SMALL WONDER - Linux Magazine

ReviewsMoblinMoblin: Radically Different Netbook DistroSmallWonderYang MingQi, 123RFThis alternative desktop is designed specifically for computers harboring Intel’s Atom processor.By Dmitri PopovAlmost all currently available netbookshave one thing in common:They are powered by Intel’sAtom processor designed specificallyfor low-cost, ultra-portable devices.To help hardware manufacturers andusers get the most out of machinesbased on the new processor, Intellaunched the Moblin project [1], aLinux-based operating system heavilyoptimized for the Atom chip. The goal ofthe project is not only to build an OSthat boots and works fast, but also to designa radically new and more efficientinterface. Although it was conceived byIntel, the Moblin project is now managedby the Linux Foundation. Moblin isstill in beta, but it’s pretty usable andgives a good impression of what you canexpect from this new distribution.Getting StartedMoblin is distributed as an image filethat you can directly write to a USB stickby running as root:dd bs=4096 if=path/to/imagefile Uof=/path/to/usbdriveFigure 1: Managing network interfaces in Moblin.Then you can use that USB stick to bootMoblin in Live mode or install it on yournetbook. After a short boot sequence,Moblin drops you into a graphical desktopenvironment that differs radicallyfrom conventional desktops such asKDE, Gnome, and Xfce. The new interfaceis based on Clutter, an open sourcesoftware library for creating fast, visuallyrich, portable, and animated graphicaluser interfaces. Moblin does away with44 ISSUE 109 December 2009

MoblinReviewsthe desktop metaphor and introduces insteada tabbed drop-down toolbar thatprovides quick access to the system’skey multimedia, web, and social networkingfeatures.Designed for devices that rely heavilyon an Internet connection, Moblin providesa dedicated user-friendly connectionmanager that lets you configure andmanage different types of Internet connections,including WiFi, wired, 3G, andWiMAX. To open the manager, click onthe Networks icon in the main toolbar.This opens the Networks panel, whereyou can configure the available networkconnections (Figure 1). Also, you canturn specific network interfaces on andoff or disable all network connections altogether.The latter can come in handywhen you work offline and want to savebattery power.ZonesAll applications and activities in Moblinare organized in zones, which arevaguely similar to the virtual desktops ofthe traditional graphical environments.When you launch an application, Moblinprompts you to choose a zone for it.Closing all applications in a specificzone automatically closes the zone itself.The myzone home screen, however, isdifferent (Figure 2): It comprises a staticthree-column layout that provides accessto your favorite applications and aggregatesyour activities. The left column offersa quick overview of your upcomingcalendar events and contains shortcutsto your favorite applications (the defaultfavorites include the media player, webbrowser, and calendar applications).The middle column acts as a containerthat stores shortcuts to recently used applicationsand documents. For example,when you open a web page in the builtinbrowser, a shortcut of the page, completewith thumbnail image, is automaticallyadded to the middle column of themyzone window. Finally, the right columndisplays data from the active webservices. By default, this column containsa shortcut to the web servicespanel where you can configure yourLast.fm and Twitter accounts. Onceyou’ve done that, the updates from bothservices appear in the right column ofmyzone.Basically, myzone combines the functionsof an application launcher, a socialFigure 2: Myzone acts as a home screen.aggregator, and a shortcut manager. Thismight sound like Moblin’s developerstried to cram too many features into onesmall screen, but thanks to the clever design,the myzone concept works surprisinglywell.The main toolbar also provides quickaccess to key applications and tasks. Asthe name suggests, the Internet tabopens the Web browsing interface, consistingof a launchpad and a browser(Figure 3). You can use the Internet fieldin the launchpad to enter a direct URL ora search term. Entering a URL opens thespecified URL in the browser window,whereas entering a search term returnssearch results from Yahoo!.The launchpad also displays currentlyopened browser tabs and the most visitedweb sites as thumbnails, so all yourfavorite destinations and currentlyviewed pages are only a click away. TheFigure 3: Browser launchpad.browser is based on Mozilla’s GeckoHTML rendering engine, so it’s fast anddoes an excellent job of rendering webpages (Figure 4). The browser supportstabs, and it comes bundled with theFlash plugin. Other features are few: Youcan bookmark a current page by clickingon the pin icon in the address bar, butthat’s pretty much it.The built-in media player is also lighton features, but it offers a slick and easyway to browse and play media content.The Pasteboard utility allows you tostore items from the clipboard for lateruse. Unlike a traditional clipboard, Pasteboardis not cleared between reboots, soyour items stay there until you deletethem manually.ApplicationsThe Applications tab opens the softwaremanagement and system settings sectionDecember 2009ISSUE 10945

ReviewsMoblinthe desired application adds it to themyzone home screen.Figure 4: The built-in browser supports tabs and sports a clean, functional interface.(Figure 5). All preinstalled applicationsare organized into the Accessories,Games, Internet, Media, and Officegroups. The default software selectioncovers all the basics: The File BrowserFigure 5: Applications in Moblin are organized into groups.lets you browse the local storage devices;the Terminal lets you access thecommand line; and the Messenger applicationtakes care of all your messagingneeds. Clicking on the pin icon next toFigure 6: The Sync app lets you synchronize data between your netbook and any SyncMLcompatibleservice.Sync and SettingsOne of the most interesting tools bundledwith Moblin is Sync, which lets yousynchronize data between your netbookand any service that supports theSync ML standard (Figure 6). Out of thebox, Sync works with the Funambol,Google, and ScheduleWorld services. Dependingon which service you use, youcan sync calendar data, contacts, tasks,and to-do lists. Configuring any of thedefault services is as easy as providingyour credentials and specifying the syncdirection.The Settings group acts as a controlpanel that lets you configure different aspectsof the system. The Manage Applicationsapplet lets you install and removeapplications from Moblin’s softwarerepository with the gpk‐applicationtool. Currently, the software repositorydoesn’t offer a lot, but expect this tochange as Moblin matures and gets moretraction.Using the Update Your Computer applet,you can install the available updates,whereas the Software Update Preferencesapplet allows you to scheduleautomatic update checks.Final WordOf all netbook-specific Linux distros currentlyin development, Moblin is withouta doubt the most interesting. It representsa bold attempt to replace the traditionaldesktop with an alternative shelldesigned specifically for small-screen devices.The intuitive interface providesquick access to all essential features andactivities, making the computing experienceboth efficient and enjoyable.The learning curve is virtually flat,which makes the transition from the traditionaldesktop pretty painless andcould be the key to Moblin’s successamong typical netbook users. Under-thehoodoptimizations and tweaks makeMoblin one of the fastest distros around.It boots in a matter of seconds and performsvery well. Overall, although Moblinis still not ready for prime time, itshows a lot of promise. nINFO[1] Moblin: http:// moblin. org/46 ISSUE 109 December 2009