[OpenMoko] Re: Java and neo1973

Robert Michel opemmoko at robertmichel.de
Tue Nov 14 17:08:14 CET 2006


Salve Stefano, *!

On Tue, 14 Nov 2006, Stefano Sanna wrote:
> >
> >Why should java be a _must_, just because it's GPL after many years?
> 
> With some billions of devices already running Java MIDP applications, I 
> think any new mobile device should look with interest to it. Being GPLed 
> just makes easy to have a good VM implementation, because it is still 
> missing a good one in the open source world.


Let me start with a general statement - a pyschology institut of my
university (rwth-aachen) made a studies about
"Evaluation of Input Devices" and "usability of mobile phones"
with the result that mobile phones had become to complex.

I dissagree with that point and Java MIDP is an example for it
IMHO the mobile phones lakes a 100% continuous usable of the
interfaces and functions.
When the phone offers the function "printing" it should be possibel
to print adresses, sms, emails, texfiles, wap/webpages....
and it should be possible to print via all interfaces the phone
offeres.
When the phone has Bluetooth and Java (the companies promote phones
with both features) I don't want to be disspointed that it has
no JSR-82  - not on the box, nor on the webpage are announced that
it has Bluetooth and Java, but Java has no API to use BT.

IMHO complexity is be created when a company doesn't care about
good design - just supporting a few new features or even more worse,
when the GSM provider doesn't like that the device can use BT or
USB for filetransmission.... So you don't have to know about
4 Interfaces and 8 funktion = 12, you have to know about
4 * 8 = 36 combinations what is working, and how....
Faktor 3 of complexity due not 100% continuous developent.

A GPLed Java VM will help that the APIs we like to use 
could be written.



Second - did you used the PALM some time ago?
I liked it very much that is like "screen -rx" jumping back to
one application will not start it again - you could go on 
at the same point you left it.
So it would be smart when "suspend to RAM" would work with Java
as well.

And to go ahead: maybe someone would like to hack this:
Linux vserver make it possible to migrate from one host server
to another. AFAIK you have to shut your vserver down - but it could
be also maybe possible to have "suspend to HD", to migrate then
and to wake up with the same process still running...

Maybe someone would like to interup this java application on his
mobile and migrate this to another machine (his PC, a Server...)
and go on with his application at the same point he stopped
- without the need to modificated the java applet to do this. 


Suns decision to GPLed java makes java more interesting for
open source developer - the development of new APIs is now more
open and so the Neo1973 will be more attractive for all
who whant to develop Mobile Java application.

And the more open source developers working with the Neo1973 
the more the Neo1973 becomes attractive for even more developers
- so suns decision is definitive good for the Neo1973/Openmoko
project ;)

Cheers,
rob


PS: BTW Palm - sorry no Java topic, so a OT, 
but IMHO is the most amaizing hack for a Palm the megawiki hack:
http://www.geocities.com/ddvteach/MegaWiki.html 
manual:
http://www.geocities.com/ddvteach/Manual.html
Tapping on special formated words in any other application 
makes possible to access data with other application.

E.g. tapping on OpenMoko will link to the Memo OpenMoko
(or the editor of your choose with the card/file OpenMoko)
*:RobertMichel: would be the link to the Adressbook with
entry of my adress 	

Such a hack that a wikiwiki syntax could be used with
different applications could be very interesting for
OpenMoko, but maybe for Java-Applications as well ;)
















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