Yes, folks, don’t all charge the doors at once, but root access has been gained for the Telus Motorola Milestone! This is a big deal for a couple reasons:

First, Motorola decided to lock down the boot sector on the Milestone, meaning that it cannot be rooted directly.

Second, the phone requires a signed boot ROM, in order to run an OS, so only Motorola-approved ROMs are accessible.

If this is all over your head, think about it this way: Android runs a pared-down version of a Linux operating system, with a simplified, touch GUI on top of it. In order to do anything inside the phone, meaning below the depths of what you can do in the GUI, you need root access to the file system. This allows programs to delete OS-installed programs, to overclock the CPU, and to basically do whatever you want with the phone.

The other benefit of rooting the phone, is, typically, allowing custom ROMs to be installed. Say you want to alter the look of the OS with your own custom icons, fonts, and pre-install a bunch of programs, without having to go through the hassle of doing everything manually. A ROM will do it all for you. Most Android phones, such as the G1, Magic, Dream, Hero, Droid, and even the Nexus One, support custom ROMs.

The Milestone does not.

BUT now, by reflashing the Milestone with a Brazilian Motorola-signed ROM, we are able to root the device and gain access to some, not all, of the amazing features that a rooted device gives you.

If you have a Telus Milestone, and feel like delving into this deep, difficult, and fascinating world of rooting, follow the guide at AllDroid, and if you have any questions, post it on the forum.

Below you see proof of Root since the Superuser Whitelist application is only accessible when the phone has been rooted.

Big Props to EkostonS at AllDroid, and all the great guys who worked really hard over the past two days to make this possible!