Will NoWin have a negative impact on desktop GNU/Linux?
 

Let's forget for a while that some of us loved Nokia and/or Maemo. Some of us, like me, are using a regular GNU/Linux distribution on our laptops or desktop computers. As far as I know, Nokia has invested quite a lot into standard components that they needed for Maemo (later MeeGo), but that are also used on the standard GNU/Linux desktop.

Now, if Mr. Flop really cuts these R&D budgets as part of the NoWin-deal... does any of you have an idea which projects would be affected seriously? There must be some that Nokia only marginally contributed to and that won't miss Nokia's 2 lines of code per year. Other may be more dependent on money from Espoo.

I think Qt is an obvious candidate, isn't it? I also believe the telepathy framework, which I learned to love in Ubuntu, grew a lot faster because of Nokia. Any other names? What about GStreamer? And do you think any project will suffer to a degree that will threaten them?

Re: Will NoWin have a negative impact on desktop GNU/Linux?
 

No, it won't. If it does start to have an impact, the community with innovate. Example: GNOME came about because some folks didn't like the license of QT which was used in creating KDE.

Re: Will NoWin have a negative impact on desktop GNU/Linux?
 

I can see how QT might suffer. If it suffers to the extent that KDE is compromised (Unlikely, imho. Look at OpenOffice.org and the LibreOffice fork due to developers not liking Oracle. Pretty much similar scenario I reckon.) then we'll just have to start using Gnome or something. In other words, the worst I can see happening to Linux on the desktop due to this is inconvenience rather than catastrophe.

Re: Will NoWin have a negative impact on desktop GNU/Linux?
 

Not unless you're daft, no.

Re: Will NoWin have a negative impact on desktop GNU/Linux?
 

Except for maybe Qt, it seems like a non-event.

Re: Will NoWin have a negative impact on desktop GNU/Linux?
 

Qt is in trouble. Microsoft has an interest in seeing Qt fail. Nokia paid over 5 billion euro for Qt and now they're putting it to sleep to please Microsoft. http://www.msqt.org/

Re: Will NoWin have a negative impact on desktop GNU/Linux?
 

If Qt had changed their licensing terms earlier then we might have been saved from the Gnome monstrosity ;)

Re: Will NoWin have a negative impact on desktop GNU/Linux?
 

You do realize that is a joke, right?
Scary, but a joke. (For now)