tablets

[Lennart Sorensen]

On Sun, Dec 05, 2010 at 02:18:18PM -0500, D. Hugh Redelmeier wrote:
> It is interesting that they have not done the work to get their stuff
> upstreamed.  They may blame upstream.  I think that Google has done
> this before.

They submitted some stuff, got told to change some stuff, replied that
they didn't want to change it, and got rejected.

> iPad is not called a computer.  You and I see it as a computer.  But
> then I've (reluctantly) accepted having a TV set, a Digital Media Player (pocket
> device that plays MP3s and Oggs), an oven, etc. which have serious
> computer components and yet are not open.

You can buy and run programs on it.  It is a computer.  I have no problem
with the ipods which are simply great music players.  I do have a problem
with the ipod touch, which is supposed to be much more, but only if you
get stuff approved of by apple.

> I bought my first VCR in 1979 seriously hoping to hack the firmware
> since the user interface was so stupid.  I never did.  Nor with all
> the other VCRs I bought over the subsequent years.

Sure, but it did work as a VCR.  They never promised it could be more
than that.

> What mass market devices are usefully open?  Most personal computers
> and notebooks (now, after lots of work by *BSD and Linux folks).  Some
> wireless routers (a great victory).  A very few PDAs, sort of (I have
> them all: Sharp Zaurus, Nokia tablets), that were more or less market
> failures; some DMPs can run RockBox (without any help from the
> manufacturer); maybe some media players (WD TV Live, Patriot Box, etc.
> use Linux but I don't think that people have recompiled kernels); Plug
> Computers (some are mass-market).  A pretty meagre collection.

A rather large number of music players can run rockbox (include many
from apple).  They are much better music players with rockbox installed.

> It turns out that the only way to hack these things is within a
> community that is willing to share the development work.  The dynamics
> of this are fascinating.  Compare:
> 
> - Linux kernel
> 
> - various projects for particular packages
> 
> - linux distros (Debian vs Ubuntu vs Red Hat vs Fedora)
> 
> - OpenWRT vs DD-Wrt vs Tomato
> 
> - RockBox
> 
> Back on topic: Is there a community separate from Google for putting
> Android on boxes?  I assume that Google isn't open enough to accept
> things that porters wish to upstream.

Certainly Google seems to believe all development should be done
internally in secret, and when done they will give it to everyone else.
They don't seem to accept outside contributions.

So at this point in time I am about as interested in android as I am
in symbian.  That is vaguely curious, but highly disappointed in the
wasted opportunity.

-- 
Len Sorensen
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