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Nokia and maemo in the new GNOME mobile context

von Quim Gil (Nokia)

Freitag, 01.06.2007, Saal 2: Stuttgart, 13:30-15:00 Uhr

Two years ago the Nokia 770 was presented in LinuxTag. That was the first Nokia Internet Tablet and, in fact, the first real and commercial mobile device with the form factor and functionality that now is seen by many insiders as the future of Internet and multimedia computers. In the heart of this hardware there was an also unusual software configuration for a mobile device: Linux kernel with Debian APT and a family of GNOME/GTK+ modules, plus some Nokia proprietary components. Around this new product there was a proposal to create an open source platform and a community of developers: maemo.

The current balance is very positive. The Nokia N800 has been considered a big step ahead of its predecessor. The form factor is being seconded by other companies planning smaller laptops or bigger smart phones. The maemo platform is being used by community and commercial application developers. We can talk about a sustainable ecosystem of companies specialized in software development for mobile/embedded devices.

The open source software components deployed originally for the 770 have evolved, but the stack has proven to be overall successful. Now many of these components are used also by other organizations for their innovative projects, with a variety of form factors and business models. They also are finding ways to combine corporate or institutional interests with the open source community - and spirit. All this can only be good for maemo and the Internet Tablets. Fits in the initial expectations and plans.

The recently presented GNOME Mobile & Embedded initiative is a materialization of these commonalities across different projects. This group includes not only some organizations well known in the open source community, but also some brands known by millions. The opportunities of mass deployment of computers with open source software inside are probably bigger than ever. It is not a coincidence that Nokia is part of this effort. In fact Nokia has plaid a very active role in its creation, and this is only the beginning.

The maemo platform and the Hildon Application Framework are Nokia's fast movers in this space for active collaboration. Let's share some ideas about the current context, ongoing plans and future steps.

Über den Autor Quim Gil:

http://desdeamericaconamor.org/blog/bio