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Nokia responds to iPhone by Promoting 'Open'

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the well-isn't-that-interesting dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Nokia has responded instantly to the iPhone update-bricking fiasco by running a series of flyposter ads pointing out its own hardware and software is open. While this is to be applauded, it'd be better if companies like this opened their products because they truly believed in openness, rather than to beat the competition over the head. After all, Apple itself used open source with OS X (kernel, web browser) mainly because they knew it would irritate Microsoft. Since that initial blow, they've been a lot less eager to promote open source."

7 of 278 comments (clear)

  1. Amen. by rindeee · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I have to hand it to Nokia. I have had little experience with their products (don't and never have owned a Nokia cell phone), until recently. I'm using a bunch of Nokia N800 Internet Tablets for a project and they're great (cue Tony the Tiger)! Seriously, if you have a Bluetooth phone and don't have an N800, you're missing it. I'm seriously considering dumping voice service and going to a data only package, using the N800 with SIP for my voice needs. I'm looking forward to what Nokia has in the works for the next gen (WiMax maybe), but in the interim I will enjoy the onslaught of great FOSS projects running on the Maemo platform usable on the N800. Nokia has really produced a great open hardware platform in the N800 and I applaud them for their 'walking the walk'.

  2. truly believe in openness? by darjen · · Score: 2, Interesting

    it'd be better if companies like this opened their products because they truly believed in openness, rather than to beat the competition over the head.
    Why would this be any better? And why does it matter? The end result is the same... consumers being provided with products they want, rather than being locked down. I applaud Nokia and their efforts in bringing the N800 to market. I recently purchased one and would take this over the iPhone any day.
  3. You sure about that? by AlXtreme · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Apple itself used open source with OS X (kernel, web browser) mainly because they knew it would irritate Microsoft.

    I was under the impression that Apple wanted to dump their aging code base and get a tried-and-proven *nix kernel + HTML/JS engine for free.


    Flame me all you want, but I haven't noticed a lot of open-source love (or user-love in general) from Apple, and I'm sure they didn't use Darwin because they wanted to annoy Microsoft. If they wanted to annoy Microsoft, they would have joined the Linux/OpenOffice/Firefox-camp.


    No matter how Apple fanboys twist reality, bricking a phone is yet another way how Apple rapes their user base. It goes to show that no matter how you abuse your customers, great PR fixes everything.

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    1. Re:You sure about that? by m2943 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      So, you see, things are a lot more complicated than some folks seem to think.

      I don't see anything "complicated" about it: Apple is complying with the KHTML license, that's all. This doesn't make them some shining open source star.

      If Apple actually cared about open source, there would be a bunch of things they could do: make an official Gtk+ port, release their Objective C 2.0 runtime open source, open source Cocoa, support ext3, stop badmouthing Linux, etc.

  4. Nokia N770,N800 open long before the iPhone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Sure they are not phones but tiny computers running linux. I have both of them, I kept the old N770 because I like reading books with it. My N800 has 16GB storage and is my iPod substitute (audio+ video). Unlike the iPod, N800 and N770 are real linux computers and and can do many things in addition to playing audio and video. As an iPod substitute N800 can play many video and audio formats which an ipod cant play (sure after installing suitable Linux software). Unlike the iPod it has integrated stereo loudspeakers, the sdhc cards are hot swapable and many other features the ipods dont have.

  5. Good News, IMHO. by Angostura · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Whether Nokia itself is open, is neither here nor there. The move is good news, IMHO for one reason - it is turning the question of lock-in into a commercial/marketing issue. It's competitors going after it in advertisements for undue lock in and lock-down is going to be more influential than any discussion-board griping. It may drive Apple to revisit the SDK issue off its own bat, but just as important it may provide Apple with valuable ammunition in discussions with AT&T over the degree of control necessary in terms of allowing 3rd party apps.

  6. Re:irritating ms by jmorris42 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    > Does it matter why a company actually adopts open software?

    And anyway, Nokia HAS been playing in the Open Source/Free Software world for a few years now. Made some mistakes, true enough but they are learning the ropes. Or has everyone forgotten those cool N770 and N800 tablets already?

    The change from closed to open smart phones was already underway, Apple may have unwittingly acellerated the trend to a seachange by giving the world (with a product the press just won't STFU about) an object lesson in just WHY a customer doesn't want a closed smartphone.

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