Time for a community manifesto? And let us spread this good News :) Re: Free Your Phone
Robert Michel
openmoko at robertmichel.de
Sat Jan 20 16:47:21 CET 2007
Dear OpenMoko fellows!
I think we share the same happiness, beeing delirious with joy,
about Seans anouncement for the OpenMoko/Neo1973 project today
:)))))
And this not, because he announced the planed shipping dates for
a new product - whis his surprising philosophic coloured mail
he put into focus what 15 years ago nobody could imagine:
The power of a world wide cooperation of creative people.
You may ask me - did he? He spoke about "ubiquitous computing"
and the roadmap for the OpenMoko/Neo1973 project. Beside that
the work of Mark Weiser is still "up to day" that now the
time of his predicted periode of "ubiquitous computing" starts
http://www.ubiq.com/hypertext/weiser/UbiHome.html
- Mark did very early critices how computing concepts
(hard/software) limited the chance of "ubiquitous computing.
His criticism could be used 1:1 of todays (un)smart phones:
http://www.ubiq.com/hypertext/weiser/VRvsUbi.gif
http://www.ubiq.com/hypertext/weiser/PersonWorldDistinction4Up.gif
I would go back in history much more than 15 or 24 years
- consider the time where people made spearhead out of
splintstones or bones - it wasn't important what you own,
it was important which skills you have. And sharing and to
better this skills was crucial for survival.
Today it isn't a question of physical survival but
cooperation and sharing skills is a very powerfull
strategie and new communication tools enabled new ways
of cooperation:
usenet - linux
wiki - wikipedia
and now
OpenMoko - ???
So what will bring us an device for mobil "ubiquitous computing"
with GSM,GPRS,GPS,Bluetooth and the freedom to adapt this tool
in a way that it is most usfull for our needs, demands and
way we want to use it?
Try to hit a spearhead out from arbitrary stone (un)smart phone
- you will fail - OpenMoko/Neo1973 will be the material to hit
a spearhead out of it. I saw a report that it needs years for
a person to learn to make good spearheads:
http://www.engen.de/petersfels/experiment.htm (sorry not the best link)
So it is hard to learn and you need the right stone to work on.
Our discussion about FPGA and the link to http://www.opencores.org/
gives an impression what power everybody can have with some
general skills to build and rebuild tools for mobil computing
on demand.
Looking just on the hard/software specification of the
Neo1973/OpenMoko will may make you think - this is not
revolutionary - well, the flintstone itself could be
used only for fire and tools - it hasn't the feature
of coal - you can't burn it - flintstone isn't revolutionary....
Hey that's not the point "what you get in the box for your bucks"
- it is the question what you can do with it and if you have
the freedom to adapt this device to a tool that you like - not
only to change the GUI skin or the plastic case...
to change the core function, e.g. the way it support you to manage
calls...
"But I'm not a software guru" - why should I deside me to choose
OpenMoko/Neo1973?
For us on the OpenMoko community mailinglist it is obvious which
power OpenMoko/Neo1973 has - that with a little general skill I
will be able to benefit from the skills and the creativity of
many others - like we are used to benefit from GNU/Linux or
the Wikipedia.
And to have a mobil device, as trustworthy enviroment with the
power of GNU/Linux together with GSM/GPRS/GPS/Bluetooth is a
great dream - but to have a worldwide cooperation with you, to
develope and share solution for this device we all will carry
with us is a more important point.
OpenMoko stands today on more than 584.000 webpages,
OpenMoko and Neo1973 on 92.600. :)))
Seans anouncement today of the roadmap for the OpenMoko/Neo1973
is a good chance for us to promote this project - to spread his
anouncement into the news (to magazins, papers, radios, newspages...)
but also to mention it in IT-communities we are active - and of course
tell our friends about it and to make OpenMoko much more populare!
By this chance we can make one special point more populare as well:
On Sat, 20 Jan 2007, Sean Moss-Pultz wrote:
> Also, at this time, the following community dedicated websites
> will be available:
>
> * http://openmoko.org/ -- for the actual development community
> * http://wiki.openmoko.org/ -- for an official wiki of the project
> * http://bugzilla.openmoko.org/ -- for bug tracking
> * http://lists.openmoko.org/ -- for public mailing lists
> * http://planet.openmoko.org/ -- for an aggregated feed
> * http://projects.openmoko.org/ -- for user-contributed projects
that OpenMoko/Neo1973 strategie is based on a very wellcome contribution
of the users and hackers that get most of this device/plattform
- contribution by people that they share there solution and know how!
When I heard the anouncemnent of a free Linux phone Neo1973 I was
interested - but when I saw Sean slides
http://www.openmoko.com/files/OpenMoko_20061107.pdf
I was *realy* *instantly* convinced that this is a great, revolutionary
project:
- no reverse engineering needed for hacking
- free developerkit from the beginning
- focussing of selling hardware (instead of selling licences)
- and creating/supporting a community of users and developers
from the beginning as well!
Just Seans vision to have the power of
atp-get install Software-that-I-like
on a mobile device with GSM/GPRS/AGPS/Bluetooth :))))) yeah!!!!
So it is not a project parallel or against the interst and strategie
of the hardware company (what would include the danger that all work
is unusable with the next hardwaregeneration)-
it is a project in cooperation from the beginning. ;)))))))
The Cathedral and the Bazaar
http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/cathedral-bazaar/
has given example how powerfull softwareproject can become when not
a few software engineers has to develope under time pressure, features
that the marketing department wishes ....
(or in our case: GSM-provider)
But beside this, Sean has surprised us with other ideas and arguements
in his mail today :)))
################################################################
> The real power of an open phone comes not from any one of these
> devices; it emerges from the interaction of all the users of "freed
> phones." We can create true ubiquitous computing in Weiser's terms.
> This will be the computer of the 21st century.
################################################################
This goes much further than to be just another FOSS project.
Before we going to spread this news into the public we could have
some (philosophicaly) brainstorm on this list to help journalist
to understand:
1.)-that we are already an active community
> At this point, we should tell you why we chose the name "Neo1973."
> "Neo" means new. Dr. Marty Cooper (the inventor of the mobile phone)
> made the first call ever in 1973.
>
> We believe that an open source mobile phone can revolutionize, once
> again, the world of communication. This will be the New 1973.
2.)and that the "basic approach" of OpenMoko/Neo1973 to build a universal
communication and cooperation tool is based on cooperation between
user, software/hardware developer, freelancer and paid developer from
the beginning. Like the revolution of the "Personal Computer, PC"
the OpenMoko/Neo1973 will be the first time that a smart phone becomes
realy smart:
Smart Phone = mobil PC + adaptable OS and software like call
manager + GSM (+GPRS) (+GPS) (+Bluetooth)
And like the PC or GNU/Linux, the device, the software itself will
be a tool to build new tools.
Starting our community was in important step to let the
OpenMoko/Neo1973 become an agile - starting the wiki on
openmoko.org another realy needed step to become productive.
3.)I have a big wish that I like to add to Seans philosophic view
to the roadmap of the OpenMoko/Neo1973 project - using the
utilities like wiki and mailinglist to share knowledge and skills.
IMHO the user of a distribution should not only get the power
to use
ipkg install software-that-you-wants
He should also get the access of documentation, tutorials and
links for further know how to get the most out of it's hard/software.
######################################################################
# Good documentation is very important and will have a very fuitfull #
# benefit - it will empower the user to profit most AND it will #
# lower the barrier that users made adations of their software and #
# that we all can profit from their creativity. #
######################################################################
Exactly to this point fit Seans style of his anouncement
- it wasn't narrow minded just on (consumable) features,
he gives much to inspire our creativity:
http://www.ubiq.com/hypertext/weiser/UbiHome.html
IMHO now we need some brainstorm to reflect what revolution we
starts, which power OpenMoko/Neo1973 has - not only to support
journalist to write about it
-also to realise for ourself which power OpenMoko/Neo1973 has
and which power it has to support itself as tool to develope
solutions and new tools *with* and for it -
-which tools on other computers (wiki, mailinglist..) could be
integrated with OpenMoko/Neo1973
And which general know how, philosophic theories, skills we should
know, have or learn, that our energie and our cooperation is most
fruitfull and efficent.
Yes I wrote "to learn" - I think even normal user could be encouraged
to learn when
- the topic motivates him,
- he have a clue - which power he will get with his new skills
- he can trust that he'll benefit from this learning for a
long time (high half-value time for this skills)
- it is well documentated and other people helps with answering
- the new skills are usable gereraly and also on other devices
(workstations, server, webinterfaces...)
- the learning itself is fun
The palm get's populare because on the high number of free
programms to use with it - let us get one step further, that
OpenMoko/Neo1973 will become populare, because it is easy and
fun to learn how to use ICT for a personal benefit and get
easyly skills that can be used on more than Neo1973 devices.
OpenMoko can become a starting point to get
- communication, organising, cooperation skills (ICT)
for having a self-determined and secure communication
fruitfull also in integration with non OpenMoko/Neo1973 users
and a real alternative to monopolist-determined communication
like with skype or an internet like (a look back)compuserve/
Bildschirmtext http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bildschirmtext
style.
>We believe that an open source mobile phone can revolutionize, once
>again, the world of communication. This will be the New 1973.
I believe this,too. I can't speak for the community - so join
me to give your individuel feed back on Seans vision,
on the OpenMoko/Neo1973 strategie and roadmap so that
journalist but also interested people see our participation,
our feedback and our support for this great project!
>Join us. "Free Your Phone."
This wouldn't motivate me as like I'm motivated now
- nobody would start to write his on encyclopedia.
I would say or answer Sean:
"Join to free our phones together!"
Seans mail sounds like a manifesto, Debian has one,too, sooooo
what do you think when we community would having one as well
to emphasise our effort to share knowhow, skills and solutions,
and to encourage and support OpenMoko/Neo1973 users to become
active with us?
Such a community-manifesto would answers Seans call to become
active and cooperate with FIC/OpenMoko/Neo1973 - it would be
strong and convincing for the media and interested people.
So before spreading this very good news form OpenMoko/Neo1973
into the wild we could express our support of the FIC/OpenMoko/Neo1973
project/strategie in the style of Seans mail -
let us behave one time not like normal customers discussing
hardware/software details of a normal product ("power plug")¹
- let us use this thread to demonstate our support of this
project/strategie!
> The real power of an open phone comes not from any one of these
> devices; it emerges from the interaction of all the users of "freed
> phones." We can create true ubiquitous computing in Weiser's terms.
> This will be the computer of the 21st century.
Consider that we are part of the "real power".
To make this vision come true, and strong and convincing for the world -
in the style of mass media reports/articles or just mouth-of-mouth "influence"
To make OpenMoko/Neo1973 populare and also populare that is not
just another phone, or just another FOSS project, Sean needs our
support:
I would like to see your feedback on the OpenMoko/Neo1973 strategie/roadmap.
A philosopicaly coloured feedback with links to ongoing reading/learning
and a reflection how we could make this revolution as
efficent, strong and with as much fun as possible. :)))))
Let us free our phones, together!
I'll try to contribute to this revolution, as best I can
and I do belief, like Sean, that the "real power"
will be our cooperation.
Happy OpenMoko/Neo1973 hacking! :)))))
Cheers,
rob
(civil engineer student, debian user, who is very
interested to use the debian GNU/Linux power
together with A-GPS on a smart phone)
¹Ok - you are right - discussion with the potential customer
is alread not normal.... ;)
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