| Moblin switching from Ubuntu to Fedora |
Jul. 25, 2008
 Intel has switched from Ubuntu to Fedora Linux for release 2.0 of its MID-targeted Moblin open source stack, according to a variety of sources, including The Register. Intel also indicated Moblin 2.0 would be unveiled on August 19th, say multiple sources.
Intel's Moblin plans were reportedly revealed this week by Intel's Dirk Hohndel, director of Linux and open-source strategy, at the OSCON show in Portland, Oregon. The new Moblin release will offer "a new operating system, middleware, tools and graphical user interface (GUI)," with the kernel based on Fedora, reports Gavin Clarke in The Register.
Hohndel was quoted as saying that the move to Fedora was largely a "technical decision based on the desire to adopt RPM (Red Hat Package Manager) for package management" instead of Ubuntu's Debian DEB extension. RPM offers the advantage of containing license information, Hohndel was said to have noted, thereby enabling developers to create collections of software by license type or exclude software by license type.
According to The Register,, the switch to Fedora is also occurring because Moblin has "failed to generate much interest" among developers. "Moblin one wasn't successful in creating this community push," Hohndel was quoted as saying. "Having a vibrant community push is the winning factor."
Background
The open source Moblin stack is optimized for handheld Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) based on the Intel Atom. It was developed by the Intel-sponsored Moblin.org, and released as Moblin 1.0 a year ago. Moblin 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.
The current Moblin 1.0 stack uses the Ubuntu kernel built into Ubuntu Desktop Edition 8.04. Canonical's Ubuntu MID Edition, which shipped in late June, is based on the Moblin technology.
Further information
Moblin 2.0 is set to be unveiled at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) to be held in the San Francisco Moscone Center from August 19-21.
The full story from The Register should be available here.
-- Eric Brown
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