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Linux launches operating system at the mobile industry

One technical goal of the Mobile Linux Initiative will be to bring software enhancements to the mainline kernel, the heart of the operating system. The kernel is maintained by Linux leader Linus Torvalds and his allies, who have preferred to work on mainstream enhancements rather than on features geared specifically to embedded computing devices such as mobile phones, robot controllers and automated teller machines.

"The handset manufacturers' deeply embedded requirements are...not making their way back into the kernel," Cohen said.

Although Torvalds is employed by OSDL, his work is independent from the various industry initiatives at the Beaverton, Ore.-based organization. Less than a year ago, Torvalds expressed scepticism about bringing some embedded features to the mainline kernel.

But Weinberg believes the Mobile Linux Initiative can find a way to bring some features into the kernel -- for example, by setting up an overarching mechanism to deal with power management.

Slowing processors down during idle moments is critical to preserve batteries in mobile phones, but that power-management approach is now also used to preserve mobile computer battery power and to cut electricity consumption and waste heat in servers. But what makes power management hard to handle is that processor makers are all using different interfaces, Weinberg said.

"That kind of hardware divergence needs to be captured in a single umbrella technology more aligned with the mainstream kernel," Weinberg said.

Another challenge the group will tackle will be to handle mobile phone "baseband" processors, the part of the chip that deals with radio communication tasks. Today, a "real-time" operating system with a very fast response time to high-priority interruptions is most often used in the baseband component, but OSDL wants Linux to arrive there, too. Right now, Weinberg said, Linux can keep up with the 800-microsecond response time necessary -- but not on a chip that slows down to conserve power or that juggles many different tasks.

Being able to support baseband processors' software will help Linux spread into mainstream phones, Weinberg said.

Setting up industry consortia can involve a lot of diplomacy, and the Mobile Linux Initiative is no exception.

One problem is that at least two similar projects already are under way: one at the Consumer Electronics Linux Forum and the Linux Phone Software Forum, set up by France Telecom and its allies.

ODSL's Cohen said the three groups are working closely together to sidestep turf problems.

"We spent a lot of time in the last 60 days to make sure there's a minimum amount of duplication of effort, no competitive issues, and that what we and they are doing is consistent and complementary," Cohen said.

Another potentially touchy area is the participation of MontaVista. It's not uncommon for a company that has an edge over competitors in a particular market to resist helping out consortia that will erode its advantage.

But MontaVista wanted to participate for a number of reasons, said Peder Ulander, MontaVista's vice president of marketing. For one thing, the initiative could help pull together many hardware and software companies into a united front -- and bring MontaVista's brand to new partners. For another, settling down basic software will help MontaVista concentrate on higher-level services such as support of TV and video.

If the effort succeeds, the result will be a simpler software environment for mobile phone makers and more widespread use of Linux, Weinberg said. "The handset manufacturers would like to see a single operating system, and Linux is a strong candidate," he said.