Tizen 2.0 Magnolia SDK and Source Code Released

jrepin writes "The Tizen 2.0 source code and SDK are now available. 'This release includes an enhanced Web framework that provides state-of-the-art HTML5/W3C API support, a Web UI framework (including full-screen and multi-window support), additional Tizen device APIs, such as Bluetooth and NFC support, and access to the device's calendar, call history, and messaging subsystems are now available. Other highlights: The Web Runtime framework supports new configuration elements for specifying the required features and privileges, and provides the basic runtime environment for NPRuntime plugins; the Native framework supports full-featured application development and provides a variety of features such as background applications, IP Push, and TTS (Text-To-Speech)."

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[bill_mcgonigle]

Tizen is an open source, standards-based software platform supported by leading mobile operators, device manufacturers, and silicon suppliers for multiple device categories such as smartphones, tablets, netbooks, in-vehicle infotainment devices, and smart TVs. Tizen offers an innovative operating system, applications, and a user experience that consumers can take from device to device.

The Tizen project resides within the Linux Foundation and is governed by a Technical Steering Group. The Technical Steering Group is the primary decision-making body for the open source project, with a focus on platform development and delivery, along with the formation of working groups to support device verticals.

The Tizen Association has been formed to guide the industry role of Tizen, including gathering of requirements, identification and facilitation of service models, and overall industry marketing and education.

Tizen provides a robust and flexible environment for application developers, based on HTML5. With HTML5's robust capabilities and cross platform flexibility, it is rapidly becoming the preferred development environment for mobile apps and services. The Tizen SDK and API allow developers to use HTML5 and related web technologies to write applications that run across multiple device segments.

And Wikipedia says:

Market Releases

As of February 2013 there were no announcements either from Samsung or Intel about market releases of Tizen on actual devices. Unofficial disclosures typically come from Samsung officials at conferences. Allegedly, the first devices were planned to hit the market in second half of 2012.[13]. It was then clarified that first quarter of 2013 is not a date of actual product launch but demonstration at Mobile World Congress.[14] Tizen Devices made by Samsung would ship later in 2013 but the exact date has not been disclosed.[15]

A possible cause of delay is Samsung's transition to Bada on top of Linux as a base for the operating system. A Samsung employee involved in the project explained on the project's mailing list the he had not enough permission or knowledge to disclose plans regarding the future of the platform, pointing to the committee of executives in Tizen Association.[16]

Licensing Model

Presented originally as an open source operating system, Tizen 2 has complicated licensing model. Its SDK contains is based on many open source components[7] while the entire SDK has been published under a non-open-source Samsung's licence[8].

The operating system itself is consisted of a many open source components. A number of components internally developed by Samsung (e.g. boot animation, calendar, task manager, music player applications) are however released under the Flora License which is most likely incompatible with requirements of the Open Source Initiative.