Intel and Novell Collaborate on Accelerating the Moblin Adoption

Setting the stage for the upcoming Moorestown platform and a new wave of Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs), Santa Clara, California-based Intel has recently announced a collaboration with Novell. According to the chip maker, the fresh partnership is meant to accelerate the adoption of Moblin, a Linux-based software platform that has been specifically designed for upcoming MIDs. The combined software and hardware platform is focused on delivering a rich Internet experience, powered by Intel's upcoming line of low-power Atom processors.
 

“Novell has taken a significant leadership role in the Moblin community since joining the effort late last year, and today's announcement will extend Novell's level of involvement,” said Doug Fisher, vice president of Intel's Software and Services Group and general manager of the System Software Division. “The combination of Intel Atom processor-based platforms and Moblin-based Novell software will provide even more opportunities for OEMs, ODMs and the broader Moblin community to deliver excellent mobile Internet solutions.”
 

The partnership between the two companies is meant to promote Moblin for adoption by OEMs and ODMs, which will be able to use it in their upcoming Intel-based MIDs. As part of the agreement between the two, Novell will establish the Novell Open Labs in Taiwan and work with the Taiwan Moblin Enabling Center (MEC), offering support and validation for manufacturers that will design the upcoming MIDs.

The Moblin platform was launched by the world's leading chip manufacturer in 2007, as an in-house effort to develop the next-generation Internet-capable computing device. However, late last year, the project was welcomed into the arms of the Linux Foundation with Intel still providing a significant contribution. Novell joined the project in October 2008 and is responsible for key operating system features such as window, e-mail and media management. Signing the partnership with Intel, Novell confirms its commitment to further develop the Moblin platform.