Debian is the Universal Operating System. It runs perfectly well on servers, embedded devices and - duck-and-cover - the desktop. Universal? Todays ubiquitous all-purpose computing device is the mobile, smart telephone. In its beginning, free software, open hardware, and Debian were relevant. The OpenMoko phone has been released only two weeks after sales start of the first iPhone. Then Android, based on the Linux kernel, took the world by storm. Not everybody is, however, satisfied with using Android, not even if it is Replicant without any proprietary applications. To some, the app model is clearly inferior to Debians packaging approach. What Is To Be Done? - Which kind of hardware is sufficiently open or documented to work with a free operating system? - What changes does Debian need to run on mobile device, esp. in respect to energy management and limited resources? - Which desktop environment and end user applications would work with very small screens and do work with a touch interface? - Which programs are missing compared to e.g. free Android versions and F-Droid apps?
Speakers: W. Martin Borgert