Distributions
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! width=10%| !! width=9%|Om 2008.9 !! width=9%|Om 2008.8 !! width=9%|Om 2007.2 !! width=9%|FSO !! width=9%|SHR !! width=9%|FDOM !! width=9%|Qt Extended !! width=9%|Debian !! width=9%|Gento !! width=9%|Android | ! width=10%| !! width=9%|Om 2008.9 !! width=9%|Om 2008.8 !! width=9%|Om 2007.2 !! width=9%|FSO !! width=9%|SHR !! width=9%|FDOM !! width=9%|Qt Extended !! width=9%|Debian !! width=9%|Gento !! width=9%|Android | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | Telephony || ?? || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || | + | | Telephony || ?? || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} (1) || ?? || {{no}} |
|- | |- | ||
− | | SMS || ?? || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || | + | | SMS || ?? || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} (1) || ?? || {{no}} |
|- | |- | ||
| [[GPRS]] || ?? || Not through UI || Not through UI|| Not through UI || Not through UI || ?? || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} (1) || ?? || {{no}} | | [[GPRS]] || ?? || Not through UI || Not through UI|| Not through UI || Not through UI || ?? || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} (1) || ?? || {{no}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | WiFi || ?? || {{Yes}} (*) || {{Yes}} || Not through UI || ?? || | + | | WiFi || ?? || {{Yes}} (*) || {{Yes}} || Not through UI || ?? || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || ?? || {{no}} |
|- | |- | ||
− | | VoIP || ?? || ?? || ?? || ?? || ?? || | + | | VoIP || ?? || ?? || ?? || ?? || ?? || {{Yes}} || ?? || {{Yes}} || ?? || {{no}} |
|- | |- | ||
− | | Bluetooth || ?? || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || ?? || | + | | Bluetooth || ?? || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || ?? || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || ?? || {{no}} |
|- | |- | ||
− | | GPS (1) || ?? || {{Yes}} (1) || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || | + | | GPS (1) || ?? || {{Yes}} (1) || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} (1) || {{Yes}} (1) || ?? || {{no}} |
|- | |- | ||
|} | |} | ||
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=== User Interaction === | === User Interaction === |
Revision as of 19:09, 9 November 2008
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Distributions |
Openmoko distributions are designed to run on various mobile devices, with the primary aim of supporting Openmoko Inc.'s Neo 1973 and Neo FreeRunner phones. They are GNU/Linux distributions -- complete operating systems with more or less user applications. You can install any of them on your phone or even have a multiboot system with two distributions installed.
While the Openmoko distributions will run on other mobile devices too, some other software distributions will also run on the Openmoko Inc. phones (see below).
For downloads see Download, for installation instructions see Flashing the Neo FreeRunner.
Contents |
About distributions
As of November 3rd, 2008:
- The phones ship with Om 2007.2. It is not supported by Openmoko Inc. anymore. But community developpers continue to work on it as the SHR project.
- The branch currently supported by Openmoko Inc. is Om 2008.9 Update, which is a minor upgrade of Om 2008.8 (formerly named ASU). Based on that, the community made the FDOM distribution by adding lots of fixes and applications to it.
- The trunk tip is a "base image" on which the next major release should be based. This next release can be previewed by installing milestones of the FSO - Free Smartphone.Org project. The Debian packaging team also track that branch.
- The FreeRunner is a reference platform for TrollTech's Qt Extended (formerly Qtopia) distribution.
- The Android port is work-in-progress.
Which distribution should I use ?
- Most new users find FDOM the most comprehensive and functional distribution.
- If you want "just a phone", try Qtopia.
- If you want to develop anything that last, your target is FSO.
- SHR, Debian, Gentoo and Android are for developers who know where they are.
- Tracking the "base image" by updating daily from testing/unstable is a different game either.
Note that unresolved hardware/kernel/drivers issues bite all distributions in more or less the same way.
Most of these distributions also have package repositories. It is a BAD idea to feed from another distribution's repository. Upgrade path between these distributions are not tested enough, thus updating by changing the feeds will most likely end in broken packages or even an unbootable system. It is advisable to reflash the whole filesystem with dfu-util to switch between the different distributions, with the reminder that a dual-boot setup (e.g. via sdcard or NFS) can be used.
Openmoko Inc. driven release targets
These different 'release targets' are built out of different branches of the OpenEmbedded metadistribution source tree.
Om 2008.9
- Main article: Om 2008.9 Update
Om 2008.8 (ASU, April/August Software Update)
Om 2008.8 has been started to integrate the Qtopia stack - on X11 - with a new set of graphically pleasing applications based on the Enlightenment Foundation Libraries. ASU is the internal name and is known as Om 2008.8 upon its release on August 8, 2008. Qtopia is a more mature product than the GNOME Mobile stack and you can expect all the standard feature phone applications to work in a solid way. It uses the Qtopia phone server. Since - contrary to standard Qtopia - it does not directly use the framebuffer, non-Qt applications can safely share the screen with Qt applications. Om 2008.8 is maintained as "ASU-stable".
- Main article: Om2008.8
Om 2007.2 (GTK)
Om 2007.2 is for people who are familiar with the GNOME Mobile initiative and who want to write applications that run on multiple devices running (parts of) GNOME Mobile. This includes Maemo, which runs on the Nokia Internet Tablets. The strength of the GTK+ stack is a UI and programming environment similar to what you run on your GNU/Linux desktop, if you’re into GNOME. The GTK+ has PIM applications based on the Evolution Data Server and runs the gsmd phone server. Although you can use them, the applications are still pretty rough und unfinished. Some people have problems with the stability of the phone server.
- Main article: Om 2007.2
- Availabilty: Official Buildhost and MokoMakefile support for development builds
- Download
- Several videos of this stack by Youtube user freeyourphone and video review by BVB Tech
This is the base-system which is installed on FreeRunner when it leaves the factory.
2007.2 development driven by openmoko inc. has basically stopped and resources are allocated in favor of 2008.8, while the community currently does the effort to 'rescue' the 2007.2 telephony apps and pull them to the future middleware from FSO (see SHR). thus patches are still welcome, especially if they help development of SHR.
FSO - freesmartphone.org
FSO has been started to overcome the deficiencies both of the 2007.2 and the 2008.8 stack, namely to come up with an extensible framework that gives developers the infrastructure they need to create solid and exciting software products based on the Openmoko platform. An infrastructure that supports competing UIs while we can collaborate on developing services, making the framework strong . Here, the focus is on stable highlevel services that you can access from whatever language or UI that supports dbus. People report that despite its infancy, e.g. the phone server part in FSO is already more solid than anywhere else.
It is not really intended as future release-target, but used as a 'vessel' or 'container' for the development and testing of the new, future middleware.
The applications installed are intended as test-tools for the new middleware and not as fully featured, end user oriented applications. (even if it looks that way sometimes)
In the words of Mickey, project manager:
FSO is only a distro because "we can" (thanks to OpenEmbedded). Zhone is an independent UI application based on the FSO framework to facilitate testing. If you want to build own UIs or custom applications on the forthcoming Openmoko dbus service framework, then the FSO-image is a good starting point.
- Main article: FSO
- Development tracker
- Download milestone 3
- freesmartphone.org
- fso-testing and fso-unstable images and feeds (maintained by Rod Whitby, MokoMakefile author)
Openmoko Community driven release targets
SHR - Stable Hybrid Release
SHR is mainly a community driven distribution, that contains some basic applications which make use of the FSO. There currently is a EFL (with elementary) dialer, messages and contacts application programmed in C.
- Main article: Stable Hybrid Release
FDOM (FAT and Dirty Openmoko)
FDOM is a distribution based on Openmoko's currently supported image, updated with many ready-to-use applications and with fixes posted in the mailing lists.
- Main article: FDOM
Non-Openmoko distributions
These are not Openmoko (and OE) based distributions. These are alternatives you can run on your Openmoko phones.
Qt Extended
The Qt Extended distribution (formerly known as Qtopia) from Trolltech aims to provide a ready-to use image for Openmoko devices.
- Qt Extended
- Download: Qtopia.net
Debian
In the words of Joachim "nomeata" Breitner from the pkg-fso team:
- It’s not really a distribution in the Openmoko sense of the word, but rather a different underlying system for Openmoko distributions. At the moment, we ship the software from the FSO stack, but hopefully we’ll also have, for example, the Stable Hybrid Release software in our archive.
- So for now, Debian is a different way of installing FSO, which takes more space and provides more programs :-)
- Main article: Debian
Gentoo
- Main article: Gentoo
Android
Android is a mobile phone platform by Google, and later the Open Handset Alliance (OHA).
Openmoko is fully supporting Android running on the Freerunner. Details along with images are being constructed at the moment. Visit the user web page for Sean McNeil for further details. And you can download kernel and image here
Features by distribution/release target
Connectivity
Om 2008.9 | Om 2008.8 | Om 2007.2 | FSO | SHR | FDOM | Qt Extended | Debian | Gento | Android | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Telephony | ?? | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes (1) | ?? | no |
SMS | ?? | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes (1) | ?? | no |
GPRS | ?? | Not through UI | Not through UI | Not through UI | Not through UI | ?? | yes | yes (1) | ?? | no |
WiFi | ?? | yes (*) | yes | Not through UI | ?? | yes | yes | yes | ?? | no |
VoIP | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | yes | ?? | yes | ?? | no |
Bluetooth | ?? | yes | yes | no | ?? | yes | yes | yes | ?? | no |
GPS (1) | ?? | yes (1) | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes (1) | yes (1) | ?? | no |
User Interaction
Om 2008.9 | Om2008.8 | 2007.2 | FSO | SHR | FDOM | Qt Extended | Debian | Gento | Android | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stylus friendly | ?? | yes | yes | yes | yes | ?? | yes | yes | ?? | ?? |
Finger friendly | ?? | Partially | Partially | Partially | yes | ?? | yes | no | ?? | ?? |
Accelerometer | ?? | yes (1) | no | no | no | ?? | no | no | ?? | ?? |
Applications
Om 2008.9 | Om2008.8 | 2007.2 | FSO | SHR | FDOM | Qt Extended | Debian | Gento | Android | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Terminal | ?? | yes (1) | Basic (2) | yes | yes | ?? | yes | yes | ?? | ?? |
PIM | ?? | yes | yes | no | N/A | ?? | yes | yes (1) | ?? | ?? |
Phonebook | ?? | yes | yes | yes | yes | ?? | yes | yes (1) | ?? | ?? |
Dialer | ?? | yes | yes | yes | yes | ?? | yes | yes (1) | ?? | ?? |
Web Browser | ?? | yes (1) | yes (1) | ? | ? | ?? | yes | yes (midori) | ?? | ?? |
Mail Client | ?? | yes | ? | ? | ? | ?? | yes | yes (1) | ?? | ?? |
XMPP Client | ?? | yes (1) | yes (1) | ? | ? | ?? | no | yes (1) | ?? | ?? |
Media Player | ?? | yes (1) | yes | ? | ? | ?? | yes | yes (1) | ?? | ?? |
Toolkits / Runtimes
Om 2008.9 | Om2008.8 | 2007.2 | FSO | SHR | FDOM | Qt Extended | Debian | Gento | Android | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GTK+ | ?? | yes | yes | yes | yes | ?? | no | yes | ?? | ?? |
Qt/Qt Extended | ?? | yes | no | yes ? | yes ? | ?? | yes | yes | ?? | ?? |
Middleware | ?? | qtopia-x11 | gsmd/neod | FSO | FSO | ?? | Qt Extended | FSO | ?? | ?? |
Java | ?? | Jalimo | Jalimo | Jalimo | no | ?? | ?? | CacaoVM, JamVM | ?? | ?? |
Python | ?? | yes | yes | yes | yes | ?? | yes | yes | ?? | ?? |
Mono | ?? | yes (1) | yes (1) | ?? | no | ?? | ?? | yes (1) | ?? | ?? |
Images
Latest and stable combinations for Neo FreeRunner gta02
Footnotes:
(1) works, but need additional software to be installed
(2) unusable due to lack of certain keyboard characters. Various fixes available.
(*) unstable
External links
Original distribution descriptions are from Mickey Lauer's GTK, ASU, FSO, TMTLA!.