Hi, Jeff Rush asks, > I'm curious what a non-programmer is going to do with this device in the next > few months. And if your first use of Linux is on the device itself, and you > run Windows on your desktop, how you're going to grow your Linux skills and > effectively develop applications. Just seems odd to me, but maybe I'm > overlooking something. ;-) > > Okay, I probably fall into this group, of non-programmers buying the first available version... you tell me. I am a web programmer and system administrator, and have built a company to five people now doing open source web projects and system administration, but I've never learned C or embedded development, and my coding expertise is limited to PHP, Javascript, and a little Perl or Python here and there. So why did I do one of the first 10 orders? (Order #1828 - still no credit card charge, though)
1. I need a new PDA. My last one was a Palm V, and it died years ago. I've been getting by without one, but as the company has grown, I find I need better access to my addressbook/schedule, and a Smart Phone sounded ideal. Just when I was starting to look (late last fall), the OpenMoko project was announced, and my immediate thought was "that's it. That's exactly what I want." I've even been thinking about buying a GPS, so that's a nice bonus. I already have a decent camera, so I don't care about that. And this week, my cell phone is starting to cut people off, too--I'm hoping the OpenMoko dialer will be usable enough soon... 2. The idea of an open, Linux phone is irresistible. I have been using Linux full time on the desktop/laptop for over 4 years, and on servers for over 7. I spend as much time in a shell as I do in the rest of the desktop. While I'm not really a programmer, I have no fear of setting up a development environment and doing whatever is necessary to get it to work, and I have no fear of seeing a console window or anything else here. And the thought that maybe I could write some cool little application in Python to do whatever I want the phone to do--that lowers the bar to the point I just might start developing apps for the thing. 3. I'm patient. Mostly. I mean, I've been waiting 9 months for this thing. I can't wait to get it in my hands, but once I have it, I don't need it to be fully functional--I can wait a little longer for that, and if I can help put the pieces together, maybe I can contribute something to make it smoother for the next people to pick it up. I do have a technical writing background ;-) 4. I want to evaluate it as a strategic direction for my company. I think there could be lots of ways this could become a fantastic tool for businesses who wouldn't think of it now... things like adding an RFID reader/bar-code scanner and use it for warehouse inventories, hooked up to LedgerSMB. Or creating a daily log file for commercial truck drivers, automatically associating location and time and sending entries back to the company's server. Or a home-inspection report that can be checked off at the home, and when done, a report automatically emailed from the company server to the customer and realtor. Or dozens of other custom applications that have people doing things away from a computer, which might be able to be hooked to a web application that uses OpenMoko as a client. The earlier I get my hands on one, the sooner I can see how realistic these ideas might be... and the sooner we can start working on a platform for doing this type of thing that we'd happily contribute back to the community. I'll almost certainly get a GTA2 as well, and hand the GTA1 over to my wife when it's usable enough... P.S. I am going to Ubuntu Live on Sunday, at least to the exhibit hall and the BOF... I'll look forward to meeting people there! Cheers, -- John Locke "Open Source Solutions for Small Business Problems" published by Charles River Media, June 2004 http://www.freelock.com _______________________________________________ OpenMoko community mailing list community@lists.openmoko.org http://lists.openmoko.org/mailman/listinfo/community