The Single Board Computer, the Raspberry Pi or RBPi runs on a version of the popular operating system Linux – the Raspbian. Although there are other versions of Linux equally capable of running on the RBPi, another operating system is in the making. Not ready yet, the Tizen 3.0, is being ported for the RBPi Model 2.
While not attracting a lot of attention, Tizen is another Linux-based operating system into which huge resources are being pumped to make it more popular for the RBPi. The Linux Foundation is providing all the guidance for its development along with help from a number of companies led by Samsung.
Samsung is pushing for the adoption of Tizen, which, until now, it has implemented only on some low-end devices including a watch. Samsung wants Tizen as a replacement for the Android OS developed by Google, mainly because it has to pay royalties to Google. Hence, Tizen 3.0 for the RBPi 2 is an important step for Samsung.
However, the trouble is the community is not very aware of Tizen. The main issue is people do not even know of its existence. By making it available for the RBPi, an SBC already in use by over a million people, Samsung expects to make Tizen more popular.
The Open Source Group of Samsung is currently attempting to port Tizen 3.0 to the RBPi 2. Their goal is to run a fully functional Tizen 3.0 on the RBPi 2. They have chosen the RBPi 2 as their base system, as this is the most popular SBC that more than five million people are using.
Although Tizen 3.0 is presently working on the RBPi 2, there are still a number of issues that Samsung has yet to sort out. For example, installation of applications is one of the biggest issues they need to overcome. However, one can assess the speed of the porting process, as the developers have already managed to enable the 3D acceleration on the platform. However, there is still no indication of when Tizen 3.0 may be available in a stable form, and Tizen 3.0 is still in Beta stages.
In its stable form, Tizen 3.0 will ship with Linux Kernel 4.1 and Wayland in place of the familiar X-windowing system. Linux Foundation, the developers of the open source Linux operating system, aims to run it on phones, tablets, watches, and in-vehicle entertainment systems. They claim Tizen 3.0 will bring some interesting changes.
Although many companies are still evaluating their choices, some of them have chosen to support Tizen as they are looking for alternatives to Android. They know it is not an easy task to move people away from Android, just as Microsoft has discovered to their chagrin.
The Linux Foundation is building Tizen for various profiles and is making the current iteration for the TV and Mobile. It will support 64-bit systems and provide a replacement for the X-server in the form of Wayland. Additionally, Tizen will come with Chromium-efl, a generic policy manager, in place of Webkit2.
