My N900 experience compared to my FR experience (was: Re: [QtMoko] handset is (almost) unusable for voice calls with background noise)

[Timo Jyrinki]

2010/7/7 Brolin Empey <brolin at brolin.be>:
> I know the N900’s kernel is relatively old (2.6.28.x) and the N900 is
> less open than the FR, but this does not matter to me because it is an
> acceptable compromise in order to have a far better experience with a
> more powerful and current device.

Sure, a finished product from world's biggest phone manufacturer no
doubt works better (even if also their first Linux phone). And I also
recommend N900 to anyone. FreeRunner is the no-compromise way for
freedom enthusiasts like me, or people liking to hack otherwise but
have some actual spare phone for basic phone usage (because the phone
part is one of the most difficult aspects to get working trustworthily
if using a heavily hackable and changing distribution like Debian).

I'm myself also quite happy with my FR (running Debian) overall, given
that I have a separate 3G modem for computer use, but with FR you know
you always need to do some hacking :) Well, maybe not much with QtMoko
but I've heard it specifically has had some SMS problems. The other
distributions need tweaking for sure, even SHR. Then if you have one
working setup and don't touch it, you can safely use it for months
trouble-free, but it's not always apparent what versions of the FSO
stack for example are good for daily use.

FreeRunner is a bit like an old (classic) car - you know it will need
great care, you know it's not the fastest four-wheel on the block, but
damn it's elegant when you've yourself made it go so smoothly and know
how beautiful it is inside :)

-Timo