Google: Android, MeeGo don't have to fight

Summary: Google open source chief Chris DiBona said he's not in the killing business and expects that Android, MeeGo and other open source cell phone operating systems to play nicely together in the sandbox."MeeGo doesn't have to lose for Android to be great and Android doesn't have to lose for MeeGo to be great," DiBona told hundreds who gathered in San Francisco for the Linux Foundation's :Linux Collaboration summit.

Google open source chief Chris DiBona said he's not in the killing business and expects that Android, MeeGo and other open source cell phone operating systems to play nicely together in the sandbox.

"MeeGo doesn't have to lose for Android to be great and Android doesn't have to lose for MeeGo to be great," DiBona told hundreds who gathered in San Francisco for the Linux Foundation's :Linux Collaboration summit.

Of course, it would have been quite impolite for DiBona to say anything else. MeeGo, which was launched earlier this year by Intel and Nokia, is hosted by the summit's sponsors, the Linux Foundation.

But no, really, DiBona says, noting that open source is designed to offer choices and that the open source industry is not as bloodthirsty as others in the commercial software world. In this industry, competitors "have to have enemies and we have to kill Microsoft and break this ... I've never been this guy," DiBona said during his talk Wednesday the conference, which was webcast live from the San Francisco event.

"I don't want Android to succeed because MeeGo has to fail," he said. "MeeGo is great ... they don't have to be hurt for us to succeed. There are two billion cell phones out there now and some are Android, some are iPhone, whatever, and some are MeeGo and some are Symbian. Why is this bad?"

Topics: Google, Open Source

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5 comments
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  • RE: Google: Android, MeeGo don't have to fight

    There are plenty of former Apple iPhone customers to
    allow both Android and MeeGo to succeed.
    Hazydave
    • RE: Google: Android, MeeGo don't have to fight

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  • RE: Google: Android, MeeGo don't have to fight

    I agree with diBona. Quality is the thing that matters. And in Open Source quality attracts developers to the product. At the end of the day, everyone wants to go home knowing that they have done well. If you do well with a Global product, even better.
    Alganon
  • RE: Google: Android, MeeGo don't have to fight

    The sad thing is that Apple thinks the opposite. They
    want to squash anyone that gets in their way. Steve
    Jobs is so afraid that the iphone (and now ipad) will
    go in the direction of Macs and get only 4% of the
    market.

    I think Google, Microsoft, Intel, Nokia, RIM and other
    smartphone and/or tablet hardware/software developers
    need to squash Apple. Because if they don't, and if
    Apple happens to win the HTC and/or Nokia lawsuites,
    they'll think they can go after whom ever they want.
    They'll keep making stupid patents like the new one on
    the "look" of the iphone and they'll keep strong
    arming small companies that try and use "Pad" in their
    name. If other companies don't see this and do
    something about it, it may become a nightmare for tech
    companies in the future instead of just a little nat
    they can squash now.
    rkegel@...
  • RE: Google: Android, MeeGo don't have to fight

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