Openmoko Gets New Life in Brazil After Being Declared Dead
Thanks to Jon "Maddog" Hall the Openmoko project has got a new stimulus: a Brazilian university has offered to partipate in Openmoko development. The blessing of the Brazilian government could lead to new Openmoko models.
Jon "Maddog" Hall is not only a regular blog writer at Linux Magazine, but an ambassador for all things Linux. In this function he seems to have managed to breathe life back into the Openmoko project that has long been declared dead.
The future of Openmoko could be Brazil, where Maddog recently made an acquaintance with Dr. Marcelo Zuffo, professor and head of the Laboratory for Integrated Systems at the University of São Paulo. The subject of Openmoko came up (Zuffo is also CTO of Koolu) and Maddog was all ears. It seems the university wants to provide resources (production facilities, circuit designs and more) and manpower to drive the project forward. Not only that, but Zuffo discussed the project with the Brazilian Minister of Telecommunications, who was "very enthusiastic about the concept."
The university sponsorship brings further benefits. In order not to operate commercial production and collide with companies in the market, unit production shouldn't exceed 10,000 units. Thus the goal is to provide licensing free to manufacturers. Maddog offered to coordinate with various other universities in collaborating by phone and mailing lists. The Openmoko mailing list is currently discussing the proposal. It would be exciting to see this agreement lead to a lucrative collaboration.
The Brazilian government, unlike many others, is quite open to open source software and it plays a much greater role in Brazilian society. Evidence of that is a visit from Brazil's president Luiz Inácio "Lula" da Silva to the Forum Internacional Software Livre (FISL) open source conference in Porto Alegre in June. Maddog was there as well.
Comments
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
So Long Neofetch and Thanks for the Info
Today is a day that every Linux user who enjoys bragging about their system(s) will mourn, as Neofetch has come to an end.
-
Ubuntu 24.04 Comes with a “Flaw"
If you're thinking you might want to upgrade from your current Ubuntu release to the latest, there's something you might want to consider before doing so.
-
Canonical Releases Ubuntu 24.04
After a brief pause because of the XZ vulnerability, Ubuntu 24.04 is now available for install.
-
Linux Servers Targeted by Akira Ransomware
A group of bad actors who have already extorted $42 million have their sights set on the Linux platform.
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.
-
Kodi 21.0 Open-Source Entertainment Hub Released
After a year of development, the award-winning Kodi cross-platform, media center software is now available with many new additions and improvements.
-
Linux Usage Increases in Two Key Areas
If market share is your thing, you'll be happy to know that Linux is on the rise in two areas that, if they keep climbing, could have serious meaning for Linux's future.
-
Vulnerability Discovered in xz Libraries
An urgent alert for Fedora 40 has been posted and users should pay attention.
Tsc
If you wanna know what this man represents, watch the movie "Beyond Citizen Kane", made by the London BBC.