QNX Self-Hosted Developer Desktop • Hacker News Board

Re: QNX Self-Hosted Developer Desktop

#51

Post by harhargange » Sat, Dec 27, 2025, 6:40 AM UTC

As someone who still uses a QNX phone, the Blackberry Q10 as my second phone, I’m not just optimistic for the return of the cross-platform and secure os, I’m rooting for it. Especially for portable Linux handhelds. If Blackberry were to release a phone tomorrow, it would instantly be the most secure android phone. I still run some of my favourite android apps on my BB10os via the android translation layer.

Some comments mentioning QNX can run Swift code makes me think of it could also run iPhone apps.

While Blackberry exited the phone market, I’m surprised to know QNX is still the most popular os for cars. With 275 million devices running it atm.

Re: QNX Self-Hosted Developer Desktop

#52

Post by harhargange » Sat, Dec 27, 2025, 6:42 AM UTC

OsrsNeedsf2P wrote: post #4

Did I just wake up from a coma? QNX desktop? Wayland XFCE? What is going on here

Seems like QNX was hiding in plain sight as a car os and a mission critical os for other devices.

Re: QNX Self-Hosted Developer Desktop

#53

Post by harhargange » Sat, Dec 27, 2025, 6:43 AM UTC

lukeh wrote: post #42

Oddly Swift appears to support QNX but there’s not much information about it. https://github.com/swiftlang/swift-testing/issues/868

Does this mean QNX supports at least some of the Apple software?

Re: QNX Self-Hosted Developer Desktop

#54

Post by harhargange » Sat, Dec 27, 2025, 6:45 AM UTC

transpute wrote: post #31

dcmatt wrote: post #15

QNX is owned by Blackberry?! Blackberry still exists?

$100M+ last quarter, split between QNX and endpoint device software, https://www.panabee.com/news/blackberry-earnings-q3-2025 275M cars with QNX, https://roboticsandautomationnews.com/2025/12/19/blackberry-... AI/robotics, https://qnx.software/en/industries/robotics

Exactly. And there’s a huge community of the old Blackberry qnx device owners as well still trying to survive.

Re: QNX Self-Hosted Developer Desktop

#55

Post by lukeh » Sat, Dec 27, 2025, 6:45 AM UTC

harhargange wrote: post #53

lukeh wrote: post #42

Oddly Swift appears to support QNX but there’s not much information about it. https://github.com/swiftlang/swift-testing/issues/868

Does this mean QNX supports at least some of the Apple software?

Hard to say. May be related to CarPlay.

Re: QNX Self-Hosted Developer Desktop

#56

Post by harhargange » Sat, Dec 27, 2025, 6:45 AM UTC

inamberclad wrote: post #37

Wow, this could be quite useful for poking at the head unit in my car. It's also running QNX.

I hope you don’t end up diagnosing issues on the highway.

Re: QNX Self-Hosted Developer Desktop

#57

Post by harhargange » Sat, Dec 27, 2025, 6:47 AM UTC

transpute wrote: post #26

bflesch wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The footer of the website just says "Join the Discord Community - Reddit: r/qnx - Instagram: qnx_devrel - Powered by Ghost". There is no imprint and the "about" link also does not give any info.

From the Wikipedia page Developer: BlackBerry (formerly QNX Software Systems) On April 9, 2010, Research In Motion (later renamed to BlackBerry Limited) announced they would acquire QNX Software Systems from Harman International Industries.

And the bb10os was based on this. I still use it and it’s the ultimate phone that supports few android apps still.

Re: QNX Self-Hosted Developer Desktop

#58

Post by sedatk » Sat, Dec 27, 2025, 6:55 AM UTC

viraptor wrote: post #45

sedatk wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was mind blowing at the time because Linux required at least 4-5 floppies to set up a text-only base system while QNX ran live from just a single 1.44MB.

When was that? You can still run from a single floppy https://github.com/Steve3184/floppinux and some form of that was available for ages.

Linux was like that in 1995 (Slackware 3.1 or so). I believe QNX live was introduced in 1997.

Re: QNX Self-Hosted Developer Desktop

#59

Post by sedatk » Sat, Dec 27, 2025, 6:57 AM UTC

fouc wrote: post #50

viraptor wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When was that? You can still run from a single floppy https://github.com/Steve3184/floppinux and some form of that was available for ages.

He meant with X & web browser and so on. The QNX disk had gui + browser and a few other gui apps.

No I meant the base system. A system with X would take at least 20 floppies or so with Slackware 3. The whole setup was 80 floppies in total.

I’m sure it’s better now, it wasn’t so when QNX had come out.

Re: QNX Self-Hosted Developer Desktop

#60

Post by f1shy » Sat, Dec 27, 2025, 7:23 AM UTC

harhargange wrote: post #51

As someone who still uses a QNX phone, the Blackberry Q10 as my second phone, I’m not just optimistic for the return of the cross-platform and secure os, I’m rooting for it. Especially for portable Linux handhelds. If Blackberry were to release a phone tomorrow, it would instantly be the most secure android phone. I still run some of my favourite android apps on my BB10os via the android translation layer. Some comme…

> QNX can run Swift code makes me think of it could also run iPhone apps.

Not at all. That is like saying because it can run C, it can run windows apps. To run iPhone apps you would need all the libraries and runtimes ported, including the whole GUI. Just not happening.