The mobile technology world is buzzing today about the merger of Moblin and Maemo, the two Linux-based mobile initiatives that have been backed by Intel and Nokia respectively. Together, they have formed MeeGo, which is being hosted by the Linux Foundation.
We reached out to industry experts for their reactions to today’s news. The theme that surfaces among industry pundits most is the one of mobile OS unification and the hope for a platform that can support a broad range of devices by using common technologies and developer tools.
“I think that the merger makes a lot of sense. Moblin and Maemo seem toshare a common philosophy in their approach to the creation of a mobileenvironment on top of a standard and open Linux environment; it makes sense that they should pool their efforts and work on a commonplatform. I have high hopes that MeeGo will lead to a future wheremobile devices are highly functional and usable, but where they alsooffer the full power and freedom of Linux to their users.”
– – Jonathan Corbet, Linux kernel developer, author of the Linux Kernel Weather Forecast, and editor, LWN.net
“This kind of consolidation is good, particularly for these two operatingsystems, which have displayed some innovation and success in certaindevices and emerging markets — such as netbooks for Moblin and tabletsfor Maemo — but which have also struggled individually to break out oftheir respective developer communities and market niches. Putting themtogether strengthens both in those respective niches, but it alsobroadens their appeal to developers and device makers. Centralizinggovernance and code integration can certainly be key to open sourceefforts such as these, so that may also help MeeGo broaden its mind andmarket share. The effort will need all the support and strength it canmuster since it will be competing with Android, Chrome, iPhone and iPadand a number of other big efforts in mobile and converged devices.”
– – Jay Lyman, analyst, open source, The 451 Group
“Personally, I think this makes a lot of sense. Shepherding a Linux distribution is hard work. It takes a lot of effort to build and maintain a vibrant developer community, and it takes a certain attitude to really drive an open source project. It’s never been clear to me that Intel or Nokia really got it when it came to the Linux mindset. By moving their Linux efforts under the umbrella of the Linux Foundation, MeeGo should have a much better chance of survival, and should be a real contender against Android for future devices.”
– – Scott Merrill, blogger and reporter in blog post at MobileCrunch
“The consolidation and merger of the two platforms just makes sense. Maemo and Moblin shared many components in common, as well as a common philosophy and approach. Bringing together their parallel histories and separate code bases acknowledges the need for platform unity and also the valueof the mutual investment by Maemo and Moblin communities to date.
I also like the MeeGo project because it offers device manufacturers and appsdevelopers a native Linux platform whose substance comes from diverse, real and multiple communities. MeeGo takes the best of embedded anddesktop Linux and delivers an organic mobile device and applications platform that provides utility and carries the Linux banner into thenext decade.”
– – Bill Weinberg, senior executive and Mobile Practice Leader at Olliance Group.
“Many client Linux efforts to date have focused exclusively on desktop or smartphone segments. The time is now for a platform that is exclusively built to be used across a wide variety of devices, and that takes full advantage of the superior computing power of each device category – longer battery life, better screens, location services, touch, 4G broadband, new vehicle technology and stronger processors.
MeeGo is not an OS designed for a legacy purpose that is being crammed or expanded into a new device form. In other words, this isn’t a square peg in a round hole — MeeGo is a next generation mobile operating system designed for the next generation of mobile devices.”
– – Jim Zemlin, the executive director at the Linux Foundation, in his blog post today.
