MeeGo is the new Linux-based operating system borne out of the ashes merger of Moblin and Maemo. While the two groups merged just last month, the folks at SlashPhone are reporting that the first version of MeeGo will be available by the end of March.

The new build will be compatible with Intel Atom-powered netbooks as well as the Nokia N900 internet tablet which currently runs Maemo.

It’s not entirely clear what the new OS will look like, as a lot of the project is “still under discussion.” But it doesn’t sound like it will be long before talk turns to action.

Are you looking forward to seeing MeeGo? Or are you happy with your current netbook operating system choices?

The Jolicloud team has announced that the final release of Jolicloud “Robby” is due out before the end of the month. The update will incorporate a number of features we’ve already told you about, including support for Intel Atom Pine Trail and VIA C7-M processors. But there are two major new features:

1. The web app platform will be based on the Google Chrome browser rather than Mozilla Prism
2. There’s a new desktop mode designed for nettops and other computers with screens larger than 11 inches

The desktop mode makes a lot of sense, since there are plenty of nettops out there with the same guts as netbooks (Intel Atom processors, Windows XP or 7, integrated graphics or NVIDIA ION). But the move from Prism to Chrome for the web apps is a pretty big deal.

According to the folks at Jolicloud, this will lead to a faster browsing experience, more efficient memory use, and support for Chrome extensions in all web apps. It will also help performance on ARM-based netbooks and tablets.

The default web browser for Jolicloud is still Firefox. But the Chrome rendering engine will handle all the web apps you’ve “installed” on your system.

The new release will also be the first that the Jolicloud team says is compatible with 100% of the netbooks on the market with Intel processors. That includes systems with older Intel Celeron CPUs or the latest Atom Pine Trail chips as well as computers with NVIDIA ION graphics or Broadcom Crystal HD video accelerators.

Back in 2008 when a significant percentage of netbooks were shipping with Linux rather than Windows, Linpus Linux Lite looked like a major player. Acer had tapped the folks at Linpus to design the OS for its first generation of 8.9 inch netbooks and the future was looking bright.

A year and a half later, more than 90% of netbooks are shipping with Windows XP or Windows 7 Starter Edition and Linux distributions such as Linpus and Xandros aren’t looking quite so exciting. Of course, that could change as smartbooks with ARM-based processors start to hit the market, since they’re not capable of running Windows.

Anyway, if you’ve been wondering what Linpus has been up to, jkkmobile caught up with the company at CeBIT this week and shot a video overview of the latest version of the Linpus Linux Lite netbook operating system.

The user interface has been overhauled, and it’s easier to customize the tab-based program launcher. On the right side of the screen are a series of tabs for things like “Games,” or “Internet.” Click on a tab, and you can add icons for favorite programs in each category. You can now create as many tabs as you’d like, and re-order them by dragging and dropping.

Honestly, I think the UI makes more sense for a touchscreen device than a netbook with a keyboard and touchpad. But maybe we’ll see Linpus on one of the 15,000 upcoming iPad competitors one day.

Video after the break.

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The Intel Atom chips found in most netbooks include some nifty power management features that makes it easy to overclock or underclock the CPU depending on whether you want to prioritize performance or long battery life. Asus and a handful of other PC makers make it incredibly easy to toggle between high performance and power saving modes with software such as the Asus Super Hybrid Engine. But if you’re running a version of Linux that didn’t come with your netbook, you might not have access to these tools. And that’s where Jupiter comes in.

This Linux utility adds a power management applet to your system tray. You can use Jupiter to switch between maximum performance, high performance, and power saving modes. Jupiter also lets you adjust your computer’s screen resolution and orientation. And you can click a button to disable your netbook’s WiFi, webcam, or other hardware to save power when you don’t need those features.

Jupiter is based on the eeetray applet EeePC ACPI Utilities designed for Asus Eee PC netbooks. It should work with Ubuntu and other Debian-based Linux distributions. There’s also an RPM package available, which suggests that it should also work with Fedora, Red Hat, and similar Linux distributions.

via Netbooked and OMG Ubuntu

Ubuntu Netbook Edition is a version of the popular Ubuntu Linux operating system that’s been optimized to play well with netbooks with small screens and low power processors. So far the Ubuntu Netbook folks have focused primarily on machines with Intel Atom processors — which covers most of the netbooks currently on the market. But with a number of smartbooks with ARM-based processors poised to hit the streets soon, the folks behind Ubuntu Netbook Edition wanted to make sure the OS could support a wider range of hardware.

Ubuntu developer Jamie Bennett says the primary stumbling block was the fact that the Ubuntu Netbook user interface needed 3D hardware drivers, which aren’t necessarily available for all ARM-based chipsets at the moment. So they rewrote the user interface for the ARM version of Ubuntu Netbook Edition to use 2D Enlightenment Foundation Libraries instead of 3D hardware support to provide graphical effects.

The long and short of it is, that most users won’t be able to see a difference between the Ubuntu Netbook Edition user interface on an ARM or x86-based device. The changes will all be under the hood. As an added bonus, the EFL-based version of the program launcher is easier to theme than the current 3D program launcher.

via Slashdot

I normally stay away from covering smartphones at Liliputing. But when the smartphone in question is a tablet-sized device with an x86-based Intel Moorestown CPU, a huge display, and also happens to be one of the first devices slated to run the new MeeGo Linux operating system? Yeah, that warrants a mention.

Gearlog reports that the LG GW990 will be based on MeeGo. Right now the pre-release version of phone features a custom user interface on top of Moblin Linux, so it won’t be a huge stretch to move to MeeGo, which is basically what we’re going to have when the Moblin and Maemo folks finish combining their code.

There’s not much more information about the platform, but the GW990 is a rather unusual phone with a 4.8 inch, 1024 x 480 pixel display and an 1850mAh battery good for 4 hours of talk time.

via Engadget

The companies behind the Moblin Linux interface for netbooks and Maemo Linux-based OS for Nokia Internet Tablets such as the Nokia N900 have announced that they’re merging the two projects to form one uber-OS designed for netbooks, tablets, mobile devices, in-vehicle entertainment systems, and internet-connected televisions.

The new OS is called MeeGo, and there’s not much information about what it will look like yet, but the first devices based on MeeGo are due out in Q2, 2010.

Like Moblin, MeeGo will be hosted by the Linux Foundation. One of the coolest features of the new OS is that it will be able to run applications from the Nokia Ovi Store and Intel’s AppUp Center.

via Download Squad

Indamixx has been putting out custom netbooks designed for creating and editing music for a year or two now. Basically, Indamixx offers an off-the-shelf netbook like an MSI Wind U100 that’s been tweaked with extra RAM and loaded up with a custom Linux distribution and tons of open source audio production software. Now the company is offering Indamixx Portable Studio USB Stick Version for netbooks and laptops.

The $149 2GB USB stick comes preloaded with same OS and all the same software you would get if you purchased an Indamixx netbook. But you can use your existing netbook, which should save you some money (if you already have a netbook). For $69, you can also download the Indamixx software as an ISO file.

Theoretically you could install Ubuntu or another Linux distribution yourself and load much of the same software that’s available from Indamixx. But the Indamixx solution does offer a few features tht would be hard to come by elsewhere, including ArdourXchange, which is a Pro Tools compatible protocol for the open source Ardour digital audio workstation. The OS also uses a zero-latency kernel.

via TMCnet

Eeebuntu is a popular Linux distribution designed to play well with netbooks. It’s optimized for laptops with small screens and Intel Atom processors. And as you can probably guess from the name, it was originally designed as a custom version of Ubuntu Linux for Asus Eee PC netbooks. Today the Eeebuntu team launched the first public beta of Eeebuntu 4.0, which drops the Ubuntu base for Debian Linux.

Unfortunately, the servers are getting hammered right now, so you might have to wait a little while to download Eeebuntu 4.0 Beta. Riccardo at Eee PC.it grabbed a screenshot (shown above) before the site went down, and it looks like Eeebuntu 4.0 ditches the Ubuntu Netbook Remix interface for a desktop with a dock-style application launcher and a single panel at the top of the screen. Update: Users can also install the Netbook Remix interface from the Eeebuntu repositories. It may be available out of the box after Eeebuntu 4.0 leaves beta.

I can’t say for certain whether all the applications in the dock are included with Eeebuntu out of the box, but I spot icons for the Google Chrome and Firefox web browsers, Skype and Pidgin communication software, Thunderbird email client, GIMP image editor, VLC media player, and OpenOffice.org office software. There are a few icons I don’t recognize.

Anyone have a chance to download and try Eeebuntu 4.0 Beta yet? Let us know what you think in the comments.

thanks Bennett!

Ubuntu Netbook Edition is a light weight version of Ubuntu Linux optimized for netbooks. It used to be called Ubuntu Netbook Remix, but this spring it willВ  graduate from “remix” to “edition” status. The operating system is designed to play well with low resolution displays, limited storage capacity, slow processors, and it’s specifically optimized for machines with Intel Atom CPUs. But one thing that’s always puzzled me about Ubuntu Netbook Remix is that some of the applications that come preloaded by default just don’t make that much sense on a netbook.

For instance, why do you need the Brasero disc burning software on a device with no optical disc drive? It’s not like Brasero takes up all that much space, but some netbooks don’t have much disk space to start with, so every megabyte counts.

Now it looks like the Ubuntu team is stripping Brasero and a number of other programs from the list of applications to come preloaded with the next version of Ubuntu Linux. Also missing from the latest nightly builds are the PalmOS Pilot software, and Openoffice.org.

OpenOffice.org is an open source alternative to Microsoft Office, and it comes with a word processor, spreadsheet app, database builder, and presentation application. I wouldn’t say you don’t need these things on a netbook. But some people will prefer to use web-based solutions such as Zoho or Google Docs. And others might simply not use a netbook for editing office docs at all. So I can’t say I blame the Ubuntu Netbook Edition team for stripping a OpenOffice.org from the default installation. It does take up a couple hundred megabytes of disk space, and if you really want it you can always download and install it yourself.

What else would you like to see added or removed from Ubuntu Netbook Edition?

via OMG Ubuntu