][ stefano maffulli » cydia http://maffulli.net about open communities, source of freedom and good software Wed, 08 Sep 2010 05:35:05 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc Mobile phone markets are designed to split our community http://maffulli.net/2009/04/06/mobile-phone-markets-are-designed-to-split-our-community/ http://maffulli.net/2009/04/06/mobile-phone-markets-are-designed-to-split-our-community/#comments Mon, 06 Apr 2009 07:16:57 +0000 Stef http://maffulli.net/?p=855 Continue reading →]]> Apple’s iPhone biggest innovation is its mobile app store: for the first time it allowed installing software on the mobile device with the convenience of any modern GNU/Linux distribution. Like in Debian, Fedora, Ubuntu, installing software is just a matter of browsing a repository and click on a button. It’s such a good idea that now every mobile phone manufacturer has created its own mobile app store version. Nokia has Ovi Store, RIM/BlackBerry has App World, Android has its Market. I’m sure that more will come, also from the network operators.

Differently from GNU/Linux software repositories, though, these markets only allow non-free software. The manufacturers together with the network operators act as strict gatekeepers, allowing to reach the users only binaries signed with developers keys. Even if there are many free/libre software projects distributed on the mobile stores (Funambol, WordPress, and many other), the users cannot practically enjoy the freedom to modify the software autonomously because of tivoization.  So we have in our hands powerful computers, always connected to the network but its users are deprived of one significant freedom. The worst effect of these mobile stores is that they split our community, forcing free developers to choose between distributing their software while compromising their morality or not distribute at all.

Given the sad news about OpenMoko ceasing development of the new phone, it’s necessary to gather up and think of alternatives. Jailbreak and Cydia on iPhone is a start, and other phones will need similar liberation. But these are just short-term palliatives. In the long run, I hope we’ll have more OpenMoko-like devices, with full freedom attached.

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