初探moblin和android

mobin是intel公司主推的MID(mobile internet device)上基于X86架构下的linux 内核的操作系统，可以自由定制，具体参照www.moblin.org。Android是google的手机操作系统（主要运行在ARM架构下，X86也能运行），随着移动互联网业界MID、上网本、和只能手机界限的模糊，两者的功能角色有了一定程度的重合。下面做一个简单的分析。

 

1、moblin和android相比，不是一个完全的手机操作系统，而是一个便携式上网本的操作系统。上网本的主要功能需求是上网，因此，moblin看起来更像一个通用的操作系统，对于手机类业务：短信、彩信及GPRS/CDMA上网等并无特别的支持。如果需要成为手机操作系统，需要进一步的定制。

 

2、android可以用在上网本上，目前的umpc的上网本主要运行在x86的架构下，使用intel公司提供新一代的atom芯片。和普通的笔记本相比，其外观、大小、性能、价格都非常吸引用户。目前业界不断传出上网本上使用android的操作系统（据说是2009年的趋势）。

 

3、开发环境差异。mobin上使用GTK/GLIB的图形开发类库，android上有一个Dalvik virtual machine非标准的java虚拟机，可以以java的语法进行开发应用。GTK的开发门槛要比java高许多，开发人员的数量也要少很多。如果要定制mobin，可以考虑在moblin上引入一个开发平台（配合引入第四点）。

 

4、app store，苹果公司的app store运营获得巨大的成功，android也有一个类似的东西。但是intel和moblin

完全没有这个概念。这个对intel来说其实不算劣势，因为intel的长项在芯片，不需要介入应用层的运营，这一块的留空给下游的合作伙伴去定制。

 

5、目前的atom芯片的系列MID产品，和笔记本比够眩够吸引，但是和手机比，还差得太远（耗电、体积、功能等......）。

 

Moblin的功能列表

Moblin Image Creator (MIC): allows developers to create a custom Linux file system for a device. Using MIC, a platform developer can choose which components from Moblin they want on their device, build the target file system, copy all the necessary files to a USB pen drive and load it onto the target.
Kernel: platform-specific patches to the Linux kernel and various other device drivers.
UI Framework: screen interface and its underlying GTK-based framework, which uses the Hildon application framework.
Power Management Policy: extending and enhancing existing Linux power management capabilities
Browser: the Moblin browser is full-featured web browser based on Mozilla technologies with a finger-driven UI and MID UI integration. The Moblin browser supports key plug-ins like Adobe Flash.
Multimedia: audio and video playback and photo viewing including Helix or GStreamer multimedia frameworks.
Linux Connection Manager: Internet connections that can be extended through plug-ins to support various wired or wireless technologies.


Android的功能列表

Handset layouts:
    The platform is adaptable to larger, VGA, 2D graphics library, 3D graphics library based on OpenGL ES 1.0 specifications, and traditional smartphone layouts.
Storage:
    The Database Software SQLite is used for data storage purposes
Connectivity:
    Android supports connectivity technologies including GSM/EDGE, CDMA, EV-DO, UMTS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.
Messaging:
    SMS and MMS are available forms of messaging including threaded text messaging.
Web browser:
    Main article: WebKit
    The web browser available in Android is based on the open-source WebKit application framework.
Dalvik virtual machine:
    Software written in Java can be compiled into Dalvik bytecodes and executed in the Dalvik virtual machine, which is a specialized VM implementation designed for mobile device use, although not technically a standard Java Virtual Machine.
Media support:
    Android will support audio/video/still media formats such as MPEG-4, H.264, MP3, AAC, OGG, AMR, JPEG, PNG, GIF.
Additional hardware support:
    Android can utilize video/still cameras, touchscreens, GPS, accelerometers, and accelerated 3D graphics.
Development environment:
    Includes a device emulator, tools for debugging, memory and performance profiling, a plugin for the Eclipse IDE.
Market:
    Similar to the App Store on the iPhone, The Android Market is a catalog of applications that can be downloaded and installed to target hardware over-the-air, without the use of a PC. Currently only freeware applications are supported, although Google has announced plans to allow developers to offer paid applications as well.