Mer is a mobile-oriented software distribution, targeted at hardware vendors to serve as base for Linux-based operating systems.[1] It is a fork of MeeGo.[2][3]
History
Its aim was initially to provide a completely free alternative to the Maemo operating system, which was able to run on Nokia Internet Tablets such as the N800 and N810 (collectively known as the N8x0 devices).
It was based on Ubuntu 9.04, and with the release of Maemo 5/Fremantle, a new goal emerged: "[To bring] as much of Fremantle as we can get on the N8x0."
Shift to MeeGo
Mer suspended development at release 0.17, since focus had switched to building MeeGo for the N800 and N810 devices.[4] By then, MeeGo was available and supported by a much wider community.
Collapse of MeeGo
The development was silently resumed during the summer of 2011 by a handful of MeeGo developers (some of them previously active in the Mer project), after Nokia changed their strategy in February 2011. These developers were not satisfied with the way MeeGo had been governed behind closed doors especially after Nokia departed, and they were also concerned that MeeGo heavily depended on big companies which could stop supporting it, as was the case when Nokia abandoned MeeGo as part of their new strategy.
This was once again proven to be a problem after Intel, Samsung and the Linux Foundation announced they are going to create a new operating system called Tizen which will abandon most of the MeeGo legacy and especially application development APIs, focusing on HTML5 and using the Enlightenment Foundation Libraries (EFL) instead of Qt for native applications.
Revival
After the Tizen project was announced, the revival of the Mer project was announced on the MeeGo mailing list,[2] with the promise that it will be developed and governed completely in the open as a meritocracy, unlike MeeGo and Tizen. Also, it will be based on the MeeGo code base and tools, aiming to provide just the equivalent of the MeeGo core with no default UI. The APIs for 3rd party application development are included, meaning that Qt, EFL and HTML5 would be all supported on the platform, and maybe even others if widely requested.
The project quickly started to gain traction among many open source developers who were previously involved in MeeGo, and it started being used by former MeeGo projects, such as the former MeeGo reference handset UX, now rebased on top of Mer and called Nemo Mobile, and a couple of projects targeting tablet UXes such as Cordia (a reimplementation of the Maemo 5 Hildon UX) and Plasma Active emerged on top of Mer. Equivalent Mer-based project of the former MeeGo IVI and Smart TV UXes are not yet known to exist.
One aim of the Mer community is to create, in a solid way, what previously was unable to be done with MeeGo; Mer is to become what MeeGo was expected to be but has not become. Also the Mer in future can become the MeeGo 2.0 when the Linux Foundation will assume it comply all MeeGo requirements as needed.
Goals
Some goals[5] of the project are:
- Openly developed with transparency built into the fabric of the project
- Provide a mobile device oriented architecture
- Primary customers are device vendors - not end-users.
- Have structure, processes and tools to make life easy for device manufacturers
- Support innovation in the mobile OS space
- Inclusive of projects and technologies (eg MeeGo/Tizen/Qt/EFL/HTML5)
- Governed as a meritocracy
- Run as a non profit through donations[6]
Architecture
Mer just provides the equivalent of the MeeGo core. The former Meego user interfaces and hardware adaptation are to be done by various other projects and by hardware manufacturers, which will be able to build their products on top of the Mer core.
Supported hardware
Mer supports builds for the Intel x86, ARM architecture and MIPS architectures. As the core distribution, it can be used with any hardware, if there is a proper kernel on which Mer can be settled and run with, what provides a running Linux system.
There are Mer-based builds available for various devices, including Raspberry Pi, Beagleboard, Nokia N900, Nokia N950, Nokia N9 and for various Intel Atom-based tablets. These also include hardware adaptation packages and various UXes running on top of Mer as well, provided by different projects. They can be flashed on the device and might work in dual-boot mode with the original firmware.[7]
Products based on Mer
Vivaldi
In January 2012 a tablet device, eventually known as 'Vivaldi', was announced. Based on an ARM CPU, it would have a 7" multitouch display, run the Plasma Active user interface on top of Mer, and have a target price of about €200.[8] The project encountered some problems when its hardware partner in China completely changed the internal components and was reluctant to release the kernel source for the new hardware. As of early July 2012, the Vivaldi had been set back, but a solution was "in the pipes", according to Plasma developer Aaron Seigo.[9]
Sailfish OS
In July 2012 Jolla, a Finnish company founded by former Nokia employees involved in MeeGo development, announced their work on a new operating system called Sailfish OS, which is based on MeeGo and Mer's core. It was presented in late November 2012. Jolla intends to release their first smartphone product in 2013.[10]
See also
References
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