I agree that something, anything, that will help me justify upgrading my phone every six months is needed. In my case I particularly feel the need for 3G but I want to get building right now, on v1.<br><br>I'd personally settle for a minor discount on the next version for so called "early adopters". But then I don't know what profit margin FIC is selling these things at.
<br><br>Justyn<br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 21/01/07, <b class="gmail_sendername">Steve Grevemeyer</b> <<a href="mailto:seg@tsmservices.com">seg@tsmservices.com</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
> It would be nice to know if Sean's aim is<br>> 1. to satisfy his and our need for open source toys like Neo<br>> or<br>> 2. to earn money like almost everybody on this planet while exploiting<br>geeks like us to achieve his goal :-)
<br>><br>> I bet the second will prove as true...<br>><br>> Milan<br><br><br>The great thing about a free and open platform is that these two aims<br>are NOT mutually exclusive!<br><br>Frankly, I can't wait for one of these things -- and I hope that Sean
<br>and FIC make so much money they get compared to Microsoft!<br><br>It costs a ton of money to design, test, and build hardware. It costs<br>even MORE for software. :)<br><br>The open approach dramatically reduces this cost, improves the product,
<br>and increases the overall profitability to the manufacturer. And just<br>WAIT until the as-yet-unimagined killer app shows up!<br><br>Anyone who thinks these devices are going to be cheap needs to wake up.<br>(I'll avoid the banal "free as in beer" vs "free as in speech"
<br>converstation) What these devices need to be is "affordable". $350 w/<br>accessories? That is actually CHEAP. My Treo cost more then that<br>base, then I had to buy accessories!<br><br>The one idea I did see in the last couple of days that I think NEED to
<br>get some serious attention is that of an upgrade path for developers.<br><br>I have zero problem with the cost of the device or its capabilities for<br>Rev1. The old "Don't worry, be crappy" philosophy is perfect. That and
<br>"churn, baby, churn". Upgrade the unit continuously.<br><br>The problem is that it gets REALLY expensive to try to keep up. Need a<br>way to recycle the units.<br><br>I'll throw out the following (going to need asbestos underwear for the
<br>flames THIS will generate):<br><br>a) a formal developers program. Maybe modeled on the M$ partner<br>program. A small yearly fee and formal registration. Not that<br>developers are riff-raff or anything but motivation is a huge portion
<br>of this kind of development.<br><br>b) Formal developers get first crack at new hardware. This concept is<br>already being espoused -- I just think that it will need to be<br>formalized at some point.<br><br>c) An Upgrade path to
<br>facilitate continued development. Basically, when the new version<br>comes out I send the old one back along with a "reasonable" upgrade fee<br>and I get the new model.<br><br><br>Benefits to the Developer:
<br> - access to the newest, best hardware<br> - preservation of investment $<br> - credit and recognition within the community<br><br>Benefits to FIC:<br>- information on active developers<br>- targeted audience for feedback/evaluation. I like open forums but sometime you
<br>need things a bit more focused. - Beta-test system! Both for FIC and<br>for the community in general.<br><br>Of course, I'll get the obvious "what about all the developers that get<br>excluded since they don't/won't/can't spend the money".
<br><br>The advantage of a formal program is that it is very easy to create an<br>"informal" program. FIC/Some Vendor/Somebody can easily "sponsor" a<br>developer. I.e. Somebody buys one of these units and shows they they
<br>rock, someone can step up and help them out. I've already seen stuff<br>about "getting units in the hand of select developers"...<br><br>The single hardest think in open source development is "keeping the eye
<br>on the ball". Everyone has their own pet thing, and ensuring that the<br>overall project is not derailed by a single aspect is incredibly hard.<br>I think the recent thread regarding WiFi is an excellent example.
<br><br>The communities biggest challenge will be getting applications done and<br>fielded at the best possible rate. "Someone" is going to have to take a<br>lead role and try to identify the applications that have the biggest
<br>need from the myriad of great ideas. A little focus goes a long way in<br>getting things DONE.<br><br>Well, I've babbled enough for now. :)<br><br>-seg<br>Steve Grevemeyer<br><br><br><br>_______________________________________________
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