Bonum Certa Men Certa

The Mobile (GNU/) Linux World is Growing Beyond Android

Growing all around the world, in every continent

Travel



Summary: Geeksphone, Firefox OS, Sailfish OS, Tizen, Ubuntu, COS and WebOS show that Linux is not a one-horse race in mobile

NOBODY can say with a straight face that Linux is a failure. It has grown dominant in servers, phones, and increasingly in desktops too. It is a decent platform for gaming and it is a popular platform for development.



Other than Android there are several strong contenders that can gain significant market share. A few days ago we learned about Geeksphone, which boasts Firefox OS [1,2] among other operating systems. It's not just about Android anymore [3]. Sailfish OS too looks promising [4]. Jolla staff claims it will run Android apps. Sailfish OS now runs on Android devices [5] and makes headlines [6-7] because it sells very well in countries like Finland. Then there's Tizen [8-9], Ubuntu [10,11], and COS [12], making it seem like Linux domination in mobile is quite secure [13]. Even if Android ever faltered, there would be several competitors that are based on Linux (and are Free/libre software) ready to fill the gap. Even WebOS is no longer proprietary.

Related/contextual items from the news:


  1. The New ‘MultiOS’ Handset From Geeksphone
    Currently the Geeksphone is referring to the Firefox OS option using the original “Boot2Gecko by Mozilla” name, since Geeksphone isn’t licensed to use the Firefox brand or logo.


  2. Geeksphone Revolution specs revealed


  3. It’s Not Just Android: 3 Upcoming Linux Mobile Operating Systems
    Of the many mobile operating systems in the marketplace, Android has the largest share of users, and Android is based on Linux. It’s not surprising then to know that Linux is also the basis for several new (if slow-moving) operating systems for mobile devices (phone, tablet, phablet). Some are in production today, but most are still in the development stages. Then again, this is the rule for most products in mobility today.


  4. Linux Video of the Week: Sailfish Mobile OS Updates
    Jolla's Linux-based Sailfish project released its first handset in Finland this past November to favorable reviews. Since then the Meego-derived mobile operating system has publicized a few small, but interesting updates, including a new IRC client and a demo of the OS running on a Nexus 4 (watch the videos, below.)


  5. Sailfish OS Has Been Ported To The Google Nexus 4
    Hello Linux Geeksters. About an hour ago, a video of Sailfish OS running on a Google Nexus 4 smartphone has been uploaded on Youtube.


  6. Two Interesting Jolla Stories About The Icons And The “Do It Together” Ringtone From The Poppy Red


  7. Friends For Jolla’s Sailfish OS Has Been Updated Yet Again


  8. First Samsung Tizen smartphone makes an appearance
    It is known that Samsung has been working on Tizen-based smartphones since a long time now, but we have not seen any device emerge from that project yet. We might see the first Tizen smartphone launch at MWC this year. However before the official launch, a Korean website has already managed to publish an alleged picture of the Tizen-based Samsung ZEQ 9000 smartphone.


  9. Samsung has Tizen devices to show at MWC 2014
    Here is some good news for Tizen fans! Samsung has sent out invites for a February 23 event just ahead of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) at Barcelona. The invitation promises a sneak preview of the latest Tizen devices.


  10. Ubuntu not set for major mobile vendor backing until 2015 – report


  11. Ubuntu Touch and Tizen phones a no-show for 2014
    Will anyone ever be able to break Android and iOS’s stranglehold on the mobile landscape? Last year we saw signs that ‘someone’ might just be able to threaten them, with the first demonstrations of phones running Firefox OS, Tizen and Ubuntu Touch. But just when we were hoping that 2014 might be the breakthrough year, those hopes have quickly been dashed.


  12. New China-developed OS takes aim at Android, Windows


  13. How Linux dominates the mobile market
    Linux is a free and opensource operating system built by thousands of contributors across the world. The Linux kernel was developed by Linus Trovalds in 1991. Linux gained good traction after its release and in the years has become one of the most secure operating systems in the world. Linux is used by almost every organisation in the world at some point. Linux runs on mobile phones, tablets, servers, desktops, supercomputers and in embedded systems such as network routers, building automation controls, televisions and video game consoles. Linux was originally developed for Intel x86-based personal computers. Over the years, Linux been ported to other hardware platforms such as Arm, x86_64. It is a leading operating system on servers, mainframe computers and supercomputers.


Recent Techrights' Posts

Gemini Links 26/05/2026: A Year of Composting, Fedora Bricks Itself and Infuriates Users With Slop and Wayland (Not What Users Want, What IBM Wants), Crawlers on Geminispace a Nuisance
Links for the day
Good Thing When Home Appliances Are Ancient Antiques
dealing with the alarm has cost only time
The Bloating of the Web Contributes to Global Warming and Causes Burnout (Slowdown, Hardware Erosion, Waste)
This problem isn't limited to weather sites or subsites
Why It's Ludicrous to Call Us "Microsoft Haters"
Even if clustered together, news items still cover a broad spectrum (or spectra) of issues
The Old Ways of Computing Were Objectively Better
Not as fast, but certainly much better
 
The Media That Keeps Covering "AI" Because the Pushers of It Pay for Spam
23 times in the page they mention "AI"
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, May 26, 2026
IRC logs for Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Codecs and Software Patents - Part XI - The Stance of RMS (Dr. Stallman) Reassured GNU Regarding AV1
cautioned against software patents since the early 90s if not earlier
Google: We Are Locking You Out of Your Account (Since 15+ Years Ago) Because You Don't Have a Spyphone We Remotely Control
Google (GAFAM) is an evil company deep in debt
Red Hat: Bluewashing by IBM, Followed by RAs (Layoffs)
We could use some hints or evidence related to this
Links 26/05/2026: "Making the Digital Physical"; "The Medical System Abandons Women When They Are Most Vulnerable"
Links for the day
While US Government Greenlights (or Bluelights) Bailouts for IBM Some Foreign Governments Blacklist It
"Albany leadership doesn’t know what they are doing but are damn good at pretending they do."
IBM Bailouts and the IBM People Inside the Administration
It seems possible/plausible that it is bailout money down the drain or that this money will never arrive at all
Links 26/05/2026: Lithium Batteries Causing Fires (Even on Planes), 'Timmy' the Whale Dies
Links for the day
Pursuing Facts in an Age of Lies and 'Hallucinations' (Falsehoods Without Anyone Accountable, They Try Calling Computer-Generated Lies or Forgeries "Intelligence").
Our aim is to relay information while bypassing gossip networks like social control media and slop in "search" clothing
Computer-Generated Legal Filings Get You Reported to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)
We'll write a lot more about this in the future
EPO "Cocaine Communication Manager" - Part XII - In the Second-Largest Institution in Europe One Can Take Paid 'Sick Leave' for Doing Cocaine, Then Come Back
Cocaine addicts in the management were bullying colleagues. They're still in charge.
Sites in Their Twenties
We currently run concurrently a handful of series and have a lot more in the backlog
SLAPP Censorship - Part 88 Out of 200: Brett Wilson LLP is Defaming Trans People in America Because Garrett Pays Hired Guns to Silence Them
Garrett is scoring many own goals this year
Sloppy "Resource Action," (RA) or IBM Layoff, Leads to Another IBM Lawsuit, Alleging IBM Tries to Pass Liability to Algorithms
IBM is meanwhile resorting to slop to gaslight its remaining shareholders
The Latest IBM Layoff Rumours
What has happened to the company that invented so much of modern computing?
Holy See Recognises the Threat of GAFAM and Slop
Will the Holy See move away from GAFAM?
Social Control Media is a Giant Waste of Time (and There Are No Future Remedies for This)
Social Control Media is considered unhealthy to young people, but it is also collectively unhealthy to nations and nation-building
Codecs and Software Patents - Part X - Florian Müller Still Muddying the Waters for FOSS, Using Software Patents
Some things never change...
Gemini Links 26/05/2026: Slop Bug Reports and Crawlers Considered Evil
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, May 25, 2026
IRC logs for Monday, May 25, 2026
Slop Causes Global Warming
in some parts of the world people die from overheat (heat strokes) as temperatures reach almost 50 degrees as early as May in the northern hemisphere
Vatican Speaks Out Against Slop, Promoting Instead "Truth, Dignity of Work, Social Justice, and Peace."
Religion (no matter which) does not oppose machines, but LLMs aren't useful machines
SLAPP Censorship - Part 87 Out of 200: Access to Justice
this part will be short
A Promise IBM/Red Hat Could Not Keep
"all about control, not so much optics."
Links 25/05/2026: Russia Lobbing Oreshnik Ballistic Missile Again, Slop Comes Under More Fire
Links for the day
Gemini Links 25/05/2026: Injury in Gym and Abusive LLMs DDoSing Software Developers While Misusing Their Code
Links for the day
A 'Bank Holiday' When National Debt Doubles in a Decade
Maybe it's time to rename "Bank Holidays"
Links 25/05/2026: Lingering Environmental Concerns and Domain Registrars Targeted for Unmasking
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, May 24, 2026
IRC logs for Sunday, May 24, 2026