on the linked blog? by rm69990 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      There aren't any non-free comments IN the kernel. There are non-free device drivers (such as Nvidia's) but they normally have free replacements, so the kernel is GPL. They also plug into the kernel as modules, but are not actually part of the kernel. Even still, they are legally questionable. Anyone sueing them would be stupid though, since they would scare away future software development on the Linux Platform. The kernel source at kernel.org, for instance, doesn't contain these modules. If you, for instance, extended the SMP capabilities of Linux and didn't contribute the changes back under the GPL, it would be a breach of the GPL.

    5. Re:And the top post on the linked blog? by dan+the+person · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Among these things are: bluetooth stack, audio and video playback, filesystem support (think sd cards), more advanced applications and games, virtual memory management, advanced process scheduling features, (wireless) USB stack with host/client, mass storage controller stack, input device support (who knows what kind), hotplug capability (expansion cards), tcp/ip networking (perhaps for VOIP).

      Which is why they use Symbian which does all that.

    6. Re:And the top post on the linked blog? by ErpLand · · Score: 3, Insightful

      What Symbian are you talking about? It doesn't sound like the same one I use (a Nokia 9300)

      Firstly there wasn't any Symbian phones in 1999. AFAIK the first one was the Nokia 7650 released in 2000/2001. The most advanced smartphones and communicators in Nokia's range all run Symbian.

      For example the Nokia 6680 Bluetooth, 262k colour screen, twin video camera, video calling over 3G (UMTS) networks, loads of RAM, removable storage on MMCmicro (up to 1GB?), 32-bit multi-tasking OS, full web browser, bluetooth keyboard accessory available, etc. There's no Windows CE phone that does all that.

    7. Re:And the top post on the linked blog? by Lost+Found · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Perhaps they should work on their 'advanced process scheduling features' in Symbian so that clicking a damn menu item doesn't require the end user to wait 1.5-2 seconds for response.

    8. Re:And the top post on the linked blog? by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 2, Insightful

      > Anyone sueing them would be stupid though, since they would scare away future software development on the Linux Platform.

      That's a good example of winning the battle, but losing the war.

      An OS is (next to) useless without drivers.

      --
      Which has more Faith?
      The Religion of Science, or
      the Science of Religion?

  2. This is the same Nokia... by linuxhansl · · Score: 4, Insightful
    that lobbied hard to push for unlimited software patentability in the EU!

    Personally, I do not trust them further than I can throw their cellphones.

  3. Focus for speculative statements by mcrbids · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Notice that the focus of the speculation is on LINUX, not on the embedded market. "If Nokia chose Linux..." But, why would they? Why would Symbian no longer be a good choice?

    It's like saying... "If I won the lottery, I'd be rich!". Linux is great, and I'm sure will eventually command the information/communications industries. But individual speculations like this, unfounded by even a quality rumor, are just a waste of time.

    --
    I have no problem with your religion until you decide it's reason to deprive others of the truth.
  4. Top Embedded OS by slashdot.org · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Such a switch by Symbian would make Linux, in one fell swoop, the leading mobile device platform

    Sure, whatever, so long as you understand that Embedded OS != mobile device platform.

    Perhaps it's hard to believe, but to become the #1 embedded OS, it's going to take a little more than dominating cell-phones. Although it would be a good first step ;-)

    1. Re:Top Embedded OS by RoLi · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Linux already dominates displayless embedded systems (= pretty much everything minus PDAs and cellphones), so indeed Linux would become the leading embedded OS (actually some say that it already is) - especially because PDAs are getting replaced by cellphones anyway.

  5. Re:I really hope not by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    You are referencing to Linux in desktops/workstations and this article is about Linux in mobile devices. It's up to the GUI whether it is easy to use or not - not whether it is Linux or Symbian.

  6. Re:Hold your horses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "And why would they?"

    Because it's no longer just about phones. It's about that mobile thing people carry around being the new "desktop" and providing the desktop apps they expect. Pushing Symbian in that direction makes no sense when Linux is already there.

  7. Re:That's what I get for RTFA by ceeam · · Score: 3, Insightful

    So what? /. topic is suprisingly factually correct this time. But then if it were "Microsoft Could Make Linux Top Embedded OS" that would also be factually correct.

  8. Re:I really hope not by donscarletti · · Score: 2, Insightful
    How was it ever insightful. From the start it was exaggerated baloney designed to get angry responses. It was obviously a troll to begin with since it mentions apt-get and emerge, proving the author knows of their existence, yet the installation guide for Linux conveniently ignores them. The proper installation guide would be as follows:

    Put Quake3 CD into your CD drive.

    Type "apt-get install quake3" or "emerge quake3"

    Follow the instructions on the screen.

    Start playing.

    --
    When Argumentum ad Hominem falls short, try Argumentum ad Matrem