"Linux, the kernel and its immediate subsystems, has never been
healthier and its openness has made it relatively easy for
developers and manufacturers to get an operating system onto a new
class of mobile devices. However, consider the two leading strains
of mobile Linux; Android and Moblin. Both start with Linux at the
core, but if you move up to the user interface, they diverge.
Moving on with mobile Linux
"Moblin is the closest to typical desktop Linux. It uses the X
Window system, so most common Linux applications can run. The user
interface though, and this is the element that has won the
plaudits, is unlike any previous Linux user interface. Optimised
for the small screen, the Clutter UI uses simple, clean design
lines to present multiple workspaces, called zones. Each zone
displays a running application. The Moblin user interface is
impressive and unlike any desktop Linux environment, but it does
maintain a good level of compatibility, hence the range of Moblin
editions announced by Canonical, Xandros, Novell and others. There
is a problem though in terms of perception; if someone is won over
by the stylish Moblin user interface and thinks "What about Linux
on the desktop", they won't find a similar desktop Linux experience
off-the-shelf, from any of the major distributions.'
