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| A Firefox smartphone for the developing world |
| By Thom Holwerda, submitted by MOS6510 on 2012-09-08 02:09:32 |
| "The smartphones going into the world's next two billion pairs of hands may not belong to either Google or Apple, but to Mozilla. The Mozilla Foundation, which oversees open source software projects like the Firefox Web browser, expects to release a mobile operating system for smartphones early next year. Its target market is Latin America, then the rest of the developing world, where smartphones from Apple and Google are still too expensive for most people." Let's hope so, because at the rate things are currently going, we'll end up with like 90% Android, 9% iOS, and 1% other stuff. Who wants that? |
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| Who wants that? |
| By tanishaj on 2012-09-08 03:51:52 |
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As long as Android is Open Source and can be customized, I am fine with it. Other projects can always address any short-comings and broad application compatibility is a good thing. |
 - Score: 3 |
| RE: Who wants that? |
| By feydun on 2012-09-08 05:30:10 |
|
But if we could also see something different from Mozilla, maybe even something from WebOS and Meego/Tizen, then it would be more fun watching Microsoft trying to pretend that it owns the IP to all these platforms. At the moment it just threatens Android-distributing companies, hinting broadly that it has a bunch of other applicable patents other than the few that it's only prepared to specify under NDA, and that if they just pay up it'll charge them a reasonable fee, again under NDA, and of course that it has the cash for expensive litigation. Of course as each new company signs up for this protection racket it becomes more convincing. However if this bullying gets spread more thinly across a wider range of systems, eventually someone will call the bluff, or else Microsoft will have to claim such wide applicability of their IP that it will also apply to Apple products, and then we can buy some popcorn and watch the show. |
| - Score: 2 |
| RE[2]: Who wants that? |
| By cyrilleberger on 2012-09-08 05:57:40 |
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> But if we could also see something different from Mozilla, maybe even something from WebOS and Meego/Tizen, then it would be more fun watching Microsoft trying to pretend that it owns the IP to all these platforms. Considering they have been hammering companies with the FAT patent that mostly concern the linux kernel, they won't have any problem to attack other platforms. If they haven't done it so far, it is just because those platform are pennyless. > Of course as each new company signs up for this protection racket it becomes more convincing. However if this bullying gets spread more thinly across a wider range of systems, eventually someone will call the bluff, or else Microsoft will have to claim such wide applicability of their IP that it will also apply to Apple products, and then we can buy some popcorn and watch the show. You can make some saving on the popcorn, Apple and MS have a cross-patents deal. |
| - Score: 4 |
| Comment by Radio |
| By Radio on 2012-09-08 08:59:21 |
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> Who wants that? ... Pareto? I am trying not to be too pessimistic, but those of us who want variety are running against the laws of nature. |
| - Score: 2 |
| I want an open system that makes sense |
| By kragil on 2012-09-08 09:41:02 |
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I am not happy with Androids "through over the wall" FOSS nature, but the software stack makes a lot more sense than something HTML5 based. A truely FOSS Android would be way better than some "my carrier hosts my apps"-FirefoxOS. In a perfect world a FOSS Meego would have won though :-( Meego(Mer) > CyanogenMod Android > FirefoxOS = Android > WebOS > IOS > BlackberryWhatever > Bada > Windows Mobile > Windows Phone (sorry, I hate animated tiles .. makes me long for something like Flashbock/Adblock) |
| - Score: 4 |
| RE: I want an open system that makes sense |
| By bouhko on 2012-09-08 09:50:51 |
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Also, what I don't understand is that having everything in HTML5/js is likely to be heavier (in term of CPU/RAM) than Android's Java stack or iOS's objective C. How does this help building a cheap phone ? |
| - Score: 4 |
| HTML5 and freedom |
| By swift11 on 2012-09-08 10:43:27 |
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A good article about HTML5 and freedom imo: http://mashable.com/2012/09/05/g... |
| - Score: 2 |
| Comment by stabbyjones |
| By stabbyjones on 2012-09-08 10:49:39 |
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I'll buy one over android as long as the hardware is competitive with mid range android devices. Really looking forward to seeing these come out. |
| - Score: 2 |
| RE[2]: I want an open system that makes sense |
| By Kroc on 2012-09-08 10:57:54 |
|
Compiled JS bytecode is just as fast as compiled Java bytecode. Only ObjC has the slight edge for native speed. I don't know much of it, but I hear that there's efforts to make JS front-end to Clang/LLVM, which would mean the ability to compile JavaScript to native code on par with any other source language. |
| - Score: 3 |
| RE[2]: Who wants that? |
| By bassbeast on 2012-09-08 11:23:17 |
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I hate to break the news to ya, but Android DOES infringe, and so does Linux. How do I know? Because the US patent office has been handing out insanely vague patents and more importantly upholding them, that's how. You really do have to give MS credit, they played the game VERY well. they filed pile after pile of patents, and they knew the one company who might have more in mobile was Apple so they signed a cross licensing agreement with them that took them out of the game. Made great sense for Apple as well because MS has always been a low margin high volume seller, which is a market Apple doesn't care about, and both Apple and MS want Android to DIAF, since both sell products while Google sells eyeballs. But as we saw with the FAT patents they can stick it to any bunch at any time, FOSS or not, because they literally have mountains of patents and the competition don't. Why do you think Google won't indemnify those that use Android? because MS would love a crack at Google's big fat wallet and with as many patents as they have they could easily get a half dozen or more to stick. So like 'em or hate 'em give them credit, they've set it up so no matter whose product is on the phone they STILL get paid. |
| - Score: 2 |
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