Since the last time we mentioned it, the
MyTether app for WebOS phones has gone up in price from a requested $10 donation to $14.95, but that's still considerably cheaper than Verizon's $40 per month
Mobile Hotspot plan. We're still leery about what usage/overusage could mean for your contract & bill, but a new beta version has been posted that officially supports the
Pre Plus and according to the developer "makes use of the API calls behind MHS" to let it work more smoothly. Even with the Pre's openness to hackery we had some issues getting the beta installer to operate on our Windows 7 machine but once it was installed it worked as promised, giving comparable speeds to a dedicated EV-DO card on the same network. Other new features include automatic tracking of data usage and the ability to manage connected devices directly on the app. Other than some compatibility issues with WebOS updates there hasn't seemed to be any blowback from Sprint or Palm on this app so far, we'll see if Verizon has any issues with its premium priced turf being encroached upon.
posted February 3rd 2010 11:08PM
Apps like these are why Apple prefers its closed system approach to the iPhone.
Not that that's a good thing...
@Elranzer There's already similar apps on the iPhone, available through Cydia after jail-breaking I believe.
@aonic
Correct. The Pre is new so you hear about the homebrew stuff a lot. Once it has been around for about a year, the focus on it will be less on sites like engadget and live mainly on the periphery (where it belongs, actually :).
Apple and Palm have different stances on this type of stuff, but there's not much either can do. At least Palm/Sprint are not fighting a winless battle.
Of course, this app violates GPL and has had major issues in the past with webOS updates because it uses a poor method of installation (it installs to the root partition, instead of the correct way that every other homebrew app works).
You're better off 'obtaining' Mobile Hotspot, installing the FreeTether service, and using a patch for Mobile Hotspot that sets up the communication between the two.
@jhoff80 My Tether never violated the GPL, not did it ever use any open source code. Also see what Jack87 said above. The patching in the previous version was needed with what Palm put in place to limit adhoc. My installation method for patching never caused any problems, it was the 3rd party patches in the community that caused problems when WebOS updated. I had my responsibility to deliver a working solution to the donors, and it had to be done. Better something than nothing?
"You're better off 'obtaining' Mobile Hotspot" you talk about violating licenses and then recommend 'obtaining' Mobile Hotspot, when MHS is not officially available for non-VZ Pre's and the only way to 'obtain' it is by getting a illegally distributed copy..
@aonic As mentioned below, the GPL isn't too big of a sticking point for me, the issue is that you still continue to install the app to the root partition, even though it's been mentioned many MANY times that this is un-recommended, even though it caused the "constant update" issue in 1.3.1, etc. Would it really be that difficult to make a proper installer like every other homebrew package has since done?
@jhoff80 Read my reply to you below.. the app is not installing in the root directory, the service is. The 'proper' method you speak of, i also linked to a reply on precentral about what its not the right method. The files may be stored in the non-root directory, but the hacked up install method just makes a symlink from the root directory to the non-root location. Too hacky.
Oddly enough the homepage is not listed... MyTether.net
@jhoff80 The current beta version focused on in this article does not use marvel wifi driver. The previous one that did I don't see how it violated GPL License consiering it was used to install onto a phone that already addressed the GPL License agreement on a PDF pre-installed to the phone.
@Elranzer ehhh.... Okay
@Jack87 I don't actually know too much about the specifics of the GPL, so with that aspect I'm just going by what's been said by those that know much more than I do on the subject. The main reason I don't use it is because the author of the program continues to be stubborn and use a poor method of installation.
@jhoff80 What poor method are you talking about? If you're refering to the installation of the service, you should know the non-'poor' method is a hacked up install method so it can be compatible with the programs of people who came up with it.
Here's my response to the "poor" method I believe you're speaking of http://forums.precentral.net/homebrew-apps/191213-my-tether-tether-over-wifi-usb-bt-114.html#post1861634
"I'm just going by what's been said by those that know much more than I do on the subject." maybe you should try forming your own opinions by researching the matters involved.
@aonic funny how ya changed your position almost instantly yesterday ;) To clarify, re: that link, it wasn't just my point of view on ipk installs, it was also Palm's and WebOS-Internals, and Palm confirmed it was the bad installation method that caused the never-ending update issue.
Anyway, water under the bridge now that you've conformed to properly established standards :)
Oh, and re: GPL violations, I believe they're referring to you including the GPL wifi driver in old versions without following GPL guidelines
MHS or MyThether? its a toss up. Two solutions are better than one as no one app or hack will last forever. Keep up the good work Hackers!
@worldbfree4me
mytether will share over wifi, usb & bluetooth, mhs will do wifi only. However, mytether has been known to 'break' certain 1.3.5 3D apps on the sprint side, due to its use of an old kernel. Hopefully that is all irrelevant on the vz side of the house.
I wonder what Verizon has to say about this?