[maemo-developers] No more 770 bug activity?

[From: Neil Jerram]

<quim.gil at nokia.com> writes:

> I'm not going to get into details about the packages mentioned, but as a
> general answer... 

Which I appreciate ...

I also appreciate that there have now been lots of other followups on
this, and that my own reply is late, so I won't repeat what others
have said, just a couple of additional / different angles ...


>>So why on earth was it ever closed-source?
>
> As mentioned in my previous email, project management issues had a big
> weight on this kind of decisions. Objectively, when you are a huge
> company and you need to deliver quickly software matching commercial
> quality standards it is probably faster, cheaper and easier to deliver
> it as closed source.

I don't understand this, though.  Nokia could have done _exactly_ the
same thing as they did do, in terms of development, project
management, quality standards and release.

The only difference I'm suggesting is that every time they release a
new firmware, they also put up a tarball of the code, with some open
source license.

Nokia are not obliged to take anyone else's changes back into their
official product.  On the other hand, this would allow the community
to develop the component if they need to (as in the future 770
situation).

Other responders have conflated the concept of free software with
things like CVS/SVN access for developers outside Nokia.  But in fact
such things are extraneous and entirely optional.  Free software only
requires that the source code ends up being released under a free
software license.

> The UI is different, it was decided to have it closed in order to
> protect it from changes and deviations out of the control of the
> project.

Unless _I'm_ misunderstanding you, this suggests a fundamental
misunderstanding on Nokia's part (and hence is important to drill down
on, to provide input into those turning wheels).  As I have already
said, releasing code as free software does not require Nokia to accept
any changes that others might make to that code.  What is the process
that Nokia believes could result in "changes and deviations out of the
control of the project"?

> And now, back to the wheels.

I hope that these email discussions contribute to those wheels.

Regards,
     Neil