Enlightenment & Tizen OS; OS of the future?

[cfg83]

tartalo -

This is very interesting: In less that one hour 2 users decide to create a new account and answer to a relatively old thread just to inform us all that Tizen is dead.

You're right, I joined recently. This is my first post :

Thank You!!! (Tizen SDK Install)
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2053759

One says that Samsung is concentrating on Operative Systems that are already ready for release (what a big surprise), the second informs us that Linux based solutions have no future at all, who cares if the most used mobile OS is Android.

So, someone is afraid of Tizen then?

I certainly hope so! It's my current assignment to evaluate Tizen. In the meantime, to increase suspicion against me I just found this :

Samsung reportedly puts Tizen and Bada on hold until 2013
http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/...2013-20120823/

IFA 2012 is fast approaching, and there’s going to plenty of new hardware on display from manufacturers, especially Samsung. One thing you won’t see at the Korean electronics giant’s booth are any new Bada or Tizen devices, according to a report from Sammobile. The story was very different last year, with Samsung showing off all the new features and improvements to its home-grown Bada OS in version 2.0. There were also a trio of new phones on hand running Bada, the Wave 3, Wave M, and Wave Y.

Samsung took over the lead role with Tizen back in September of last year, and then followed up by announcing that it would be merging the Bada code in January. Developer phones were handed out to a select few in May, but things have been relatively quiet ever since. The Tizen developer community isn’t too happy about that either, with many claiming that a lack of software updates and an incomplete toolset are hindering progress.

So why the shift? Samsung may be trying to narrow its focus from its original scattergun four mobile operating systems to a more manageable number. If that’s the case, the company will be zeroing in on Android — where it currently dominates sales — and Windows Phone 8 — in an attempt to challenge Nokia for the role of biggest smartphone fish in a small pond.

And more :

Tizen mobile OS - A twisted tale
http://www.computerworlduk.com/slide...-twisted-tale/

I just attended the LinuxCon 2012 in San Diego and Thursday was "Tizen Day" from the standpoint of consecutive presentations. Based on that day in conjunction with the (marginal?) articles I just found I will make this guess :

- Samsung is *NOT* rushing Tizen into the smart phone market.
- Tizen is a serious contender in other smart-gadget markets like the emerging In-Vehicle-Infotainment (IVI) market, aka Embedded Linux markets.

From my POV the *serious* contender right now is the Firefox OS (was Boot To Gecko). That POV has been heavily infuenced by Andreas Gal :

Bringing the Open Web to Mobile Devices
http://www.infoq.com/presentations/B...1540F3F63F95FD

Andreas Gal introduces Mozilla’s Boot 2 Gecko, a cross device web-based platform with applications written in HTML5, JavaScript and CSS.

The Web Platform as a Limitless Pool of Innovation, with Andreas Gal
http://www.infoq.com/interviews/web-...1540F3F63F95FD

Andreas talks about the benefits of the Open Web and how it compares with proprietary closed-stacks. He also talks about various projects like Boot to Gecko, Broadway, pdf.js and more, that bring the web platform in a whole new level.

Carlos

[tartalo]

Carlos, I don't regret at all having provoked such an answer

From my POV the *serious* contender right now is the Firefox OS

If I understood it correctly Mozilla envisions a future where Apps are written using standard Web technologies and work in all platforms.

My guess is that the big names behind the platforms that are already well positioned in the market (mostly Apple) will resist to such an standardization, but the idea seems to appeal to telecommunication companies, so it might work: https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2012/0...fox-mobile-os/

[cfg83]

tartalo -

Carlos, I don't regret at all having provoked such an answer



If I understood it correctly Mozilla envisions a future where Apps are written using standard Web technologies and work in all platforms.

Yup, that's the gist of it. Mozilla wants to converge on a new set of APIs that allow a browser to interact with the smartphone devices that are not connected today, like telephony, GPS, bluetooth, ... etc.

Tizen has their device API now :

https://developer.tizen.org/documentation

For example, this is the "Call" interface :

Tizen Device API: Call
https://developer.tizen.org/help/top...izen/call.html

This API provides interfaces and methods for retrieving information for Circuit Switched Telephony and Voice Over IP.

The API contains only call history and simple call checking functionality in this release, but later it will be updated with full call handling support.

The call functionality is enabled by call services implemented using protocols like XMPP, SIP, RCS, LTE, Skype, circuit switched protocol stack, etc.

Mozilla's official stance is "may the best API win". So if the Tizen API takes off then they will adopt and support it.

My guess is that the big names behind the platforms that are already well positioned in the market (mostly Apple) will resist to such an standardization, but the idea seems to appeal to telecommunication companies, so it might work: https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2012/0...fox-mobile-os/

Thanks. This detail intrigues me :

Device manufacturers TCL Communication Technology (under the Alcatel One Touch brand) and ZTE today announced their intentions to manufacture the first devices to feature the new Firefox OS, using Snapdragon™ processors from Qualcomm Incorporated, the leader in smartphone platforms. The first Firefox OS powered devices are expected to launch commercially in Brazil in early 2013 through Telefónica’s commercial brand, Vivo.

That's interesting to me because if Mozilla makes it to market first then I think they may be able to define the device API.

Another thing I noticed is that there is a Snapdragon development board that currently ships with Android pre-installed :

http://events.linuxfoundation.org/ev...uxcon/schedule

Getting Started with DragonBoard For Embedded Development - Ryan Kuester
Wednesday, August 29 - 10:45am
The DragonBoard is a powerful, feature-rich development board based on QualcommTM SnapdragonTM S3 APQ8060 processor. The DragonBoard includes a sensor daughter card, RF (WiFi and Bluetooth) daughter card and a WVGA touchscreen display. In this introductory session, developers will learn how to load the DragonBoard with latest Android build, install applications, make modifications to kernel and learn more about the available debugging tools and techniques.

In my perfect world I would use that same development board to cross-develop Firefox OS.

Carlos

[IWantFroyo]

It's another small crusade. It's a good idea, but it lacks existing users and momentum. I doubt this will really go very far.

A better idea (in my opinion) would be to appeal to a large Linux user-base, and sell stuff with Ubuntu/Fedora/Debian on it.

Edit: Didn't notice date. Oh well. Seems I was right.

[Jakin]

IMO, OSx86 is getting better and better and it's what I'm foreseeing as a great alternative to the future Windows <snip>

That will never happen, just because its possible- doesn't make it legal. Individuals may be able to get away with it- but never a business.

[BrokenKingpin]

As much as I want Tizen to succeed, it won't. Although there are some pretty bug companies behind it, they really are not fully dedicated to it. This the same reason why MeeGo failed.

It is a shame, as I would love an open source mobile OS that uses the same technologies as desktop Linux (opposed to Android using a Java VM for everything that sits on the kernel).

[cfg83]

Hello -

Ok, I found a forum for Tizen. It's been online since mid-May 2012 :

tizentalk.com

Still pretty young, but I have a feeling I will be reading every Single POST, .

Carlos