Linux lovers, great news! Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu Linux announced Ubuntu for tablet and smartphone at the Ubuntu Developer Summit as he issued a challenge to the Ubuntu community to begin thinking beyond traditional PC & laptop form factor.Well I think it is very natural move. Because when I saw the new look of the popular Linux distro v11.10 – the Unity Linux Desktop, it was too familiar to a touchscreen device.
Ubuntu also has Oneiric added ARM support. Unofficially developers already ported Ubuntu into tablets and smartphones. Before v11.10 Ubuntu was shipped with GNOME based desktop.
Mark did not reveal too much of future plans, but did say that the OS will make move to tablet, phone, in-dash infotainment and smart TV. There was no product to announce but he told that the OS would be ready for consumer electronics by v14.04 due on April, 2014.
If we see Windows 8, Canonical’s plan to introduce multi-platform interface is nothing unusual. After Android promoter Google’s acquisition of Motorola many vendors feel clumsy and may go for Ubuntu OS. These days Android has become de facto OS for tablet and too some extents for smartphones also.
Future of mobile OS is seemed to be mostly based on Linux only. Android is already linux variant, Nokia also plans to introduce Meltemi to replace Symbian 40. Meltemi being based on free softwares can offer rock bottom pricing for Nokia phones in emerging market, apart from Nokia’s Windows phone to be offered to certain countries.
Read also: Current Affairs of Mobile Operating Systems