Mobile Phones: the Embedded Linux Challenge

OSDL MLI

To bolster the nascent adoption of Linux by mobile phone manufacturers, OSDL is creating an initiative called MLI (Mobile Linux Initiative) to bring together mobile chipset manufacturers, Linux-based platform suppliers, ISVs, handset manufacturers, integrators, carriers and operators, and open-source developers. In Beijing during October 2005, OSDL hosted the first meeting for this new initiative. Although the ultimate requirements and development efforts will be driven by the members of this new initiative, MLI has the general goal of addressing a mix of technical and economic challenges, from the kernel up, to accelerate Linux adoption on mobile phones and other converged voice and data devices.

When MLI met for the first time in October 2005, the new body appointed interim governance and immediately got down to the job of requirements gathering and gap analysis. The first likely deliverables are use cases and marketing output. The most important deliverable, as with Carrier Grade Linux, will be the instigation of the new open-source project work to fill the gaps it identifies and to bring currently divergent technologies (like those in this article) into the Linux mainstream. To learn more about MLI, see Resources.