Interesting things are happening in the world of mobile embedded devices where GNU/Linux was already making significant strides as its being used on such popular mobile devices as is Nokia Nseries. Not long after buying Trolltech, along with their Qtopia platform which they promised to keep as freedomware, Nokia is buying Symbian and, best of all, releasing it as freedomware via the Symbian Foundation under support of numerous mobile related businesses such as AT&T, T-Mobile, Vodafone, Samsung, Texas Instruments and many others.
This is quite impressive news considering that Symbian has the majority market share in this market. According to wikipedia, in the last quarter of 2007 it had 65% market share! The only other mobile freedomware operating system with significant market share is GNU/Linux with 5%, meaning that combined, Freedomware now immediately has 70% market share among smartphones (which really are most of the modern phones nowadays). This is a defacto win. I mean, obviously. :)
Supporters of Freedomware can boast that a yet another market, in addition to the servers market, has been conquered, albeit this time the player is not GNU/Linux, those who care more about freedoms that come with non-restrictive terms of use and distribution as well as the access to the source core can celebrate. All it took is enough momentum in the market for the idea of openness, the idea that indeed more freedom benefits everyone.
GNU/Linux as a base for mobile platforms is yet to see its day though through such efforts as Google's Android, LiMo Foundation, OpenMoko and Qtopia which promises increased market penetration of freedomware on the mobile market.
So what's left of the proprietary players? We have Windows Mobile (12%), RIM Blackberry (11%) and iPhone OS based on Mac OS X (7%). It seems logical to assume that with this strong push for openness some of these players might be pushed to either open up, lower the prices or.. well.. be pushed out even further.
Which makes for interesting times ahead for freedomware empowered mobile industry and therefore this web site.
Cheers for a yet another win for Freedomware!
Useful links:
- Symbian Foundation interview (second one is in video responses).
- First Symbian Foundation handsets due in 2010
