Intel Pass Moblin Reins To Linux Foundation

Intel have handed over the reins of the Moblin platform to The Linux Foundation.  Moblin, the open-source Linux OS that Intel have been developing for the past two years, will now be accessible to a larger number of programmers, and Intel's stated purpose for the transition is to take the OS "to the next level".  At the same time, the chip-maker is obviously hoping that greater adoption of Moblin would drive interest in their own Atom processors.

That interest could be enough to hold off the tide of ARM-based rival devices that have begun to impinge on netbooks, MIDs and other mobile devices running Atom processors.  Intel will remain a strong component of future Moblin development, not least because it has poached top coders from rival Linux organizations to work on the platform.

What remains to be seen is whether Intel will stand in the way of developers looking to open up Moblin's code for non-Intel processors.  That would broaden the OS' appeal, certainly, but perhaps at the cost of Atom sales.  Time will tell whether Intel are prioritizing establishing Moblin as its own brand or simply as a route for more Atom growth.

[via UMPC Portal]