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Ubuntu Mobile Announced

Posted by Zonk on from the umobile dept.

Placid writes "The BBC has up an article detailing the 'Ubuntu Mobile and Embedded' project which was announced by Matt Zimmerman, Ubuntu's CTO, on the Ubuntu developers mailing list. Zimmerman stated that 'These devices place new demands on open-source software and require innovative graphical interfaces, improved power management and better responsiveness.' According to the article, Intel will have their finger in the pie too, as they've recently announced a prototype device running Ubuntu. Part of the project's goal is to maximise the power saving abilities of a planned low-energy chip codenamed Silverthorn. The chip will be just one-seventh the size of normal chips, and consume only 10% of the power of existing processor. What does this mean for projects such as OpenMoko? Healthy competition, or the beginning of the end?"

7 of 66 comments (clear)

  1. Competition by janrinok · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Surely, this will be good for competition?

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    1. Re:Competition by ClaesMogren · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I'm sure it will be good for the competition, and it will make more people interested in getting their applications to run on embedded devices. Ubuntu is generally good at contributing patches upstream and I'm sure this will give the GNOME Mobile And Embedded initiative an extra push. It's nice to see free and open software becoming more widespread on other devices than just PCs.

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      /C.M
  2. buy a phone by Mariani · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Does anyone know when/where/how to get a hold of a phone capable of running an open os? Information is really scares on that subject, can seem to find many answers on the openmoko site. People are developing for it, so there must be a way to get a hold of one right?

    1. Re:buy a phone by N8w8 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Though it's not _completely_ open (a few proprietary kernel modules IIRC), I love my new toy, a Motorola A780, which runs Linux natively.

      It runs a distro named EZX, which is based on a Montavista-modified Linux 2.4 kernel, a GNU-ish userland (glibc, etc.), and Qt Embedded as the graphics framework.

      You can easily cross-compile apps for this EZX environment (mkezx.org). Even cooler is that work is being done to reverse engineer the closed parts, and run Linux 2.6 on the device (openezx.org). Besides the kernel, people are also working to make it run a completely different distro (angstrom-distribution.org).

      Anyway, I love this device :)

  3. You can buy the Neo1973 from FIC by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    At the http://openmoko.com/ website after May 10th.

  4. A nice thought. by Lumpy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Most embedded Linux installs are hand made. usually you do not need a full distro for an embedded device but a smaller subset to get the job done.

    I hope that Ubuntu project can create something that is workable that also delivers where all other embedded linux distros fell on their face, Size and performance.

    Honestly a kernel+busybox+your custom app is all that is needed for most embedded linux uses. and can be rolled together by your in house engineers in a day.

    Now trying to make a inly multi-purpose low power generic device is a different story but is the exception in the world of embedded lnux.

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  5. More like Maemo than OpenMoko by TobascoKid · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Looking at the article, this seems to be more about a version of Ubuntu for Web tablets instead of mobile phones. It looks like Intel are using Ubuntu for their Nokia N800 style device.

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