Trolltech, the originator of Qt, which forms the basis of the Linux KDE desktop environment, is being acquired by Nokia, the world's number-one mobile phone vendor. Nokia expects its acquisition of Trolltech to accelerate its cross-platform software strategy for mobile devices and desktop applications, and to enhance its Internet services business. The original press release is also available. Update: "We will continue to actively develop Qt and Qtopia. We also want to underline that we will continue to support the open source community by continuing to release these technologies under the GPL."
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Member since:2006-03-01
What is unethical about that? They made a deal with the government that they would guarantee the jobs for x amount of subsidies until 2006. They did exactly what they promised in the contract for the subsidies.
Now that the subsidies have run out, they move somewhere where production is cheaper. They can not afford to pay huge german wages when all other mobile phone manufacturers are producing in asia.
Nokia is not a charity but a for-profit corporation. So you can not expect them to waste an opportunity to reduce costs.
Member since:2006-01-16
Member since:2006-09-16
> What is unethical about that? They made a deal with the government
> that they would guarantee the jobs for x amount of subsidies until
> 2006. They did exactly what they promised in the contract for the
> subsidies.
First of all, even if they didn't violate the law, it doesn't make it less unethical. Not nearly everything that is legal is ethical.
Additionally, it looks like Nokia did NOT what they promised in the contract and therefore they will probably have to return about 40 million Euros in subsidies to the government of North-Rhine-Westphalia:
http://www.fr-online.de/in_und_ausland/wirtschaft/aktuell/?sid=7b96... (German)
Member since:2005-07-06
So what, in your mind, should they have done? Kept a highly unprofitable plant going indefinitly? Why should Nokia hemorage money so some people can keep their jobs? If you can't compete on price you better compete on speed and quality. If you simply can't compete why should you be kept around?
Member since:2006-09-16
> Kept a highly unprofitable plant going indefinitly? Why should Nokia
> hemorage money so some people can keep their jobs?
Highly unprofitable?? There's a very big difference between a highly profitable plant that's only not as profitable as it perhaps could be in another country with lower wages, and an unprofitable, let alone "highly unprofitable" plant!
Additionally, Nokia has compared Apples and Oranges: They compared the costs of production and R&D in Bochum to just production elsewhere. Had they compared production in Bochum vs. production in Finnland, Bochum wouldn't have been less profitable:
http://www.focus.de/finanzen/news/betriebsrat_aid_235055.html (German)
Member since:
2005-10-11
that is not the point, the point is that is is unethical behavior to first cash the subsidies and then shutdown the production and lay off all emplyees. don't expect them to do trolltech any good. this is a bad day for KDE.