[Gta04-owner] Business strategy

[Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller]

Am 19.11.2011 um 02:39 schrieb Bob Ham:

> On Fri, 2011-11-18 at 08:29 +0100, Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller wrote:
> 
>> So let me ask questions to you and the list:
>> - what is your view of a typical Openmoko user?
> 
> Someone who is proficient with computing and/or hardware hacking who
> wants to carry a phone in their pocket that isn't restricted by the
> manufacturer.  Reduced UI polish or even the absence of major
> functionality is a seen as a good deal in return for the freedom of an
> Openmoko.
> 
>> - what makes you interested so that you did subscribe to this list and
>>   start this discussion?
> 
> Your manifesto was very much a description of my own values.  In
> particular, you mentioned that you don't assume the GTA04 user needs to
> be protected from themselves.  This struck a chord with me; it's
> something I feel strongly about.  This assumption on the part of
> mass-market manufacturers is one of the reasons I seek alternatives; it
> is an insult.
> 
> When I were a lad, the manual for a piece of electronic equipment, no
> matter what it was, would contain highly detailed technical information
> in appendices at the back, including pin-out information for any
> connectors.  I was introduced to MIDI protocol in general and also its
> mechanics and gritty details by reading the back of a manual (for a
> keyboard).

> By comparison, manufacturers of modern electronic products seem to be
> eager to use proprietary connectors wherever they can and rarely publish
> information on how to interoperate with a device, hoping to generate
> revenue by restricting access.  You never get a manual, instead you get
> a document called a "user guide" that describes only the simplest of
> user actions, providing useless information on, or completely ignoring,
> the advanced functionality.  I question the competence of any company
> that puts a product on the market with only this kind of inadequate
> documentation.  Unfortunately, there don't seem to be any competent
> companies out there.
> 
> Except Golden Delicious :-)
> 
> 
> The above are quite grounded concerns about the products that
> manufacturers produce but I would not want them to overshadow my main
> concern: what I see as a moral imperative in the freedom of (1)
> information about devices and (2) the source code that executes on them.
> This moral imperative is by far my biggest concern and is why I take an
> interest in the GTA04.

I am still a happy owner of a copy of the Apple ][ manual (not a machine).
This includes the ROM source and the full schematics...

Nikolaus