01487nas a2200121   4500008004100000022001400041245004900055210004500104260004200149520111700191100002101308856003601329       2010                        eng d  a1913-610200aThe State of Free Software in Mobile Devices0 aState of Free Software in Mobile Devices  aOttawabTalent First Networkc03/20103 aI started using GNU/Linux and Free Software in 1992. In those days, while everything I needed for a working computer was generally available in software freedom, there were many components and applications that simply did not exist. For highly technical users who did not need many peripherals, the Free Software community had reached a state of complete software freedom. Yet, in 1992, everyone agreed there was still so much work to be done. Even today, we still strive for a desktop and server operating system, with all relevant applications, that grants complete software freedom.

Looked at broadly, mobile telephone systems are not all that different from those 1992-era GNU/Linux systems. The basics are currently available as Free, Libre, and Open Source Software (F/LOSS). If you need only the bare minimum of functionality, you can, by picking the right phone hardware, run an almost completely F/LOSS operating system and application set. Yet, we have so far to go. This article discusses the current penetration of F/LOSS in mobile devices and offers a path forward for free software advocates. 
1 aKuhn, Bradley, M  uhttp://timreview.ca/article/336