Even as the Open Source Development Labs brings together over 70 of the largest Linux clients in the world, it has now announced the creation of the Mobile Linux Initiative (MLI), a group that is dedicated to promoting Linux usage on mobiles.
With PalmSource as MLI's founding member, the initiative is likely to bring together formidable players of the mobile community in taking the lead in advancing Linux on mobile devices.
PalmSource only last year announced its intention to build its new mobile applications framework besides its Palm OS platform on Linux. But if that is any example of the things to come, mobiles are going to have applications specifically designed for Linux-based devices, MLI is likely to find some success in raising demand for Linux-based devices.
The research firm Ovum, that puts the mobile phone market at 2.8 billion devices by 2009, believes the last year growth rate was a massive 31 percent. Speeding the tilt towards Linux are manufacturers of handsets, who find the lower costs, greater speeds and the enhanced capabilities very attractive.
Possibly OSDL's MLI, is itself a delayed reaction to this natural favor of Linux-based mobile solutions with handset-makers. OSDL's CEO, Stuart Cohen acquiesced, "Linux provides mobile device manufacturers with a powerful platform and unmatched inter-operability, to deliver new capabilities in advanced handsets”. He said like OSDL helped accelerate Linux adoption by telecommunications network infrastructure, MLI will create the forum to focus on moving Linux on mobile handsets “to the next level of functionality and profitability".
Michael Kelley of PalmSource, suggests that Linux has the potential to become “a leading operating system for mobile devices”. And he believes that the current initiative will promote working closely with Linux industry pioneers, to contribute to its on-going development and adoption on mobile devices. The others in this group include Motorola, MontaVista Software, Trolltech and Wind River. With the group's first in-person meet due to be held at Beijing in China, which leads the world in mobile phone research and development.
MontaVista has already put forth a version of its preliminary Linux operating system for mobile phones that are being used on several Motorola handsets. Intel has been funding Linux development besides promoting several projects itself. Currently Linux is more suited for the high-end handsets that are supported by powerful processors and larger memories. Part of the OSDL initiative is in seeking the spread of Linux to less powerful devices. As Bill Weinberg of OSDL says, "There are economic and technical barriers that have prevented Linux from enjoying more market share across the phone space". That clearly spells the way forth for promoting Linux on mobiles, by supporting low-cost and integrated components that low-end phones use.
But given that giants like Symbian, Windows and BlackBerry already have an edge over Linux among the high-end phones, the MLI's task would be to leapfrog Linux' development for the low-end phones. It also makes sense for manufacturers of low-end phones to collaborate in this effort, as it would make their handset costs more competitive if the components could support Linux rather than more expensive operating systems. It may well be a future of Linux phones that lies in th offing, should this group be successful in their endeavour.
