FAQ

Submitted by Noel, updated on 19 May 2009
Q Will Moblin run on my iPhone/n800/iPaq/etc.?
Moblin is focused on providing an open source Linux-based system for
next generation devices, primarily those based on Intel Atom* hardware,
so the Moblin project will not support Moblin on devices that require
'hacking' to run Linux or alternative distributions.
Q Will Moblin run on my laptop?
You may be able to run Moblin on your laptop, if it has similar
specifications to supported netbooks. It's not our intention to provide wide
support for laptop or desktop machines.
Q Will Moblin run on my netbook?
Yes, you can boot from either a live USB image (this will not touch
the OS on your system), or install Moblin onto your system.
Q Is Moblin really open source or are there any hidden proprietary
pieces?
Everything released on moblin.org is open source. There are no
hidden proprietary pieces. However, third parties may make distributions
based on Moblin and they can add proprietary software (for example,
audio and video codecs).
Q If I buy a netbook, will it be running Moblin?
That will depend on who manufactured your netbook and when it was
made. Please refer to the documentation that came with the netbook. If
it doesn't mention Moblin, then it's probably not based on Moblin,
although it may have many of the same components installed.
Q Is Moblin v2.0 based on another distribution?
Moblin v2.0 borrows components from various distributions, but is not based on another distribution.
Q What package formats does Moblin use?
Our current build of Moblin v2.0 is made available in the LSB standard RPM packaging format. However, the packaging format does not really impact how the distribution operates. It's quite possible that we, or someone else, will create future builds using the DPKG format.
Q How do I get support for Moblin?
You can jump in and ask questions on IRC at #moblin on freenode, or join our mailing list.
Q I think I've found a bug in Moblin, how do I report it?
Please report bugs in our Bugzilla at: http://bugzilla.moblin.org/
Q What is Infotainment?
Broadly defined, infotainment refers to all digital applications that can be used by occupants of a vehicle, including internal connectivity, navigation and location-based services, external communications, and radio.
Q What is an Open Infotainment Platform (OIP)?
Open Infotainment Platforms speed innovation, reduce development costs, and reduce time to market by combining open source software, advanced low-power hardware and a robust ecosystem supported by an online community of resources. An OIP enables automotive OEMs and manufacturers to deploy a common hardware and software architecture that can be scaled across IVI system product lines and generations.
Q Why did Moblin create an IVI community?
As consumer device technology is integrated into vehicles, there are many consumer electronics development efforts that can be beneficial to the automotive community. With the introduction of the Moblin IVI community, application developers can now extend the reach of their apps to the automotive marketplace through the Moblin IVI community.