(Is It Possible) MeeGo on Nokia Booklet 3G??

[IsaacDFP]

I was just wondering, being the one and only netbook/laptop (or even computer) that Nokia has ever built, why can't the newly Nokia/Intel OS be able to run on it? I have to admit I am not too familiar with the entire process, but i understand it has something to do with the Nokia Booklet 3G's chipset. That netbook is perfect for me (HDMI-out, 3G, Wifi, Bluetooth are my must-have, plus 720p screen is a bonus) and I would really love to support MeeGo, but I have heard it isn't compatible ( http://forum.meego.com/showthread.php?t=264 ). I was just wondering, it is just a question of time, until somebody figures out how to write some drivers, or will it never be possible?

If never possible, do you guys know if Nokia plans to release a 2nd netbook eventually? Or at least do you guys know any other 3G netbook that also support WiFi, Bluetooth, and HDMI connectivity?

Thanks in advance

[lucas777]

Because Meego will only run on certain CPUs there is a list in the wiki that tells what what is and wont run

[IsaacDFP]

Apple Computer are now fully capable of running Windows OS... I don't know why cpu restrictions cannot be lifted... So just to confirm, you are saying MeeGo will NEVER be able to run on GMA500? (Or is it up to Nokia/Intel to decide if one say it will be supported?)

[ZShakespeare]

MeeGo requires GPU acceleration support to run. The people behind MeeGo have decided not to include any support for proprietary hardware, this includes any device with Nvidia, ATi. or in this case the Intel GMA 500 which uses a PowerVR core. So unless someone else (Novell maybe) decides to roll their own MeeGo distribution with support it will not be possible.

For what it's worth I tried using Ubuntu's Moblin remix, and even with the proprietary drivers installed, I couldn't get the Moblin interface running. so who knows.

[IsaacDFP]

Ahh, thank you very much for the explanation. So if I understand correctly, MeeGo will never see the day on a full modern desktop pc (by modern, i mean like quad-core, powerful video cards, over 4gb of ram)? So it's *only* meant to be used as a mobile/very simple OS?

And also... any word from a newer Nokia Booklet ever coming out? :S

[mmurfin87]

MeeGo requires GPU acceleration support to run. The people behind MeeGo have decided not to include any support for proprietary hardware, this includes any device with Nvidia, ATi.

MeeGo FAIL

[wmarone]

MeeGo FAIL

Hardly. No distro includes the proprietary drivers for various video cards, they only provide a means to automatically fetch them. No one's added this to MeeGo, but if you're willing to contribute your time, then feel free.

As for the GMA500, there's been some work but if people want it in MeeGo, they should put up the effort.

[ZShakespeare]

To be fair no Linux distro has support for high end graphics on the same level as windows. Even MacOS has relatively lackluster performance relative to a windows machine with the same hardware. As the market for these drivers expands the companies that develop them will make them better.

As for MeeGo, like I said, even with the proprietary drivers installed for my Nvidia card, I wasn't able to get Moblin's interface to work. I'm not sure what the problem is, but from what I could find it's just that anything but non-intel (and non gma500) cards are simply not supported. Hopefully this will change soon, because ignoring the ION netbooks could be a mistake.

[wmarone]

ignoring the ION netbooks could be a mistake.

It's easier to support the Intel chips because the drivers are totally open. If people want to make the other drivers work, sure, but they'll have to do the heavy lifting.

[ZShakespeare]

The point is that every single other mainstream linux distro is able to take advantage of 3d acceleration provided by proprietary drivers and use a compositing system. The problem with Moblin, and I presume MeeGo has the same problem because I can't get that to work either, is that even WITH those proprietary drivers installed and working I (and others) can't get the MeeGo environment to run. Other environments work fine, as does compiz, but the MeeGo UX does not, and presumably requires an intel gpu. So the real question is why doesn't it work? I have no good answer for that.

This is also the same reason it doesn't run in virtualbox/vmware. There isn't even a non-accelerated fallback.

[IsaacDFP]

The part I don't understand is, this is Intel we are talking about... It's not a software-based company that developped Moblin and its new brother MeeGo, but it's a pure hardware corporation, and one of the best on top of that. And they don't plan on adding support for their very own previous chipsets...? I am really curious to see what the future holds for Meego. What kind of netbook is Intel planning on running MeeGo as the main OS?

And also, could anybody please answer, will MeeGo support 3G connectivity? Like going online with a sim card in the netbook. Will it be able to recognize that connection or will it purely be Bluetooth/WiFi based?

Many thanks in advance.

[gerbick]

I don't get why MeeGo wouldn't have software renderer modes/methods for the unsupported chipsets. It's not like the CPU isn't up to snuff for some transitions and effects.

[wmarone]

The part I don't understand is, this is Intel we are talking about... It's not a software-based company that developped Moblin and its new brother MeeGo, but it's a pure hardware corporation, and one of the best on top of that. And they don't plan on adding support for their very own previous chipsets...?
The problem is that the GMA500 is, effectively, not their own chipset. They made a terrible mistake in licensing the PowerVR core, and have a borderline impossible task in dealing with Imagination when working on a Linux driver, especially since no other chipset from them uses that core and all the others have open source drivers.

I am really curious to see what the future holds for Meego. What kind of netbook is Intel planning on running MeeGo as the main OS?
Intel isn't planning on running it on anything. They're just ensuring that the hardware in their scope is covered. If Nvidia (or a 3rd party) wants to add support for those chips, then they can add them. The only hard requirement for MeeGo is 3D acceleration for the -entire UI-, and software fallback was deprecated.

And also, could anybody please answer, will MeeGo support 3G connectivity? Like going online with a sim card in the netbook. Will it be able to recognize that connection or will it purely be Bluetooth/WiFi based?
No reason it shouldn't.

I don't get why MeeGo wouldn't have software renderer modes/methods for the unsupported chipsets. It's not like the CPU isn't up to snuff for some transitions and effects.
Software implementation of most effects would be terribly slow, especially on ATOM. You'd spend a disproportionate amount of CPU power rendering graphical effects and less time in a low power state (all the while feeding power to a useless graphics chip.) Deprecating software rendering enforces the hardware requirement.

[IsaacDFP]

Huge thanks to you wmarone for your great answers (and the others too of course). You made me further understand the concept of MeeGo. From what I can gather...it's not really meant to be run on a computer... it's amazing for a handheld device (or a car i guess?) but im disappointed for the lack of computer support is offers. Or perhaps it is still very early... But in my mind and my perfect dream (lol), Nokia would eventually release the perfect succesor to the Nokia Booklet 3G and it will be made for MeeGo with full support. And I thought Intel would be far more implicated, outside of just developping MeeGo, to start focusing hardware equipment for new netbooks running MeeGo.

[qwenjis]

# CPU: Intel Atom or Intel Core 2 CPU (support for SSSE3)
Note: MeeGo will not work on non-SSSE3 CPUs
# Platforms with the GMA-500, Nvidia, or ATI graphics chipsets are not supported
That's a short answer without wall of text. Booklet 3G doesn't support SSE3

[jsa]

That's a short answer without wall of text. Booklet 3G doesn't support SSE3

First of all, the requirement is SSSE3, not just SSE3. The Booklet 3g's Atom Z530 supports both. It's the graphics that's the culprit. From what I've read around there are only drivers for older X server versions, not the 1.8 used in MeeGo.