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Technology news and Jobs 
The Linux distillery Rock star Linux: remixed, unplugged and live
The Linux distillery Rock star Linux: remixed, unplugged and live | Rock star Linux: remixed, unplugged and live |
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| by David M Williams | |
| Monday, 09 June 2008 | |
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Page 2 of 3 Canonical recently announced their development of Ubuntu Netbook Remix as covered by my colleague Alex Zaharov-Reutt. This is a special release of Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) which is targeted at what they dub ‘netbooks.’One other important factor to mention is that Ubuntu’s netbook vision also specifically builds on top of the Intel Atom processor which offers low-power consumption (and thereby also reduced heat and noise as well as longer battery life.) The Intel Atom is also itself a new announcement. Intel claim it is based on an entirely new micro-architecture designed specifically for small devices and low power but yet maintains the Intel Core 2 Duo instruction set with regular desktop PCs. Conceivably, this means software that runs on an Intel Core 2 Duo processor will also run on the Atom without recompiling. The Atom actually developed out of Intel’s original work for the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project which, of course, desired hardware that achieved goals of reduced power requirements and reduced costs. The Atom’s design includes support for multithreading to ensure application responsiveness and background processing. The chip measures less than 25 square millimetres, making it Intel’s smallest processor as well as the processor with the lowest power requirements (from under 1W to 2.5 watts.) In fact, it has the world’s smallest transistors too. Intel say their Atom will power low-cost Internet-centric mobile computing devices – which will be the netbooks Ubuntu are interested in – as well as basic Internet-centric desktop PCs which Intel dub nettop. I’d be willing to wager Ubuntu’s Netbook Remix will run equally well on nettops but that’s clearly not the focus at this time, hence the explicit ‘netbook’ in the platform title. Canonical have thus embraced the Intel Atom and announced their desire to build an operating system which specifically targets it. There’s one more aspect to the Ubuntu Netbook Remix vision. Now, I’d expect it will be available for download via the regular Ubuntu channels for those who really want it but that’s far from where it will sit. Canonical is already working with a number of OEMs to deliver the software into the market on devices that are expected to be released later this year. This is a great step; Ubuntu will be leaping from a downloadable freely redistributed operating system that anyone can use if they have the inclination or inspiration to do so into a pre-packaged lightweight commodity that powers a whole host of new low-cost, low-powered Internet-capable devices. At this time Canonical are talking about netbooks but I’m personally predicting we see this become the basis of an Ubuntu mobile phone in the near future. Atom isn’t by any means the exclusive domain of Canonical; it is expected the ASUS Eee will use the Atom in future and Intel have said there are more than 25 low-cost laptops being developed around the processor. This includes models by Acer, Micro-Star and well known motherboard manufacturer Giga-byte. CONTINUED |
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