I'm going to attempt to answer as many questions about the Spark tablet as possible here. The questions I'll be answering are ones found in comments in my blog, on discussion sites around the Internet and that came in by email or irc. Let the fun begin!
Q: When can I buy one?
A: Pre-order registration will open early next week. This was one piece in the puzzle that was taking a bit longer than I had hoped for to come together, but it's finally slotted in and our distribution partner has got the necessary infrastructure settled. I'll lift the veil off of the pre-order and our distribution strategy when it goes live.
Q: When will Spark start shipping?
A: We expect to start shipping Sparks to you starting in May 2012. We have a lot of pieces to coordinate, and not just technical issues like the OS image and the content add-on store, but things like packaging design, manufacturing, shipping, import, retail channel coordination. So far we're on track, but I don't want to offer a more precise date than "May" until we pull the trigger on production.
Q: Where will it be available?
A: It will be available for order online worldwide. We will be focusing primarily on Europe first, but we will be able ship worldwide from day one. We are looking for retail partners elsewhere in the world: USA and Canada, South America, Australia, etc. to make it easier to procure.
Q: Can we customize the Spark for a specific use case, such as education, industrial control or vertical integration with an application?
A: Yes.
The Spark is the perfect device for customization and project-specific integration. It is
completely open and can be altered to suit your needs. We believe Spark to be the
device most suited to adaptation for vertical applications available
today. Depending on order volume, we can even ship Sparks to you with your
customizations pre-installed and offer pricing incentives.
Q: Does it have a camera?
A: Yes, it has a 1.3 megapixel webcam on the front.
Q: What is the screen resolution?
A: 800×480
Q: What ports does it sport?
A: It has 2 USB ports, a microSD slot, a 3.5mm audio jack and, of course, power.
Q: Does it have Wifi?
A: Yes, standard 802.11 b/g.
Q: Will it blend?
A: Yes, though this does void the warranty.
Q: Can I get one with built-in 3G and GPS?
A: Not in the first run of devices. We do plan on providing Spark models with 3G (BYOS: Bring your own SIM. ;) and GPS later.
Q: Can I get a Spark with higher-end hardware?
A: We are currently evaluating higher-end hardware options and intend to expand the product line over time. Our requirements are not simple, but we have already started to identify candidate systems. As with 3G, when this happens will be driven by market demand for Spark.
Q: How will software add-ons be delivered?
A: You will be able to use the standard Mer repositories as well as the Open Build Service. However, that's not overly person friendly (unless that person happens to be technically adept and familiar with Linux), so we are providing an add-on store from which people can easily download and install books, applications, desktop widgets and services .. with more to be added with time.
Q: I'm a developer and I'd like to write something for Spark; how can I do that?
A: We recommend QtQuick for applications targeting the Spark. There are also KDE libraries, including the Plasma framework, on the device. However, Spark is happy to support non-Qt apps. I play Battle for Wesnoth on mine. ;) Developers will have access to the add-ons store as well, so getting your apps to Spark users will be dead simple.
Q: So can I sell apps on Spark?
A: Yes, you will be able to sell apps and content to Spark owners. We will be announcing details and opening up developer registration a little closer to the Spark release.
Q: Is the add-on store Free software?
A: Yes, the client will be GPL'd from day 1 and we would love to see other people making products take advantage of that. The store is not Spark, Linux or even software specific. The back-end will be released as open source once we have proven the design and implementation in production circumstances (we have written it twice already, learning a lot of great lessons in the process). Should the projects fall over and die, however, we will release the source code immediately under a permissive F/OSS license.
Q: Can I make video calls with the Spark?
A: We do not expect to have Skype available on the Spark, though it might happen eventually. There is work on nice Plasma Active of Telepathy for this purpose however. It's even on the official Plasma Active 3 tasks list and if it is ready in time we will integrate it into the Spark OS image. Otherwise, video calling software that runs on Linux and builds on ARM should do the trick.
Q: Can I install / boot something on a Spark other than what ships with it?
A: Of course! However, if you break it, you get to keep both pieces. :)
Q: Can I install the OS on a different tablet?
A: Depends. Plasma Active already supports a variety of tablets. We don't have the resources to make it run on every bit of hardware out there, nor can the Spark effort focusing on polishing other device support at the moment. However, there are images for Intel based tablets as well as nVidia Tegra 2 and other ARM tablets available, and you can help by getting involved with the amazing Mer project. It is our hope that Spark will ignite interest in other vendors as well who will pick up the opportunity to increase the diversity of options. Yes, we're looking to grow what would traditionally called competitors. We see them as co-conspirators. ;) Welcome to the world of Open.
Q: Does Spark use the Android kernel?
A: No, for a
few reasons ranging from legal to practical. While you can install Android on the device, we're very happy to support the
Mer community and overjoyed with the support we've received from them in return.
Q: Can I run Android applications on the Spark tablet?
A:
Not currently. (Though, of course, you could decide to install Android
on it yourself.) It is theoretically possible to package a Dalvik
runtime for Plasma Active and make it available on the Spark. No one has
attempted this yet, but it would make for a killer project.
Q: Is the Spark based on the Zenithink C71?
A: Yes. The Internet is a clever bunch indeed. Took people all of about 5 minutes to figure that one out. :)
Q: Does that mean I will be able to install Plasma Active on a C71 device I purchased elsewhere?
A:
Yes, that's all in the spirit of openness. However, if you break it,
you get to keep both pieces. :) Keep in mind that by purchasing a Spark
you will help drive development of Plasma Active, Mer and the push
towards an open ARM ecosystem.
Q: There are no GPL compliant sources for the C71, right?
A: We are aware of this, and we've been working on it. It's been one of the hardest things to accomplish in the entire project.
Q: What about other projects also working on GPL compliant devices?
A: Yes, we are aware of such great projects as Rhombus Tech's work with Allwinner on their A10 chipset. (I have an A10 device on my desk right here, actually, and have been evaluating it for a few months.) There is more than just a chipset at play to make a tablet, but it's a critical first step. We're also aware of the Mali open source driver initiative, and take our hats off to Codethink and Luc for that! We are excited to see more and more Free software projects in the ARM hardware world. We've had Linaro for a while, but the concept of making low cost, widely available ARM devices from a variety of sources is only now beginning to take root. We will continue to evaluate all the possible solutions out there as we continue to develop Make·Play·Live devices. We are also committed to work with other projects working towards open devices. It will take all of us to bring openness to the device world and to make great devices for people to own and use on their terms.
I'm sure there are more questions floating about out there .. feel free to (re-)ask them in the comments below and I'll get to it. I hope my next blog entry on this matter will be to announce the pre-order registration URL! :)
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59 comments:
Is there a HDMI slot or any other kind of video-out?
Any idea how many hours battery lasts? At least with Android?
(just to get an estimate, I understand that it's maybe impossible to say it now that not everything may be in place..)
Hello Aaron and thank you for taking the time to respond to all these questions.
What I wanted to ask is, are there any plans for a Spark or other tablet with larger (8-9-10") screen in the horizon?
For some who already have a smartphone with a big screen, 7 feels kind of small.
Congratulations for this wonderful project you have undertaken!
Where might one be able to get the SDK to be able to build native C/C++? Or is it a standard toolchain somewhere? I've been reading about QtQuick, which mights solve my problem, but I have a few QT applications I did a while ago for older QT environments, and would like to just port them if possible without changing very much. Thanks.
Thanks for the details! Some more questions:
1. Do you have an idea already what actual colors tablet will be available in?
2. You wrote about "Mer repositories". I don't think Mer derivatives related community created anything of that sort yet, besides apps.formeego.org may be, which isn't yet final, since it doesn't support dependencies resolution yet. Do you mean those in theory (i.e. in the future), or there are such repositories somewhere already?
@Heads Up Display: Mer Platform SDK is work in progress. You can take a look here:
http://wiki.merproject.org/wiki/Platform_SDK
http://wiki.merproject.org/wiki/Mailing_lists
Can I help with the package design for the spark?
Why are you using a proprietary CPU design like ARM?
Hello Aaaron. I wish you all the best and would personally be interested in buying Spark with 10 inch screen. Anyway I am a bit worried about the idea catching on.
Many of us still remember what happened to Open Moko. At that time it also was to become awesome open source software and hardware but the market evaluated it.
slashdotaccount
"Why are you using a proprietary CPU design like ARM?"
Simple comes down to what is viable price. Most opencore design cpus are not in mass production at this stage.
rrh you can still buy OpenMoko problem is price. Even at best price today OpenMoko is still 300 dollar with GTA02 board about another 600 to upgrade to GTA04. Even upgraded it still only 800 mhz. Yes this is the problem with short run production. Too expensive.
Basically it is more affordable to buy a panda board or hack a android phone. Few hours hacking an android phone is is still going to be cheaper than OpenMoko.
At 200-300 dollars we are talking reasonably priced device. OpenMoko falls into insanely priced.
Aseigo it would be nice if we had a wiki/forum... To take about spark future directions.
There is a device I would love to see. PVR meets Opencloud box meets wifi access point. 3 devices in one. Hopefully a proto type board appears that can basically be cased as is todo this. Yes I do want real sata drive inside more than 1 as well.
PVR is a device a lot of houses have these days and it on all the time. Cloud server is also something you want on all the time. So I see it as the ideal place for the owncloud server. No extra power point for the server.
For always powered items our goal should be the least number of wall points possible and the best power management possible.
Yes this could also push the plasma desktop.
"by purchasing a Spark you will help drive development of Plasma Active, Mer and the push towards an open ARM ecosystem."
i like this the most. when extrapolated, this way we can build our own soft+hard industry which will be open and have money distribution as just as possible, with no capitalist taking profit (lucre) away.
I'd love to support the project and buy a Spark. However, much as it pains me to write this, if it doesn't support Skype then that makes it less attractive to me.
Although Microsoft have left Skype for Linux to wither (surprise, surprise) since they took over the company, I'm stuck with having to use Skype in Linux because all my non-Linux-using work colleagues and friends use Skype in Windows and in Android, and have no intention of changing. Skype is a de facto monopoly given its market penetration worldwide in comparison to the 'competition' (in my opinion the EU and US authorities should have blocked Microsoft's takeover of Skype).
Anyway, I really wish the Spark project every success. KDE Plasma Active looks great.
@rahul: there is an HDMI out; we haven't yet tested it fully with our software stack, so i'm hesitant to say much about what it can and can not do there. but yes .. the hardware exists and it can drive an external display.
@gerlos: battery life really depends on what you're doing (obviously ;) but it has the usual 3-4 hours of usage for a device of this size.
@tetris4: yes, assuming this project is even moderately successful, we will be expanding the product line. we know "one size fits all" does not work for everyone :)
@Heads Up Display: yes, you can build native C/C++ apps that run on Spark. we're using a rather vanilla toolchain, in particular the one that comes with Mer.
QML is amazingly powerful, though, and many things can be done directly with QML, sometimes with the additional help of Plasma.
@Shmerl: colors will come later.
as for repositories, yes, there are not repositories managed by Mer itself for applications, but there is the community OBS which we paln on supporting.
@spawn57: helping with visual design is something we're always looking for people to get involved with. the packaging is already being done, however, by a local (to me, geographically) team of designers, but there is much else that needs doing to make Plasma Active shine visually on devices such as Spark. introduce yourself on active at kde.org along with your interests and what your skillset is and we'll help find things that suit and interest you! :)
@slashdotaccount: oiaohm answered the question spot-on .. it's a matter of availability. there is simply no open hardware that can compete in terms of pricing. when we look at GPU capabilities, it becomes even more evident that the options are limited. so we take it one step at a time: Free the software, open the participation, make things that treat people as something better than just a consumer. hopefully one day we'll get to open hardware too!
@rrh: yes, OpenMoko was unfortunate and i like to think we've all learned something from that.
first, there's a reason we're not making a smartphone platform. it's a much harder nut to crack from just about every single angle. since it is many people's primary device that they absolutely rely on for communication, the requirements are sky high. one deals with regulation around usage of radio networks, with carrier support and even just procuring hardware at volumes that companies producing smartphones care about.
tablet is a much more achievable form factor to get started in.
second, Spark is a distributed, bottom-up effort that derives from existing community.
third, we have software in hand that works and plan on delivering on our goals in a reliable fashion.
is Spark guaranteed to succeed as a device in the market? no, there are no guarantees. but we're doing everything we can to increase the odds that it will work, and the numbers look promising.
the most important thing we can do is not let our own doubts get in the way. we need to plan with clarity, execute with purpose and help each other realize the open, Free ecosystem we all want.
@oiaohm: your PVR concept sounds great. yes, please, let's get together and discuss how to move such a project forward.
one dream of mine is to have a PVR that doesn't come with a remote control but which i use my tablet to interact with. and not just with remote control style buttons on the touch screen, but a full media player style interface on the tablet, delivered from the PVR (something we can already do with Plasma, btw) with the TV and other a/v hardware acting as the media output only.
i really dislike remote controls and find t.v. screens just horrible for interacting with content :)
you can either email me directly (aseigo at kde.org) or join us on the development and design mailing list (active at kde.org) to start taking this forward!
I would love to review this on my personal review site http://www.frothingthefrap.com/, however I want to hold onto my moola until the one with the 3G sim support is available. If you have a loose one lying around that I can test contact me! Otherwise, I'll wait as patiently as possible for the next version ^_^
The resolution is definitely to low. I mean, I really don't care about high-end hardware at all -- 1GHz and half a Gb RAM are fine for me -- but most webpages simply don't fit an 800px screen. Surfing the web with this device would be no fun at all.
And that's really regrettable! Seeing all that pseudo-oss stuff going on with android I'd love to have a real open device on the market (and in my hands).
@levelb i know on android devices the applications use a scaling method rather than measuring in pixels .. with phonegap you use the css "zoom" attribute.. which basically means that web pages automatigically scale their sites... I don't know if this is possible with the KDE software here, cause the software would need to know that its a tablet and should use scaling rather than pixel measurements.
Awesome news about the Spark pre-order.
About how much is made from each pending sale of the Spark and does it go to Mer or other project?
Or course people are going to whine at the price (heck, people would complain if it were free and they still had to pay S&H!) but I think some will be more satisfied if they know it is benefiting open source in some way.
+1 for a 10" version.
Need more screenshots and video of hte device and the interface!
@Drew: "About how much is made from each pending sale of the Spark and does it go to Mer or other project?"
i don't think blog comments are the best place to discuss financial details. i have to respect the privacy of supply chain partners and some #s are still fluid ... but we do know the general shape of things; we had a clear philosophy & set of goals before we even started:
find ways to support and stimulate development around open devices driven by Free software. that's Mission #1 .. and there are no other other missions. ;)
all development will be, now and forever, Free and open; design must be done in the open; participation must not be artificially limited. it's the entire philosophy behind Make Play Live.
one powerful way to accomplish this is to put proceeds from sales into supporting the development, and that's precisely what we will be doing.
we will be employing and/or sponsoring individuals and organizations to work on relevant Free software technologies and support the communities that drive them. this has been one of the main motivators, and much of the proceeds will be going into this.
before this becomes too much about $: there are other means to stimulate and support development which are found in our plans.
we need to get devices to people, developers and users, to create a place where people can create and share openly. money aside, without open devices, we won't have freedom in computing and openly participative cultures.
we need to bring together networks of like minded, positive thinking companies and communities in new constellations to create things that we can not do on our own.
i've been reaching out to various groups, and some have reached out to us, and we're working to enable them to do what they do best using Spark as a lens through which to get that work into the lives of others.
this all requires, imho, a commercially viable device market centered around open devices driven by Free software.
so .. yes, proceeds from Spark will be going back into funding Free software as a primary purpose of selling these devices. we're also looking at the bigger picture beyond just the $ signs.
exactly what % of profits will end up being applied to which project will, over time, shift based on need and applicability.
initially investment will be weighted exclusively towards Plasma Active and Mer, but we intend to grow Make Play Live to the point where we can expand those horizons.
some of the proceeds will be re-invested in non-development activities such as device hardware procurement (esp as we expand the product lines in future, those costs rise somewhat), details like shipping / storage / insurance costs, marketing (though that will remain bottom-up, geurilla style) and the usual business G&A.
keep in mind that we have to have a legal entity to do make orders, ship large amounts of product across borders, and that means managing bank accounts, registration paper work, insurance and other contracts, etc. we have so far managed to keep this overhead very low by being creative, organized and planning oriented. we will do our best to keep it that way so that we aren't wasting funds that would be better applied to the technology.
this of course all depends on market demand, but i think there is enough hunger for something like Spark that we will succeed. :)
i hope that helps address your question ... and sorry for not being able to offer details in the form of a pie chart. :) i do plan on reporting what our invest-backs are over time, however.
"+1 for a 10" version."
all in good time :)
@Aaron: Thank you for your reply. I understand that blog comments is not necessarily the best place to talk about money. Actually I didn't expect and answer, but was hoping to plant the seed of what some may want to know. Thank you for answering as fully as you did.
geurilla style -> guerrilla style ??? btw, what a drag speech to say that this device is a mean to get money back for developers wages after meego was moved away from main markets, and a necessary demonstration of abilities, and merchantability.
Concerning the PVR, i also long for a full solution (10" tablet acting as keyboard and pad, then a pi linked to the tablet and the nas, the pi acts as hdmi supplier to the screen or projector on the living room, and the nas (a cheap one) as content storage.
For those who don't think 7" is the tab sweet spot, is something like the C91 viable? Has that been considered for this project?
Do you think >=1 GB RAM option will be available in the future too? 512 MB is a rather small amount, for example for running Firefox there with decent performance.
Since the Spark is built on specific hardware, can we assume that it will be lightening fast and at least as graphically quick, smooth & fluid as the iPad2 ??
Question rephrased: Have you benchmarked it, and how'd it do? :-)
Looking forward to placing my order!
Great project... looking forward to order this device !
I´m one of the MeeGo.de / opensmartpad.org team, which is an German Support Site 4 open Source Systems like meego;maemo; tizen;nemo etc.pp.
We would like to support this device
(maybe as Retailer?) Are there some more information about an Retailer-program?
Thanks Tobias
#aseigo: thanks for your answer. 3-4 hours of battery life is a really short life imho.
For decent use it should last at least double of time, like 6-7 hours.
At first: Thanks for your effort to establish a REAL Linux tablet.
But I have a few question:
1) The tablet will cost about 200 €, but I see it on the net for 110 €. On what is this difference based on?
2) Why did you choose the C71? In my search for the tablets i found the Ainol Novo 7 ELF which has a faster CPU (1,2GHz A10), the double size of RAM (DDR3!) and a better display resolution (1024 x 600).
Please, don't get these questions wrong. The tablet with it's open source software is worth the 200 €. I was just pondering why you decided this tablet instead of another.
Kind regards.
I have to agree with gerlos on this one, 3-4 hours is really short. My Acer A500 lasts a good 8 hours on a single charge.
Two places in Austraia worth talking to.
Kogan www.kogan.com.au and Pioneer computers http://www.pioneercomputers.com.au/
Kogan sell factory direct, so a deal with them would probably keep the price down to near your projected price.
Pioneer Computers manufacture in Australia, and sell both factory direct and wholesale to retail outlets.
Will it be bootable from the SD card?
i would try to develop plasma in a platform like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rL61E7K6aZY#!
you have ubuntu windows and android.
it's perfect to confront kde windows vs kde linux vs android
your spark platform it's not cheap = fail
my 2 cents
Battery life is a big concern. I might buy one anyway, just to help the project.
@PaterSigmund: "On what is this difference based on?"
we aren't trying to sell the cheapest hardware possible. we're creating, and supporting the creation of, an open platform that treats you as more than a consumer.
if you want cheap hardware, yes, you can find something cheaper elsewhere. it'll come with (a GPL violating) Android OS.
those who want that are not our target market :)
"In my search for the tablets i found"
finding a device is the start; getting kernel sources, securing logistics with the supply chain, ensuring factory costs are in line, etc are all other factors.
if cost, source availability and various logistical issues were not of concern ... :)
"The tablet with it's open source software is worth the 200 €"
and there, really, is the ultimate answer.
@gerlos, Jonathan: that is continuous usage time (not just sitting idle or total charge time). when i first started looking at these devices, i was also a bit shocked by those numbers, but as i started using them day-to-day i realized that this was actually far less of an issue than i expected it to be. i often carry a tablet with me all day and use it while i'm out; much as with my phone which lasts a few days on batteries .. unless i start playing games on it or doing heavy web browsing in which case the battery lasts a lot less time.
@nowardev: have you actually tried using the intel based tablets? they are ok for around the house / office, but the combination of fan, weight and size make them very difficult to justify as mobile devices. battery time is also generally unspectacular, given the size of the batteries (which contributes to the weight).
and yes, we're not trying to be the cheapest thing out there. that rather misses the entire point of what we're doing, in fact. that said, i do suggest you go to a "brick and mortar" shop and see what sort of tablet you can buy off the shelf for that price.
@Aaron J. Seigo:
Thanks for your answers.
But I have a few more question:
Will there be some kind of demo showing KDE Plasma Active 2 on the C71?
And how bright is the display, can I use it outside?
3 hours of continual usage time is NOT normal. My Android tablets get AT LEAST 6 hours. At least. Continual usage. I've had my 10 inch go 12 hours of continual usage when just reading and listening to music at the same time. If 3 hours is the worst case scenario then that might still work, but try to provide an average scenario, worst case, and best case when providing battery life figures.
yes, 10" tablets, with their larger batteries, often go longer. reading and music listening are nice, light-weight uses as well.
and yes, i gave worst-case #s. and yes, this is what Android gets on these devices, too.
best case is hard to define (what makes "best case"? powered, but asleep?) but i'll try and work out an "average case" work load and provide #s for those.
Would there be any chances on getting a hold of a review unit?
Aron ,i hope you have not felt my comment rude, it was not . so i will start with a joke :
wtf i am not old i can handle 2 kg of shitty tablet :D weight is not an issue
>they are ok for around the house / office<
ok where i should use it!? at the bathroom ? wtf i have to do something at the bathroom and i don't need of a tablet for that :D
from a kde user i would never buy that device :
1 I would not spend 200 bucks for that device i can get kindle fire and hack it.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m36RDH23KV8DR8/ref=ent_fb_link
2 tablet is supposed to be used for office \train etc it's like a notebook but smaller and touchscreen.
3for very handy device i would use a smartphone and not a tablet
i am not writing to break ball here ... but does this device make sense if it's not for users ?
anyway good luck
nowardev: I'm sure it's not the last such kind of device. It's better to start with something usable and modest, rather than dreaming about highest specs without any actual hardware.
@nowardev:
I would say that getting a better tablet as the C71 is not this hard, for myself I found many which costs less and have better specs. But I would also say, that this is not the point, because all these tablets have the same problem.
If you want to install an other OS, you have to hack it, and then you loose your warranty.
Don't get me wrong. The price is a really important thing, but don't forget the warranty.
Furthermore I think that it is easier to start programming on a prepared tablet instead of fumbling in the ROM's of it.
I know you are striving towards a fully FLOSS stack including drivers. Is your target to be fully FSF compliant including no binary firmware for wifi and such?
@PaterSigmund :D no problem at all. i will not take it wrong i write just to share my ideas :D i know my ideas probably are not the ideas that everyone should take.. but...
there are 2 users
who can spend
who can't
i can spend so... i will never take that tablet but this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rL61E7K6aZY#!
who can't spend in the most of cases ... well they hack it :) or do you think one would buy a monocore tablet like spark when you can get kindle fire dualcore ? for the same bucks ?
users don't develop so they can wait 1 year or 2 and then hack it...
so the point it's the same :
this tablet it's only for developers=> ok it's good
but does it make sense for users?
Does Kindle Fire have a usable driver for Xorg or Wayland? What about the rest of the drivers?
The point of Spark is to run conventional Linux stack there in a usable fashion, which is barely possible on most tablets on the market.
@Shmerl:
I think nowardev take the Kindle Fire as an example. You can also look at the Ainol Novo 7 Elf. It has also the Mali400 GPU (and ARM CPU at 1.2 GHz), so I would say that it would support the same image as by the C71.
I support the Maemo operating system and apps for this device as well
Any comments on the whole Kubuntu thing?
Its not the end of the world with so many fine choices like Mint and PCLInuxOS and Riddell's hours will hopefully be spread to other devs but I find it insulting that business decision is brought up (how much does Jon make? millions?) when Kubuntu was always the Buntu's red headed stepchild. If they tried to make Kubuntu work as a business, tehn I must have been absent that weekend.
Nothing has really changed except his hours will have to be made up by others.
Is it possible to use it with a Bluetooth keyboard/mouse?
Will these be able to run JAVA? I would like to use it for MapTool (http://rptools.net).
I was very curious about the community investment model mentioned on LAS. Can you write a blog about that. Is it the investment purely for the project with no returns. Or, for example if I had €1000 to invest in the next cycle, allowed the profits to be folded back into five years, could I see a return on investment?
You potentially can run Java there if someone will port and package IcedTea for it. You can take a look here:
http://icedtea.classpath.org/wiki/CrossCompileFaq
@tadcan: we aren't taking investment _from_ the community (though we have discussed various concepts around that) but are looking to invest _in_ the community over time (assuming market success :)
@NeoFax, @Shmerl: having java packages would be great. i'm not sure offhand if Mer already has Java(-compatible) packages or not (will have to go check the package listings when i get a moment), but if it doesn't it would be very cool to see them packaged up and made available.
There is an ongoing effort for Java J2ME on Maemo and Meego: http://davy.preuveneers.be/phoneme/?q=node/34
So it shouldn't be difficult to port it to Mer (Nemo/Plasma Active)
Java ME is rather limited in comparison with regular OpenJDK. That's why IcedTea port would be really more interesting. There was some effort to produce something like this for Harmattan, so Mer one shouldn't be too different:
Hi, I could use your help greatly. I'm a... lets say... unofficial Zenithink developer and I ported Linux over to the original Zenithink ZT-180 and got it booting from the SDCard, but I have struggled with the C91 and I was wondering if you could help point me in the right direction? You would help the community out so much. Thanks.
A question concerning power management on the Spark. How quickly does it reconnect to wifi after resuming from suspend?
One of the last few frustrations that I have with my Thinkpad laptops running GNU/Linux is the relatively slow reconnection I get with the wifi drivers and Networkmanager.
will it be possible to create, read an edit word and excel documents on it? I'm a big fan of maemo and an equally big hater of apple and their Ipad and I hope this could be the pad for me!
Cathrine
Has Spark changed name in Vivaldi (http://makeplaylive.com/)? Why?
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