Dell and Ubuntu sign up to Intel’s Moblin OS

 

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By Darien Graham-Smith in San Francisco

Posted on 24 Sep 2009 at 01:51

Dell and Ubuntu have publicly embraced Moblin, Intel’s Linux OS designed for mobile devices. The announcements came at IDF in San Francisco, the day after Intel showcased its new version of Moblin for mobile internet devices.

Mark Shuttleworth, founder of the Ubuntu project, joined Intel software VP Renee James on stage to introduce the “Ubuntu Moblin Remix”, a new Ubuntu distribution based on the Moblin core.

“Moblin keeps on getting more exciting as a project with new applications and improved user experiences,” he declared.

All the same, the release is currently offered only as a “Developer Edition”, suggesting it’s not considered complete enough for ordinary end users.

Moblin on netbooks

That hasn’t stopped Dell jumping on board: John Thode, the company’s vice president of small screen devices, announced that as of today the Mini 10v netbook – already offered with a standard Ubuntu distribution - would also be available with Ubuntu Moblin Remix preinstalled. At the time of writing it was not confirmed whether this configuration would be available in the UK as well as the US.

Yet Thode’s language seemed to suggest that Dell too considered the Moblin Remix a work in progress.

“By collaborating with Intel and Canonical we can offer early adopters, developers, and Linux enthusiasts, a truly pioneering Moblin development platform,” he announced.