Openmoko

Openmoko was a project to create a family of open source mobile phones, including the hardware specification, the operating system (Openmoko Linux), and actual smartphone development implementation like the Neo 1973 and Neo FreeRunner. The whole project was sponsored by Openmoko Inc.

The first sub-project was Openmoko Linux, a Linux-based operating system designed for mobile phones, built using free software.

The second sub-project was developing hardware devices on which Openmoko Linux runs. The first device released was the Neo 1973, in 2007, which was followed up by the Neo FreeRunner on 25 June 2008. On 2 April 2009, Openmoko suspended development of their third device, codenamed GTA03, to focus on the FreeRunner. In 2010, development of the GTA03 was continued by Golden Delicious Computers under the new codename GTA04, which includes major hardware revision, and the first unit was shipped on 10 October 2011. Unlike most other mobile phone platforms, these phones are designed to provide end users with the ability to modify the operating system and software stack. Other Openmoko-supported phones are also available.

Project Openmoko was announced the 7th November 2006 by its founders First International Computer (FIC). The Initial core team for Openmoko project included Werner Almesberger, Michael Lauer, Sean Moss-Pultz and Harald Welte.

The name Openmoko is an initialism for Open Mobile Kommunikations.

The codename for the phone product series, GTA, is an abbreviation of "GSM-TI-AGPS" which indicates the main components of the phone.

Originally Openmoko Inc. developed its own operating system for the phones, which was called Openmoko Linux or Om. It uses the Linux kernel, together with a graphical user environment built using the X.Org Server. The OpenEmbedded build framework and opkg package system were used to create and maintain software packages. The initial version named Om 2007 used the GTK+ toolkit and the Matchbox window manager. Om 2008, which was released in August 2008, added support for the Qt toolkit and Enlightenment 17. Despite continuous improvements both of these versions did not reach a stable state. As a result, Openmoko started developing Om 2009, which had the goal of providing a stable environment based on the middleware from freesmartphone.org, a project that was financed by Openmoko. However, this version was not finished either, and in April 2009 Openmoko cancelled the development of software.

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