LiPS Releases 1.0 Specification

Linux Phone Standards (LiPS) forum has released 1.0 specification with the intention to achieve interoperability for applications and services for Linux phones (via ITWorld). The group comprising of members serving various aspects might make a case, even though it has been late when compared to earlier efforts like Open Handset Alliance and OpenMoko.

The good thing in this case is they have a formal specification done. The bad thing is that they do not have anything working, whereas the others already have prototypes and live devices working.

This is going in the right direction. I do not use my mobile any more than a phone today. It can, in no way, replace my laptop. There are still high proprietary dictatorship in terms of what applications and services I can use. This can help eliminate that problem.

But this also started to make me a bit uncomfortable. Are we going to face the problem of too many foundations and specifications? Would these various foundations and groups be interoperable? Will that not cause fragmentation at a higher level, which is what we are trying avoid? There is OpenMoko, LiMo, Open Handset Alliance and now LiPS. For true interoperability we need a standard that gets accepted by all, instead of a group of vendors getting together and creating their own specification. LiPS seems to be addressing (pdf) this, but I am not sure in which direction this would go in.

The vendors have to be conscious that the users need interoperability to be really effective, which can happen only through a standard. Or else people like me will keep the mobile limited to a phone itself, because that is fully interoperable.