Intel Launches Mobile Linux Project

An anonymous reader writes "Intel has unveiled an ambitious project aimed at developing open source software for mobile devices. The Moblin project comprises a Linux kernel, UI framework, browser, multimedia framework, and embedded Linux image creation tools, along with developer resources such as documentation, mailing lists, and an IRC channel. Intel says it hopes Moblin will serve as a 'point of integration' for multiple sub-projects, and appears eager to see devices such as its Mobile Internet Device design, and chipsets such as its Ultra Mobile Platform 2007 platform, be thoroughly supported by Linux. Although all of the projects currently focus on the Intel architecture, Moblin says it is open to hosting support for other processor architectures."

Comments

What about OpenMoko

[ookabooka]

What about OpenMoko? An open source and open hardware cell phone slated for consumer release around October 2007. If Intel wanted to do something seems getting involved there would be a great place to start. Had they have gotten involved a bit sooner they could have probably convinced the developers to use intel hardware instead of what they are currently using (I believe it is samsung . . don't quote me on that though).

Reinventing the wheel again?

[Gothmolly]

I hope this at least builds on the successes of OS distributions for devices like the Linksys NSLU2, the WRT54G, and the Sharp Zaurus series. These people have stable and tested toolchains, build practices, entire organizations set up around managing and maintaining Linux on these devices.

Re:Reinventing the wheel again?

[Anonymous Coward]

As a guy who works for Intel (@ another embedded project), I can say that they take very good care to insure their toolchains are solid and that the codebases are well maintained for the embedded gear they sell.

I have my own obvious personal bias, yes, but I have seen and helped them build and maintain codebases and dev kits for other chipsets. As long as people use it, they will maintain it.

I can also say that overall, there is a HUGE shift to Linux as their development base, coming at great cost to WinCE/Windows Mobile.

(posted anon for obvious reasons).

Re:Already existing projects

[MrLizardo]

I would encourage you to RTFA (either moblin.org or the linuxdevices article) where it talks about Intel using Hildon (the UI framework from Maemo). To me that looks like the biggest reusable chunk of open source code that Nokia has turned out so far. Much of the rest of Nokia's stuff is either off-the-shelf (the kernel, packaging system (apt+dpkg)) or closed source (media codecs, DSP code) or rather trivial (I don't think writing your own application launcher sidebar is really going to cause significant fracturing of the Linux userbase). There is lots of code reuse if you look for it a little deeper than in a slashdot summary...

Re:A True Linux Effort

[suv4x4]

You can tell Intel is sincere because they've followed the Linux naming convention... and come up with one that sucks :P

Wii think DS is gnoming to zune be some global tendency in knaming /. Think out of the box 360, iPeople!

Re:Ubuntu Mobile and Embedded Edition?

[ian_brasil]

This is the upstream project from which several components of Ubuntu Mobile and Embedded are being derived. As such things like the moblin image creator are documented in the Ubuntu Mobile User Guide which is being developed here: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UMEGuide