Re: Goal for GNOME Mobile?

[Loïc Minier <lool dooz org>]

On Sat, Nov 08, 2008, Stormy Peters wrote:
> I think GNOME Mobile could use a goal. Something we are all aiming for. (And
> perhaps we have one and I'm not aware of it.) We have a mission that is
> good, http://gnome.org/mobile.

 I guess I could come up with some desirable technical goals (as in
 <http://live.gnome.org/GnomeGoals>) for GNOME Mobile such as improving
 startup time, having more scalable UIs, reducing wakeups to save power,
 finger-friendly interactions...
   But rather than a goal, I wonder whether there should be a /product/.
 For instance, the GNOME Desktop and Platform are good products for
 laptop and desktop uses.  And gnome.org/mobile presents this GNOME
 Mobile Platform product.

 But before we can think about new products (and how to get there) such
 as a GNOME Mobile Desktop or GNOME Mobile UI or whatever we would need
 to refine what GNOME Mobile targets -- gnome.org/mobile *does* have a
 list of devices, but these differ wildly:
 - OLPC is 7.5" 1200x900 at 200 dpi with touchpad (multi-touch, pressure)
 - the Neo1973 is 2.8" 480x640 at 283 dpi with touchscreen (pressure)
 - N800 is 4.1" 800x480 at 228 dpi with touchscreen
 - labquest is 3.5" 320x240 at 115 dpi with touchscreen

 Differing DPIs, differing display sizes, differing input methods.

 What about MIDs, UMPCs, and netbooks?  Especially netbooks are much
 more common than the above gadgets, even among geeks.  Is GNOME Mobile
 aimed at MIDs, UMPCs, and netbooks?  (I shovel SlatePCs and web tablets
 into MIDs.)

 So do we want GNOME Mobile to build one or more product(s) apart of the
 technical product which is the GNOME Mobile Platform?


 I'd love it if GNOME Mobile would provide one or more UIs for some of
 these devices.  I know almost all devices will want a more or less
 branded UI, but it's the same for laptops/desktops and distros: GNOME
 is a suitable base for these, even if each distro brands GNOME
 differently and pre-installed devices even brand the distro further.


> Could we make GNOME Mobile a complete solution like Android? A set of
> software and a spec that hardware vendors could write to and ISVs could
> develop on top of?

 If you're asking whether such a solution would be useful and deserves
 being made, I think so; if you're asking whether we have the resources
 do to so, I don't know.

 We certainly lack new applications:
   * mapping software (GPS assisted or not!)
   * photo taking app (cheese is really a photo booth; it doesn't
     provide UIs for e.g. selecting the active webcam, disabling the
     flash, triggering autofocus etc.)
 or simply alternatives to the GNOME Desktop apps which would be
 suitable for small screens, touchscreens, full screen usage such as web
 browsers, PIM, games etc.

 We could also do with more dev tools (can you create UIs for the GNOME
 Mobile Platform with the regular GNOME Platform tools?).

 Above all, we need a driving vision, a force, a person or group of
 persons not pulling or pushing others but inspiring existing and new
 GNOME developers to create GNOME software for these devices.

-- 
Loïc Minier