Nokia's Maemo: A Free Software Platform?

[Xavi Drudis Ferran]

On Tue, Jan 30, 2007 at 02:47:49PM +0100, Neal H. Walfield wrote:
> I've discussed the Nokia 770 with a few high profile members of the
> FSFE community.  The reaction was generally positive.  Sure, it may
> have Flash and Opera, but it's essentially a free platform, was the
> common feeling.  I call this assertion into question: Maemo relies
> heavily on non-free components and Nokia has constructed technical and
> psychological barriers which prevent a free platform from emerging.  I
> contend that Nokia, despite their contributions to the FLOSS
> communities, represents a greater threat to freedom than many
> proprietary hardware vendors.  Read the note here:
> 
>   http://walfield.org/blog/2007/01/29/maemo.html
> 

I think Nokia's attempts to introduce software patents were even worse
than releasing proprietary software or closed hardware
platforms. Opera keeps their software proprietary but at least opposed
laws that would have other people not be able to choose the access
they want to grant to their own code.  Nokia contributes to free
software but also contributes to software patents.  Ditto for IBM and
so many others. Companies don't have a single mind, so I guess we have
to take what we can from companies and prevent their abuses as best we
can, but moral judgements on companies are even harder than on people
:(