MeeGo gone: Intel drops OS in favor of Tizen
Peter Clarke 9/28/2011 11:43 AM EDT
http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4228473/Intel-MeeGo-Tizen
LONDON – Chip giant Intel has decided to drop its MeeGo mobile operating system in favor of the Tizen project announced by two Linux-oriented non-profit groups, the LiMo Foundation and the Linux Foundation.
That is according to Imad Sousou, the director of Intel’s Open Source Technology Center, writing to this effect in a MeeGo blog entry that is now hosted on the Linux Foundation website.
The Tizen project is hosted at the Linux Foundation and offers an operating system and an HTML5 development environment within which applications can be produced to run on multiple types of hardware. Smartphones, tablet computers and automobile infotainment are all being targeted by Tizen
According to Intel, Tizen will build upon the strengths of both LiMo and MeeGo and Intel will work with MeeGo partners to help them move from MeeGo to Tizen. However, this will likely set Intel and partners back in the market as the initial release of Tizen is not expected until 1Q12 and the first equipment based on Tizen will not arrive in the market before mid-2012.
Justifying the move Sousou said in the blog: “We believe the future belongs to HTML5-based applications, outside of a relatively small percentage of apps, and we are firmly convinced that our investment needs to shift toward HTML5.” Sousou added: “Granted, this is a judgment on our part on which reasonable people could disagree, but that’s the conclusion I came to.”
Sousou concluded his blog by thanking everyone who had participated in MeeGo over the previous 18 months and appealing to them to join Intel on the Tizen project.
Related links and articles:
MeeGo Blog
www.tizen.org
News articles:
Linux groups launch Tizen to fight Android
Intel: Android on x86 phones to come in 2012
Intel Lags in Mobile Shift 
Mixed signals for MeeGo at dev con
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