The Neo FreeRunner Project #1

There it is! That’s right. You’re looking at The Dojo’s very own Linux-based, 100% open source, touchscreen sporting, kickass OpenMoko Neo FreeRunner GTA-02 smartphone. As you can see, it is crushing the Nokia N810 (running Canola 2 for those keen of eye) under its well heeled heel. (Of course, they’re both sitting on top of my 13 year old Mr. Modem mousepad which is hosting a much maligned and misunderstood Apple Mighty Mouse. Thanks, Rich!)

So, what is this that I’m doing? It is my goal to show non-developers, like myself, what working with Linux gear can be like. First, though, I must qualify the status of the Neo FreeRunner project over at OpenMoko. The FreeRunner (or FR) is an ongoing project and its designed for developers and for those well versed in Linux things. This is not an out of the box unlocked phone experience. This is NOT, however, a bad thing. What you have here is a rather remarkable collection of talents expressed in a small, pocketable handset.

To describe what those talents are, I need to talk about what Open Source is. A lot of Linux types love to offer up the saw “Free as in speech, not beer”, but what the hell does that mean? I’ve had free beer before, but someone had to pay for it, and it was usually me. Speech is not something you can possess physically, so having a FR isn’t like having a Sony PSP. This is mostly because the hardware itself is still being sorted out, and by that I mean how the kernel, the heart of the Linux operating system, interacts with the hardware. So, it was a rather talented bunch which FIC, the creators of the OpenMoko project which is now its own company, got together to work on the Neo series. 

In a nutshell, the OS, the case, the hardware design, and all aspects of its usage are Open Source. You can download the CAD/CADD/CAM (whatever acronym) drawings for free and change them anyway you like. You can build your own handsets using OpenMoko’s reference design, and you can sell them without owing OpenMoko a single penny, yen, or kronor. In return, however, whatever changes, improvements, or additions you make must be returned to the community. This is how open source grows. What it gives to the community, the community must return to it in kind. We build it. We guide it. The open source projects around the world grown organically and improve over time because of our own efforts. 

Now, I’m no developer. I couldn’t program my way out of a paper bag, but I’m no slouch either. I am taking on the Neo FreeRunner in my own inimitable way; I’m going to hack at it to see what I can get it to do. Its not really any different than I’ve been doing with technology ever since I could walk. I’ve always examined technology for what it is and where it can go, the same as what I will do with the FR. There are as many versions of Linux for the FR as there are operating systems for computers, and the FR is a unique piece of hardware. Over time I will document my journey with the FR so you can see what its like on the inside of a Linux project. 

I hope its entertaining!