If, four years ago, you would have told me that both Google and Nokia were going to release mobile device operating systems as open source, and would have asked me which was more likely to “get the whole open source thing”, I would have chosen Google. While many of the Google open source projects we see today (e.g., GWT) were nascent at best, there was definitely a spirit of open source around Google. Conversely, four years ago, Nokia had, in my humble opinion, less of an open source track record.
Nokia, you’ve come a long way, baby.
One of the keys to open source is transparency. A common complaint among corporate-led open source projects, particularly in their early days, is a lack of transparency. The corporation is used to keeping information “close to the vest” and is slow to move everybody into an open environment. As a result, the information gap between insiders and the rest of the community causes friction.
The Symbian Foundation — which is to Nokia as the Open Handset Alliance is to Google — has stated that the open source Symbian OS will be updated on a six-month cycle. Every six months, a new hardened release will be made available. Each release will be considered “current” for two cycles (one year) before it is considered “archived”.
This schedule seems aggressive (even Ubuntu only updates every nine months), but what matters right now is that it is transparent. We know what to expect in general, if not specific dates. We know when the trains are scheduled to arrive and when they are slated to leave the station.
Contrast this with the state of Android. Android’s release schedule is as transparent as your average steel plate. Engineers state they are not authorized to speak about schedules, and official statements are non-existent. Hence, estimates on the release timeframe of the so-called “cupcake” code range from a few weeks to several years. There is little doubt that insiders to the Open Handset Alliance have a clearer picture, and that makes the rest of the Android ecosystem feel like second-class citizens.
This is but one data point. The Symbian Foundation is doing many things that are far less transparent, such as charging $1,500 for the right to participate. However, one can only hope that Google and the Open Handset Alliance can be convinced to adopt a more Symbian-esque schedule transparency, so the entire ecosystem, not just an exalted few, will have some idea when we can catch our next train.
