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Comparing the Freedoms Offered By Maemo and Android

Posted by timothy on from the they-canna-take-our dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Maemo 5 and Android have received a lot of publicity lately, despite the former not even shipping yet. Both have become famous partly for using the Linux kernel, but now that we have a choice, how do we pick one? Is the issue as mundane as choosing your favorite desktop distribution, or is there a more significant difference? This article compares the two from an end user and developer perspective, emphasizing root access and ease of sharing code."

4 of 244 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Not a chioce right now by Canazza · · Score: 4, Informative

    the N900 gets released 16th November

    http://www.product-reviews.net/2009/10/22/nokia-n900-uk-release-date-pushed-back-to-november/

    --
    It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for being subtle.
  2. Re:Not really an article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    The problem is that we do not yet know what Nokia will make you agree to in order to install the gain root privileges application

    Using Maemo 4 running on a Nokia N810 (the predecessor to the N900) as an example, the exact disclaimer is:

    Nokia has neither created nor delivered this software and is therefore unable to guarantee that the software will not harm your device. Installation will be at your own risk. Continue anyway. Ok/Cancel

    My experience with the N810 indicates that the Maemo system is extremely open. It's not merely slightly easier to get root access, it is significantly easier compared with jail-breaking an iPhone or hacking root onto an Android device. It is literally installing a third-party package (either gainroot or openssh) via the usual GUI package manager and takes a couple of minutes. Your data is not wiped, nor will your root-access be revoked upon the next firmware upgrade (which doesn't wipe your data either on the N900).

  3. Re:The writer is clueless about end users by Ptur · · Score: 4, Informative

    Let's correct my support claim a small bit: There is actually good news for the n8x0, it's called Mer (http://wiki.maemo.org/Mer)

  4. Re:Not really an article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    It only provides a warning that you may damage your device and does not mention breaking a warranty, EULA, TOS, etc...

    It's also worth noting that the warning links directly to the instructions for reflashing the device (with the obvious caveat that any data that isn't backed up will be lost). So even if you shoot yourself in the foot as root, they're more than happy to point your toward the stack of bandages in the corner.