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Posts: 1,417 | Thanked: 2,619 times | Joined on Jan 2011 @ Touring
#19
The problem is that if you can write a bash script or solder you are way out in the <1% of tech users, you are not a market you are a market breaker.
While the engineering department at a few places has gotten out of control (ie. Nokia Maemo group, Sharp Zaurus, etc)and made something THEY(also 1%ers) think is kickass, this is not what the market wants.
So first who is this apparently anti-user restrained awesomeness market?
Not users, but the mobile telephone companies who farm the users for their money, these companies also get some coercion for backdoors and illicit access from the security services of many nation states, even/especially those of alleged democracies.
Did you think that those 'free' phone for a year or so on contract were a gift? I wonder if even 10% of people actually go out and buy the phone they want vs taking the 'gift' of a new phone from a predatory mobile network.
When you create an uncontrolled hacking friendly device that enables users to do something simple and obvious like USB/Bluetooth tether it is reducing the value of that customer who is to be squeezed to the max for profits.
I would love a phone with a true 100% FOSS GNU/Linux OS including drivers, I want the hacker buss or USB ports even if just several USB power/data pads or pins and an internal hub to hack awesomeness into my pocked comm and computer device.
Maybe we can influence someone like Bunny Huang who knows Senzhen China and cares not only for the prolific hardware hacks of Senzhen market stalls but also the western wing of our movement which has made a cult around also sharing those improvements as embodied by the GPL, staving off a premature post-purchase EOL for good hardware which falls behind updated APIs and security holes. Produced in Senzhen where manufacturing is cheap and clones of successful hardware drive the market a great device with community OS support will get all of the inexpensive hardware support we need in exchange for everyone from corporate engineers to anonymous hungry geeks hacking both the hardware design and software side from duct taped old Linux laptops and cantenna'ed wifi.
All I ask is that when that line of epic devices begin to build I want a serial line out and a POCSAG pager service module so my phone
can be radio silent until I choose to activate out signalling services. I want no shared connection between the CPU or memory and the untrusted modular cellular modem. I want all of the hackability to be aimed in my direction, not a menu of vulnerability for others from black hats, to greedy corporations, even antidemocratic government agencies to use against me and the surrounding population.
 

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