OSDL's Mobile Linux Initiative

Rob writes "The Open Source Development Labs has introduced a new initiative to accelerate the adoption of Linux in the mobile market by providing a forum for device manufacturers, network operators, and application developers. Like the OSDL's other working groups, the MLI will provide a forum for creating requirement specifications based on existing implementations and invest in existing and new mobile Linux projects to identify and fill gaps in the open source operating system's functionality."

Comments

Metrowerks involvement?

[CyricZ]

It is widely known that Motorola, who is involved in this initiative, is linked to Metrowerks (or what was Metrowerks) via Freescale. Metrowerks is well known for developing C/C++ compilers for various platforms, including many embedded systems.

While GCC is a fantastic compiler, the Metrowerks compiler has often been amongst the best optimizing compilers. That said, could the performance of handheld devices be improved by compiling the Linux kernel and most Linux software with the Metrowerks compiler, rather than GCC? Considering the kernel's use of GCC-specific features in its code, it would of course not be an easy task.

Sounds like CELF

[Samrobb]

From the sound of it, it seems like they're going to be covering a lot of the same ground as the Consumer Electronics Linux Forum (see the CELF home page.)

The Consumer Electronics Linux Forum (CELF), a California Non-Profit Corporation, is focused on the advancement of Linux as an open source platform for consumer electronics (CE) devices. The CELF intends to operate completely within the letter and the spirit of the open source community. The CELF is a place to come and discuss various issues that are of particular importance to the CE industry. Through an open process, the CELF members will clarify and codify certain requirements to be addressed in open source software. Thereafter, the CELF will evaluate any open source submissions as to their effectiveness and responsiveness to the requirements. Open source submissions accepted by the CELF Architecture Group and Steering Committee will be incorporated into the CELF source tree, which itself is open to the public.

There's some interesting stuff coming out of CELF, if you're interested in that sort of thing. IIRC, Matt Mackall (the author of the linux tiny set of patches) is now working for CELF. From other CELF members I've talked to, I can say that they seem to be a pretty techically oriented bunch. The individual CELF members aren't marketing types trying to push OSS developers to do their work for them, they're developers who have a real interest in pitching in and helping to make Linux a useful OS for consumer electronics.

Finally - a good PIM device

[MarkSwanson]

What I'm hoping to see is an open solution that I/everyone can contribute to so we have a good open standards compliant PIM software.
Currently all of the folks that write PIM software for cell phones have created their own flavours of iCalendar and vcard. They improve their implementations with each new cell phone and each revision of each new cell phone, but quite a lot of limitations and problems still exist. It's hard to support moving targets like this and the targets have been moving slowly for over 4 years.

Personally (as the author of a SyncML solution and someone who has to support n phones/revisions across the globe) I haven't seen any cell phone devices use anything but the older deprecated VCARD standard. I also don't remember (very tired though) seeing any devices that support the newer IETF iCalendar standard. I believe an open solution would be able to get out an updated implementation of the newer standards and enable a much higher level of functionality and interoperability. I believe a better PIM foundation will enable more interesting and useful applications and services to be built.

Cheers.