The photo above is of Matthew Garrett during his presentation on Ubuntu Mobile at Bossaconference 08. I did not know how confused I was about Ubuntu Mobile until I watched the presentation and talked to him about it. Most importantly: Moblin and Ubuntu Mobile are not the same thing and they are not competitors. They do work together but both contribute their own set of components.
UPDATE: Since the original publication of this article, the relationship between Ubuntu Mobile and Moblin has changed.
This is what I have learned:
Ubuntu Mobile
Official Site
This is an edition of Ubuntu that is built specifically for Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs.) The goal is to provide full Web functionality including essential closed components like Flash and Java. The Ubuntu Mobile team is working on the best way to provide a system, UI, and user experience.
What it is:
A handheld (not desktop or phone) Linux operating system. Optimized for touch - usually with fingers instead of a stylus. Geared for 4-7" touchscreens Set to include optimized experiences popular Web 2.0 sites. Sponsored by Canonical, working hand-in-hand with Intel.
What it is not:Desktop Linux. Don't expect to install Ubuntu Mobile on your existing systems and expect to get a real feel for the system's target device. Phone Linux. It's made for secondary devices. While some devices will include 3G and WiMAX support, they are not intended to replace phones. Hacker-centered. Linux can be built from a pile of source code, but Ubuntu Mobile wants to make the consumer experience paramount over hackability. While the system can still be hacked and customized, it won't always be as easy as editing /etc files. Check the bit on unionfs below.
Tech facts:Set to license media codecs to get around the Linux multimedia support problem. Targeted to operate on as low as 2GB to 8GB embedded storage and 256M-512M RAM.
Set to include media-rich functionality with webcams, speakers/headphones/microphone, and OpenGL 3D. Built to support WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and mobile data like 3G and WiMAX Built to operate on a read-only and read/write filesystem combined with unionfs. This means that the core components of the system cannot be trashed by accidental Linux typos. The Asus Eee PC currently uses this method with their Xandros installation and Kevin Tofel of JKOnTheRun shows how fast a system restore can be with this method of operation. Built with Hildon, Gecko, and other technologies tried and tested existing Linux installations and devices (Hildon is the desktop framework used on Nokia Internet Tablets) Organized to create a fast and easy porting procedure for developers. The diffs between desktop apps and Ubuntu Mobile apps are very small.
Set to include media-rich functionality with webcams, speakers/headphones/microphone, and OpenGL 3D. Built to support WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and mobile data like 3G and WiMAX Built to operate on a read-only and read/write filesystem combined with unionfs. This means that the core components of the system cannot be trashed by accidental Linux typos. The Asus Eee PC currently uses this method with their Xandros installation and Kevin Tofel of JKOnTheRun shows how fast a system restore can be with this method of operation. Built with Hildon, Gecko, and other technologies tried and tested existing Linux installations and devices (Hildon is the desktop framework used on Nokia Internet Tablets) Organized to create a fast and easy porting procedure for developers. The diffs between desktop apps and Ubuntu Mobile apps are very small.
Moblin
Official Site
Directly from that site, we get this description: Moblin.org hosts the Mobile & Internet Linux Project which is an umbrella, open source project focused on the development of Linux for Intel-based devices.
What it is:
A project site for embedded Linux development. A repository of documents and developer tools.
A place to get source code, frameworks, documents, and policies on Mobile & Internet Linux. A set of applications, applets, and environment settings that can be included in a Linux distribution. For details on that, check this page. Sponsored by Intel
What it is not:A place to get source code, frameworks, documents, and policies on Mobile & Internet Linux. A set of applications, applets, and environment settings that can be included in a Linux distribution. For details on that, check this page. Sponsored by Intel
An operating system. You will not "run Moblin on" your device. A Linux distribution - though Linux distributions can include Moblin tools and applets.
I hope that clarifies some of this Mobile Linux confusion. Learning about all this has certainly cleared up a lot for me. Comment on more questions you have about this. I'll research and post my findings.
4 comments:
Their technology stack may be stable and well-featured, but definitely not optimized for low horsepower devices. I doubt it will be usable on N-tablets.
I'm studying EFL stack now (technology behind Canola awesomeness), and understand why OpenMoko chose it over GTK and Hildon
I wonder, is there a way to test ubuntu mobile on a samsung Q1U without installing it? I can't seem to find that option.
Yes. Moblin Image Creator has an option to create LiveUSB images which can be used to boot Q1U live from the USB without installing it.
Has anyone posted/hosted a LiveUSB version we can test?
I've had a hunt around but to run the creator you need to run up an Ubuntu partition first... while I want to play and see if I'm going to run linux on my UMPC I also don't want to have to set up a whole environment just to build the test environment first!
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