"First of all, what exactly is Moblin? There are several answers
to that question.
"Competitively: Along with Google's Android, Nokia's Symbian and
the LiMo Foundation's Limo, Moblin is one of the major Linux-based
contenders to control the mobile space. That space includes (in
ascending order of form factor) phones, network devices and
netbooks. Important note: not all of these systems was originally
intended to cover the full mobile space (Moblin, incidentally,
was).
"Architecturally: The Moblin Architecture is designed to support
multiple platforms and usage models, ranging from Netbooks to
Mobile Internet Devices (MID), to various embedded usage models,
such as the In Vehicle Infotainment systems. The central piece of
the architecture is the common layer that we call Moblin Core, a
hardware and usage model independent layer that provides one
uniform way to develop such devices. Underneath Moblin Core, sits
the Linux kernel and device drivers specific to the hardware
platform, and above Moblin Core are the specific user interface and
user interaction model for the target device.
"Developmentally: Historically, Moblin had been under the roof,
as well as the control, of Intel. Now, Moblin's further development
will be hosted by the Linux Foundation (more details on this
tomorrow, when LF issues its own press release)
"That said, why move Moblin to the Linux Foundation, and why
now?"
