Slashdot Mirror


Tizen Gets Boost From Bada Merger

LinuxScribe writes "As predicted last September, Samsung has announced plans to merge Tizen with its own Bada platform to create a new mobile OS that will fit well on low- and high-end smartphones. Last year, Bada had more global phone deployments than Windows Phone 7. The merger means each Linux-based platform will have access to more native- and HTML5-based apps."

29 comments

  1. Merge? by gmuslera · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Adding a compatibility layer to run apps from one "linux distribution" into another don't sound that much as merging. Maemo and WebOS didn't merged when was released a compatibility layer that enabled Maemo to run WebOS games, neither Linux and Windows got merged when Wine was released.

    In any case, means more apps and then maybe more potential relevance to Tizen, and probably will balance things to have another player in the mobile arena.

    1. Re:Merge? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Tizen's more a re-spin of Bada than anything else, based on what I could figure out from the sources dump from the preview release of Tizen. There's probably a bit of the core from MeeGo in the mix there, but the stuff they did for MeeGo's probably going bye-bye as they gel Tizen/Bada...

    2. Re:Merge? by the+linux+geek · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Bada isn't based on Linux, despite what Wikipedia says. It uses the Mentor Nucleus microkernel with a custom Samsung userland.

      Also, it's been officially announced that Bada is being replaced with Tizen.

  2. Looks promising by polymeris · · Score: 1

    There is a lot of room for another smartphone platform, IMO. Can't speak for WP7, because I haven't tried it, but the others all suffer from some combination of: closedness, privacy/security issues, poor performance, poor build quality, poor battery life, being dead.

    Tizen seems to approach at least some of these issues in a sensible manner.

    1. Re:Looks promising by Colonel+Korn · · Score: 1

      There is a lot of room for another smartphone platform, IMO. Can't speak for WP7, because I haven't tried it, but the others all suffer from some combination of: closedness, privacy/security issues, poor performance, poor build quality, poor battery life, being dead.

      Tizen seems to approach at least some of these issues in a sensible manner.

      For reference, WP7's got the same negative as the iPhone (closedness) but no enormous momentum to weight against it.

      --
      "I zero-index my hamsters" - Willtor (147206)
  3. Will there be a second device? by Dionysus · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I would wait until there is a second device running Tizen before I would consider it a viable solution. Given the history of the people behind Tizen, I suspect they will announce a reorganization of the project around the time a phone is first released with the OS. Maybe a rename while they're at it.

    --
    Je ne parle pas francais.
    1. Re:Will there be a second device? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Big questions is what does this mean for Android when its single biggest OEM is looking at making a "different" OS. A number (probably a fare share) of Android phones are low end where people really do not use the smart part. If Samsung starts out with its OS at the level it will cut directly into Android share.

    2. Re:Will there be a second device? by ericloewe · · Score: 1

      So, deep down, is this Maemo, Moblin, "MeeGo Harmattan" (As Nokia puts it), Bada or what?

    3. Re:Will there be a second device? by Microlith · · Score: 2

      Thus far it's SLP, the Samsung Linux Project, which up until this point has been internal. It's had a tiny bit of exposure as part of LiMo, but LiMo never really had a community aside from their members due to the terribly insular nature of the organization.

      We have yet to see what Intel will be bringing to the table aside from money. As to the GP, hell, we need a FIRST device to run Tizen, let alone a second.

    4. Re:Will there be a second device? by EETech1 · · Score: 1

      Is that Samsung Linux Project what Rastaman has been working on with the EFL and a simplified E17 desktop?

    5. Re:Will there be a second device? by evilviper · · Score: 1

      I would wait until there is a second device running Tizen before I would consider it a viable solution

      If I can buy and use a device, it's viable. Is Windows 7 more viable? How about Symbian?

      Considering how many people are hard-core fans of the N900, I think even one device coming out would be welcomed. And a device that can run apps from other platforms, including desktop apps, is much, much more "viable" than it might seem at first glance.

      Android phones make pretty good thin clients, but Android apps have a number of bugs and limitations I wouldn't have to suffer with if I could compile aterm, xterm, or Putty. Not to menting NX Clients... haven't seen one for Android/iOS/BB/Palm yet, but N900s have ports of it...

      --
      Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
    6. Re:Will there be a second device? by Tolleman · · Score: 1

      Yes. I belive it is. Well other then the spellinf of his name.

    7. Re:Will there be a second device? by EETech1 · · Score: 1

      I hate it when I'm overruled by the spellchecker. My only complaint about WebOS.

      Cheers

  4. Why? by dreemernj · · Score: 1

    I am curious what Samsung could get out of this. bada has C++, Flash and Web App development models already. Would they ditch the C++ and Flash approaches and switch to the Tizen model, or use Tizen to build out the Web App model more?

    Or could this be mostly a business move? Are there partners associated with Tizen that would look upon this happily and be more keen to partner with Samsung on things in the future?

    --
    1 (short ton / firkin) = 89.1432354 slugs / keg
    1. Re:Why? by vivek7006 · · Score: 2

      because it bada bing, bada bang !

    2. Re:Why? by muon-catalyzed · · Score: 3, Informative

      Web Apps ? Nice idea, well tested in webOS -- nobody gives a damn. Bada has perhaps the best SDK, the only problem here is branding and marketing, Samsung has a poor record supporting their platform. Android on the other hand has the best marketing, but up to Gingerbread it was a technical nightmare. Now Android is getting better steadily. The key is to implement all those Kronos group open APIs and the system would be fine. Google intends to follow open standards and system critical APIs like OpenSL, making things faster and more developer friendly.. (finally)

    3. Re:Why? by sunderland56 · · Score: 2

      because it bada bing

      Bada bing? Is that their search engine?

    4. Re:Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Linux developers?

    5. Re:Why? by Microlith · · Score: 1

      Tizen supports native applications via C and EFL, and if this brings on the Bada frameworks (which are C++) then it's a pretty sure thing that it'll support native C++ applications. The open question is if the Bada frameworks will become part of the open project or will just be layered on top of Tizen and remain exclusive to Samsung. If not, there will be a minimum of 3 frameworks (2 native c/c++, one interpreted JS) in the Samsung releases and possibly more on derived platforms.

      Or could this be mostly a business move?

      That's what all of this is.

  5. Tizen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    .... Getting big Bada boom?

  6. Users who already have Bada phones... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... might not look kindly to suddenly have their phones rendered obsolete. As the Samsung Wave line (all running Bada) are all on ARM-based processors, I would venture to think that these phones will not be given upgrades to any Tizen releases in the future.

  7. Oh please... by Evil_Ether · · Score: 1

    ... not another name change?!?

    --
    If taxation is legalized theft, then Capitalism is a prolonged rape followed by a slow death.
  8. Too little; too late? by Kurt+Granroth · · Score: 1

    I had really high hopes for the various Linux-based mobile OSes last year and before... but I wonder if it's too little; too late at this point. By all accounts, WP7 is very very slick, yet it has negligible market share and even less mind share. What advantage will this new merged OS have?

    Also, the software developer side of me has extremely high doubts that this will be doable in any reasonable time frame. Merging any kind of software is tricky; merging an OS is a herculean task. And for what?

  9. Moblin + Maemo 5.0 +Qt = MeeGo - MeeGo + LiMo.... by Fri13 · · Score: 1

    Bada already use Linux or RTOS operating system, so which one is going to be chosen to result of this new merge?

    Moblin + Maemo 5.0 +Qt = MeeGo -> MeeGo + LiMo = Tizen -> Tizen + Bada = ???

    But even that MeeGo seems to be going somewhere (at least source code being moved around), did Nokia correctly to reject MeeGo from the begin and continue develop Maemo 5.0 + Qt as Maemo 6.0 aka Harmattan for N9 and N950 and later just renaming Harmattan officially as MeeGo/Harmattan to get away with Intel deal?

    Seems that Android will stay the best Linux OS distribution for smartphones and tablets few years now...

  10. Re:Moblin + Maemo 5.0 +Qt = MeeGo - MeeGo + LiMo.. by Microlith · · Score: 1

    MeeGo seems to be going somewhere

    MeeGo stalled in the water after February 11th, 2011, and just slowed down after that due to Nokia walking away and Intel left in the lurch.

    did Nokia correctly to reject MeeGo from the begin and continue develop Maemo 5.0 + Qt as Maemo 6.0 aka Harmattan for N9 and N950 and later just renaming Harmattan officially as MeeGo/Harmattan to get away with Intel deal?

    Rather, the N950/N9 was delayed so long that they never had a chance to switch over to MeeGo. They were fully behind the effort that was MeeGo and pushed to get the label on the N9's OS because it had most of the important APIs (mostly Qt.) Then Elop continued to burn the platform.

  11. Re:Moblin + Maemo 5.0 +Qt = MeeGo - MeeGo + LiMo.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    MeeGo seems to be going somewhere

    MeeGo stalled in the water after February 11th, 2011, and just slowed down after that due to Nokia walking away and Intel left in the lurch.

    There is a community initiative continuing where MeeGo left:
    http://merproject.org/
    Its separated to:
    MER - the core software stack
    Nemo - Qt based UI

    Nemo is not the only UI, both Plasma active and Cordia use MER as core and provide its own UI.

    So far, I would rather bet on MER than on Tizen...

  12. And more fragmentation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's the big issue with Linux: everyone and their dog can have "their own" OS. Start worrying, details to follow.

  13. Re:Moblin + Maemo 5.0 +Qt = MeeGo - MeeGo + LiMo.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Except that Android is as much Linux (as in GNU/Linux, as in: what people expect when they hear "Linux"),
    as an Ariel Atom is a Honda Civic Type R.

    It has a modified version of the same engine (kernel), aaaand... that's about it.

    Unless I get a real GNU userland, and a proper package manager instead of the retarded Joe Sixpack crap that a "app store" is, It's shit.

  14. Inside track by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    According to an insider, (you'll just have to take this at face value) the periodic 6 mo changes from platform to platform are not due too poor management but are designed to cut the open platform at it's knees. How this story got spun into it's-a-good-thing is anyone's guess.