6 Open Source Mobile Operating Systems that You Can Actually Develop Yourself

If I say that Open Source mobile OS are ruling the world of mobile devices, it won’t be an exaggeration.

6 Open Source Moblie OS

Just to mention, the list is not in any priority or chronological order. Let’s see what open source mobile operating systems do we have.

1. Tizen

Tizen is an open source, Linux based mobile operating system which is often dubbed as official Linux mobile OS for the reason that the project is supported by the Linux Foundation. Apart from Linux Foundation, Tizen project is supported by tech giants Samsung and Intel. Initially slotted for late 2013 release, it was only in January’15 that the first Tizen phone, Samsung Z was released in South Asian market. Unfortunately Samsung Z failed to get much attention in a competitive Indian market. It will be interesting to see how it features in the next releases as more devices running Tizen OS comes in market.

2. Firefox OS

No need to guess that Firefox OS is an open source project from Mozilla Firefox, the parent of famous open source web browser. It created quite some ripples with the announcement of Firefox OS based smartphones that cost only $25. The aim was to target the emerging markets like Brasil, India etc. Unfortunately, the low price tag alone could not make Firefox OS the Raspberry Pi of mobile devices and like Tizen, Firefox OS too did not get any success with its ZTE devices. Firefox now plans to shift its focus from low cost device to user experience with Firefox OS.

3. Sailfish OS

When Nokia decided to ditch the MeeGo mobile OS project, few unsatisfied Nokia employee decided to keep MeeGo alive in the form of Sailfish OS. Their flagship product Jolla has met with moderate success and has dedicated fan following. MeeGo was supposed to continued by Linux Foundation in the form of Tizen but over the time Tizen evolved on its own and cannot be termed as MeeGo derivative anymore. The same is true for Sailfish OS, core OS of which is based on Mer project which itself is based on the work from MeeGo.

4. Ubuntu Touch

The king of desktop Linux world, Ubuntu decided to expand its territories with its open source mobile operating system Ubuntu Touch. Keeping convergence in mind, Canonical (parent company of Ubuntu) ambitiously launched $32 million crowdfunding campaign to build the first Ubuntu Phone, Edge. Though it failed to get the destined amount, it still set a new record with over $12 million pledged in its campaign.
After the failed crowdfunding campaign, Canonical tied up with some device manufacturers to launch Ubuntu Phone. Spanish manufacturer bq became the first device running Ubuntu Touch in February’15. It was soon followed by Chinese manufacturer Meizu. It is too soon to gauge the success or failure of Ubuntu phones because these first few devices aim at developers. This is the reason why I advised to not buy bq Ubuntu Phone just now.
Irrespective of the fate of devices, Ubuntu Touch is here to stay. This is evident from the fact that Canonical plans to change the debian packaging on Ubuntu by Ubuntu Touch and IoT friendly Snappy packages.

5. Plasma Mobile

Last week itself, KDE announced its own open source mobile OS Plasma Mobile. Based on Kubuntu, Plasma Mobile is mobile version of desktop Plasma user interface that aims to provide convergence to KDE users. The OS is in experimental phase and can be tested on Lg Nexus 5 devices. It will be interesting to see if Plasma Mobile gets a hardware deal in near future.

6.Android Mobile OS

Android is a mobile operating system developed by Google, based on the Linux kernel and designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Android's user interface is mainly based on direct manipulation, using touch gestures that loosely correspond to real-world actions, such as swiping, tapping and pinching, to manipulate on-screen objects, along with a virtual keyboard for text input. In addition to touchscreen devices, Google has further developed Android TV for televisions, Android Auto for cars, and Android Wear for wrist watches, each with a specialized user interface. Variants of Android are also used on notebooks, game consoles, digital cameras, and other electronics.

Hope this help you for Develop your Own Mobile Operating System.. Enjoy:)