Copernicus | # 191 | 2015-11-24, 14:05 | Report

Ok, let me bounce this one off the folks here: I really, really liked the Indiegogo tablet concept, because it seemed to offer a modern mobile computing platform that had a fairly open and fairly standard Linux OS.

So, would it be possible to have another Indiegogo campaign, but this time involving a group of people interested only in producing a tablet running a Mer-based OS? If the hardware isn't too expensive, and the OS doesn't take too much effort to port, and you can get the devices into users hands quickly enough, it might be possible to create a larger base of support for the OS...

Producing a phone is always going to involve getting support from cell companies, and face enormous competition from the duopoly. But the tablet market seems more open (especially if you can somehow market the device as the bridge between your desktop and your mobile life, something that still doesn't seem to have caught on; e.g., the blowback from Tim Cook's recent remarks that the iPad Pro can replace a desktop machine).

In any case, I still believe starting by selling directly to users is a better startup strategy than trying to woo large manufacturers to a new OS. (I think Jolla would have done better following that route themselves, doubling down on the phone and getting the tablet out more quickly...)

itdoesntmatt | # 192 | 2015-11-24, 14:17 | Report

i would prefer an indiegogo funding about several restricted devices (nexus5, or other affordable handset) with more and more addictive supp devices with getting more and more money for that. i dont know: if you raise x euros we will support nexus 5, if we raise x+y we support nexus5 and n9 etc.

Stskeeps | # 193 | 2015-11-24, 14:29 | Report

This might sound a bit heretic, but what if you could stuff your UX experience (reusing a bit of middleware, but not all the privacy invading **** and with no UX) on top of any Android hardware out there with less than 1 day worth of porting effort?

.. Except it would require not using a Mer-based (or for that matter any GNU/Linux) OS and leaving your favourite technologies behind, for the easier spreading.

That'd be a lot easier, wouldn't it?

What matters more? glibc/systemd; or control over the experiences that is the thing you actually touch; spread easily across the world to everybody?

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Last edited by Stskeeps; 2015-11-24 at 14:36.

itdoesntmatt | # 194 | 2015-11-24, 14:40 | Report

it is a way to say that you will be focusing on tizen leaving mer and nemo behind,despite fact it is our favourite technology ?

is it really tizen as opensource as mer? capable of the same muktitasking and flexibility? and what about that orrible ui and ux really the same of android?
i like tizen,but if i have to get a copy of android i wold choose android. and i dont want it

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Last edited by itdoesntmatt; 2015-11-24 at 14:54.

tswindell | # 195 | 2015-11-24, 14:44 | Report

Who mentioned Tizen? O_o

Copernicus | # 196 | 2015-11-24, 14:44 | Report

Well, actually, this sounds along the lines of what I was suggesting way back at the beginning of this thread, but it seemed like you weren't so interested in targeting existing hardware for your new concept.

Hmm. Dunno. If I want a mobile experience different than what I've got on my desktop right now, and I want to be able to run it on any Android device, I've already got a solution for that: I use Android.

Just what are you going to give me that is better than Android? If your new OS only runs on Android machines, and can only run apps that are built for your OS, you're going to have a heck of a time getting people to adopt it. Even if you could run Android apps under your new OS, what's the point if Android is already available on the target platform?

At the very least, you'll need some sort of hook, like the Solu guys have. (A Solu OS that can run on Android hardware might have a chance...)

Stskeeps | # 197 | 2015-11-24, 14:45 | Report

No. No. What?

Stskeeps | # 198 | 2015-11-24, 14:46 | Report

Well, deep down, SailfishOS reuses Android drivers too. Why not take the bigger leap and reuse all the good parts of Android?

Copernicus | # 199 | 2015-11-24, 14:52 | Report

Well, high up, SailfishOS can run the stuff I run on my desktop: bash, vim, ssh, all the utilities I use to access long-term storage, etc. I'm able to use it more-or-less like my desktop machine, which is very very nice.

If I've gotta use an OS based on Android drivers, and I can't use the OS I'm used to on my desktop, I'll personally just use Android itself. I don't seem to have the kind of qualms other folks here have with it. You've gotta sell me on something Android doesn't have but that I want; avoiding the privacy-invading **** is good, but I don't think it's enough...

itdoesntmatt | # 200 | 2015-11-24, 14:56 | Report

sorry i misunderstood what you said. forgive me about that