Re: Samsung Captivate - Samsung is OPEN-SOURCING their drivers and other code!
 

It has Bluetooth (pretty much all Android devices have to have bluetooth as a requirement). Android is sitting on TOP of the Linux kernel. You CAN install Debian on the same device running Android. Once you've done that, you're pretty much able to use all the console apps for Debian with no problem. If I understand it right, until someone writes an Xorg to sit on top of that kernel on those devices, you can't run the graphical apps, though. Hence why something like MeeGo on that hardware would be a VERY VERY big win all-around.

Even if all I got was Android with Debian, it's almost all of what I'd want and the best of all the worlds for me. I prefer console apps anyway, PLUS I can still run my Android applications.

You're just jealous 'cause it's starting to look more open than your favorite OS.

Re: Samsung Captivate - Samsung is OPEN-SOURCING their drivers and other code!
 

@Dan

The ability to load a more traditional distro on an android phone is an exciting revelation (I'm surprised that I haven't heard of this yet). While I'm not to bent out of shape about losing XOrg GUI applications, having access to command line apps (eg. vim, sha/348/512/etc/sum, bash/perl/python scripting, rsync, etc) would be quite a boon to the platform especially with my BT keyboard. Even better, the ability to use the android ConnectBot client to access these local applications would be heavenly as it would be easily accessible from inside of the android system.

The Galaxy S is quite a capable piece of hardware, certainly faster than some desktops that I've owned just a decade ago (with more storage to boot!). The hardware is gorgeous, and the news of increased openness is wonderful for the community at large. I expect that even if Samsung stops official support, the community will keep it up to date with the latest android upgrades.

Thanks for the news. This certainly gives Android another point on my personal scorecard.

Re: Samsung Captivate - Samsung is OPEN-SOURCING their drivers and other code!
 

Well, apparently it's better than I thought. They DO have Xorg running in Debian under Android after all. It uses xvnc as the frame buffer ("video card") that you can VNC into from Android running on the same phone (or from another laptop or desktop computer). Crazy stuff. (See: http://www.droidforums.net/forum/dro...ian-droid.html)

At any rate, you can already do this with a rooted device now--but if drivers and everything else are opened up the potential is... huuuuge!

Personally, I'd probably stop short of running X. I'd just want Android with a proper debian console/terminal like you do. :)

Re: Samsung Captivate - Samsung is OPEN-SOURCING their drivers and other code!
 

Great find! I was surprised to find how well the gui worked on relatively old mobile hardware. In addition, ubuntu with the rather heavy gnome has been seen running.

Debian on the G1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjNhGjyAUAw

Ubuntu on the N1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wQ9XogfjRU

Of course, for me (and you, I assume), this is more of a 'neat hack' than something that I would use regularly. While the notion of a debian computer in your pocket is enticing, the actual implementation is too awkward to be useful to me, and a laptop would be a far better device to use (or so my intuition tells me, anyway). Of course having a full traditional linux CLI in your pocket is INCREDIBLY useful (my N810 agrees with this), especially on such capable hardware.

Re: Samsung Captivate - Samsung is OPEN-SOURCING their drivers and other code!
 

i hope this isnt as awesome as it sounds?!
i just dont want to sell my n900 already.
is there a galaxy-s-phone with keyboard in europe available anyway? i'm only aware of the samsung epic, but afaik its us-only.

Re: Samsung Captivate - Samsung is OPEN-SOURCING their drivers and other code!
 

You shall be smitten by the Progress God for ill wishing the other contenders to stifle competition rather than welcoming them in hope of inciting the fire of your own camp.

Re: Samsung Captivate - Samsung is OPEN-SOURCING their drivers and other code!
 

I would recommend checking up on Samsungs Android history before getting too excited...
The way they handled updates for their very first Android phone (the Samsung Galaxy i7500) was disasterous. They were pratically no real updates. It's still running Android 1.5. Take a guess how many apps in the Android appstore are useful. The only way to get a newer version is by turning to the community and their way superior firmwares - despite missing tons of sources - which basically slows the development to a crawl.

So with that in mind, I personally don't expect much from Samsungs "open" source.
Oh yeah and the source code for the i7500 is also available on the previously mentioned Samsung site. It's just so incomplete that it's useless.

Re: Samsung Captivate - Samsung is OPEN-SOURCING their drivers and other code!
 

While I do appreciate a proper kernel with all modules open sourced, it really (honestly) seems like there's absolutely nothing interesting from userland that's open sourced except of what's required by licensing.

Only makes them comparable to a N900 with closed source bits in userland (3d drivers etc, apps) and open kernel drivers..

Re: Samsung Captivate - Samsung is OPEN-SOURCING their drivers and other code!
 

I've ordered that phone yesterday (or at least the UK version of it, called Galaxy S)

I will still be using my N900 as an internet tablet and also internet radio in my car. What did it for me was that I never got used to the landscape only texting and lack of voice dialing. I still believe the N900 has great potential but I am not sure if there is enough time to develop it.

Making it open source is a bonus!

Re: Samsung Captivate - Samsung is OPEN-SOURCING their drivers and other code!
 

I see what you did there and I agree with it. I like that you used the qualifier of "only" being comparable to an N900.

Anyway, the flip side of that is that they're ALREADY starting "only" as open as N900's Maemo 5 and it seems, from the conversations on their development boards, that it'll become MORE open soon enough (not in some far-flung future, but maybe within the next week).

I have to still wonder whether this will ultimately make it more or less open than MeeGo after Nokia's managed to impose their closed-source blobs to defile the operating system.