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Pictures: Poky, an open source mobile phone operating system

Categories: Linux
By: , IntoMobile
Friday, August 3rd, 2007 at 2:25 PM

I’m probably going to offend some folks with the following statement, but it has to be said: The majority of open source work out there is not innovative and is merely a free, usually inferior, version of what has already been done on either Windows or Mac.

desktoppokey.jpg

contactspokey.jpg

calpokey.jpg

Binky is the code name for version 3 of the Poky operating system. It is based on X11, GTK+ and the Matchbox Window Manager.

Honestly it looks like the result of a drunken sexcapade between Windows Mobile and Palm. I can’t recommend this, but it is interesting none the less to see what else is out there in the mobile space. You’re going to see more companies make Linux phones because anything to shave those last few dollars off their bill of materials yields them more profit. Take Symbian for example, rumor has is that a licence for that particular operating system runs around 6 dollars per device. Nokia sold 13.9 million devices running S60 in Q2 2007, that is $83.4 million dollars not going into their pocket.

Money well spent.

[Via: OS News]

[More pictures over at Linux Devices]

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About The Author

Stefan Constantinescu

Stefan Constantinescu (@WhatTheBit on Twitter) has loved technology since as far back as he can remember. It started with computers, but in the past few years his passion has turned to mobile devices. As a mobile phone enthusiast who lives and breathes devices that connect to the internet, he knows he is not alone with this radical fascination of all things wireless. He is strongly opinionated and enjoys a good debate so leave comments in his posts and he’ll get back to you! Stefan began blogging as a hobby in the fall of 2006 and joined IntoMobile in the summer of 2007. Later he got a job at Nokia in March 2008, but as of June 2009 he has rejoined the IntoMobile team. He is currently based out of Helsinki, Finland.

  • Stefan Constantinescu

    Those are fine examples of where innovation did happen on the Linux front.

    I should have structured my argument on the angle of “innovation on the desktop” where Linux frankly has none.

    Please don’t link me to the hundreds of videos on youtube showing off Beryl :lol:

  • Chris Martin

    What about Microsoft Windows “innovation on the desktop”?

    OOh, they picked blue for the screen of death!

    And damn, nice list above. I was only going to throw Apache out there… and multiple desktops – that was innovation years and years ago, I need to use Virtue Desktop to have it on my Mac.

    Yeah, that mobile OS is pretty ugly.

  • CJ

    And my favorite open source project of all time, simply due to the sheer scale of the reverse engineering involved, drum roll, Samba! Thanks U of Western Aussie