Re: Openness: Maemo vs Android
 

Making a decision to compromise one's beliefs should not be the equated with "growing up". (I recognize that it often is, but that's rather sad.)

I remember when I refused to recycle and when I could have cared less whether the companies I purchased goods/service from had a poor environmental track record or a history of worker exploitation.

As the problems of ignoring the larger consequences of our actions have grown, we are being forced to consider that there are "external costs" to almost every purchasing decision we make.

Sure, it is often easier to ignore the longer term or broader consequences. But that doesn't make it smart to do so.

Closed source software has serious negative long term consequences. And choosing open source software currently requires more effort in a number of ways. So I agree that there are two ways to look at it. I'm just trying to let people know that making the decision in a short-sighted manner is not the only way to look at it. There is a bigger picture.

(I also recognize that day-to-day demands force some people to make decisions that ignore the longer term consequences -- and they cannot do otherwise, even if they wished. So I'm not saying everyone has to see this the way I do. Again, I just want to present an alternative view.)

Re: Openness: Maemo vs Android
 

How old are you?

The n900 has a very good web browser and Epocrates has a premium online product. Or did you mean some other Epocrates?

Granted, I'm an open-source chest-thumper nerd, but unfortunately I know too well how my computer illiterate friends and family work, and the n900 would be more than useful in their daily tasks.

Re: Openness: Maemo vs Android
 

I am an advocate and user of FOSS but not a programmer. However, other threads which discussed installing Android on Nokia phones or installing Maemo on non-Nokia phones made me question something.

If I Google 'maemo download source code' I get a series of links which seem to indicate that Maemo source code is not available. OTOH, 'android download source code' brings back a site (source.android.com) which seems to indicate that Android source code is available. What gives?

Re: Openness: Maemo vs Android
 

Google's indexing fails?

http://maemo.org/development/sources/
http://maemo.gitorious.org/
http://mxr.maemo.org/
http://repository.maemo.org/

Take your pick.

Re: Openness: Maemo vs Android
 

http://maemo.org/development/sources/
https://stage.maemo.org/svn/maemo/projects/haf
http://repository.maemo.org/pool/

Two clicks to find that info. All it means is your search phrase was poorly chosen for your intended goal.

Re: Openness: Maemo vs Android
 

That said, a sources.maemo.org does sound like a nice idea. Nokia's not been particularly good about keeping their open source stuff all in one place (although maemo.gitorious.org is fixing that, if slowly), and having a decent overview page would help people get what they need.

Re: Openness: Maemo vs Android
 

@JJX: Yeah you're right I was a bit though on ya.

Btw, what I dislike about Maemo is that Nokia is basically in control of both the OS (Maemo) and the hardware (N900's). Android is neither. Unlike Nokia, Google has handed over Android to the Open Handset Alliance where quite a few companies (at least in theory) have a say. Nokia still owns Maemo in the sense that is has not handed it over to some kind of foundation. And secondly, unlike Nokia, Google does not control the the hardware (phones) Android runs on. So Maemo is not free at this point because it's still in many ways tightly connected to Nokia.

Re: Openness: Maemo vs Android
 

Actually the search phrase was perfect and the first link was correct. It was the maemo.org phrasing on that link: "Many parts of Maemo are now being developed in the open on gitorious.org" that made it seem as if only various components of Maemo were "in the open".

Perhaps that could be clarified for those not already in the know.

Re: Openness: Maemo vs Android
 

Well, there are some components of Maemo which aren't open. Can't tell if you understood that.

Re: Openness: Maemo vs Android
 

it is interesting that owners of Android 2.0 devices cannot get root access...