Dell, Canonical Introduce Ubuntu Moblin Remix

Canonical’s relationship with Dell has faced intense scrutiny in recent months, but the partners showed unity today by unveiling Ubuntu Moblin Remix Developer Edition. The offering, based on Moblin version 2, is optimized for Dell’s Inspiron Mini 10v netbook. Here are some more details plus some analysis of the Canonical-Dell relationship.

Here’s the most timely news of all: The Dell Inspiron Mini 10v with Ubuntu Moblin Remix Developer Edition pre-installed will be available starting Sept. 24 at www.dell.com/ubuntu.

According to a joint press release, Ubuntu Moblin Developer Edition “gives developer communities a great platform to develop and test Moblin and associated applications.”

The press release goes on to state:

Dell also weighed in with a prepared statement from John Thode, VP of small screen devices for Dell’s consumer business. He said:

The Bigger Picture

For starters, today’s news mitigates potential concern about Moblin pushing aside Ubuntu as a popular mobile Linux operating system. Instead, the Dell-Canonical effort allows Moblin services and the Moblin graphical user interface to run atop Ubuntu.

Dell has taken some heat in recent weeks. Critics note that Dell’s U.S. website has not offered a desktop PC with Ubuntu pre-installed since at least July.

Sources close to Canonical and Dell have insisted that the Dell-Canonical relationship remains strong, with more desktops and portable systems on the drawing board.

Today’s news should erase any potential concerns about the Dell-Canonical relationship. But Dell’s promise to re-introduce desktop PCs with Ubuntu remains unfulfilled as of this writing.

Follow WorksWithU via Identi.ca, Twitter and RSS (available now) and our newsletter (coming soon).