MeeGo is an open source, Linux project which brings together the Moblin project.

MeeGo is an open-source Linux project which brings together the Moblin project, headed up by Intel, and Maemo, by Nokia, into a single open-source activity.

It includes performance optimisations and features which enable the development of computational and graphically oriented applications and connected services, support for Internet standards, easy-to-use development environment based on Qt, and state-of-the-art Linux stack optimised for the size and capabilities of small footprint platforms and mobile devices. MeeGo currently targets platforms such as netbooks and entry-level desktops, handheld computing and communications devices, in-vehicle infotainment devices, connected TVs, and media phones.

According to Intel, MeeGo was developed because Microsoft did not offer comprehensive Windows 7 support for the Atom processor.Novell also play a large part in the MeeGo effort, working with the Linux Foundation on their build infrastructure and official MeeGo products, and MeeGo is increasingly using more of Novell's technology that was originally developed for openSUSE, (including openSUSE Build Service, ZYpp for package management, and other system management tools).

MeeGo is primarily designed to act as an operating system for hardware platforms such as netbooks, entry-level desktops, tablet computers, mobile computing and communications devices, in-vehicle infotainment devices, connected-TVs, IPTV-boxes, smart phones, and other embedded systems.

Harmattan, originally slated to become Maemo 6, is now considered to be a MeeGo instance (though not a MeeGo product), and Nokia is giving up the Maemo branding for Harmattan and beyond (Maemo 5, aka Fremantle, and previous versions will still be referred to as Maemo).

MeeGo’s Tablet UX as a pre-alpha version

Updates (via Distrowacht):

Valtteri Halla has announced the release of MeeGo 1.1, a Linux distribution designed for mobile computing with a custom user interface: "Today we are announcing the project release of MeeGo 1.1. It provides a solid baseline for device vendors and developers to start creating software for various device categories on Intel Atom and ARM 7 architectures. The 1.1 Core OS provides a complete set of enabling technologies for mobile computing. The MeeGo stack contains Linux Kernel 2.6.35, X.org server 1.9.0, Web Runtime, Qt 4.7, and Qt Mobility 1.0.2, supporting the contacts, location, messaging, multimedia, and sensor and service frameworks. It also includes a number of leading-edge components, such as the oFono telephony stack, the ConnMan connection manager, the Tracker data indexer...."

Read the release announcement and release notes for additional information.

The Netbook edition of MeeGo 1.1 is available for download from here: meego-netbook-ia32-1.1.img (823MB, MD5).

Recent releases:

• 2010-10-28: Distribution Release: MeeGo 1.1
• 2010-08-03: Distribution Release: MeeGo 1.0 "IVI"
• 2010-05-27: Distribution Release: MeeGo 1.0

MeeGo includes:

Performance optimizations and features which enable rich computational and graphically oriented applications and connected services development
No-compromise internet standards support delivering the best web experiences
Easy to use, flexible and powerful UI/app development environment based on Qt
Open source project organization managed by the Linux Foundation
State of the Art Linux stack optimized for the size and capabilities of small footprint platforms and mobile devices, but delivering broad linux software application compatibility

MeeGo currently targets platforms such as netbooks/entry-level desktops, handheld computing and communications devices, in-vehicle infotainment devices, connected TVs, and media phones. All of these platforms have common user requirements in communications, application, and internet services in a portable or small form factor. The MeeGo project will continue to expand platform support as new features are incorporated and new form factors emerge in the market.

FAQ.

Q When will we see the first MeeGo release?
We are planning the project release of MeeGo version 1 in the second quarter of 2010. We expect MeeGo- based products to begin appearing based on OEM and OSV product schedules.
Q When will we see MeeGo source code?
The MeeGo core platform source code, along with the build system and developer infrastructure is available now, and we will have additional code available in the coming weeks.
Q What is the development environment for MeeGo?
Check out the Developers area of the website.
Q What specific features of Moblin and Maemo are being used in MeeGo?
MeeGo blends the best of Moblin with the best of Maemo, to create a platform for multiple processor architectures covering the broadest range of device segments. MeeGo builds upon the capabilities of Moblin core software platform and reference user experiences, adding the Qt UI toolkit from Maemo. Okay, so much for the official slogan.... Exact specifications of components are not yet available and we expect that to take place during the next couple of weeks for the critical parts. We hope to be able to publish the current state within days. MeeGo is a genuine merger of the two platforms on the component level. The idea is NOT to take major blocks of Moblin and Maemo and 'glue' them together. How could that work anyway given MeeGo targets? Moblin and Maemo have been very close architectural sisters all the time, deriving from common parents in many ways. For over one year, we have coordinated technology selections and established projects such as connman and ofono to fill the gaps. Because of this history, we expect a relatively smooth merge process.
Q Is MeeGo an open source project or a product?
MeeGo is an open source project hosted by the Linux Foundation that encourages community contributions in accordance with the best practices of the open source development model.
Q Is MeeGo based on another distribution (like Fedora or Debian)?
No. Meego is its own independent distribution, run as an open source project. In that sense, you can consider MeeGo an upstream distribution, that itself pulls from the upstream of the various open source projects it is based on.
Q Will MeeGo use .rpm or .deb as its packaging system?
MeeGo will use the .rpm format.
Q Will MeeGo support Clutter, GTK+?
MeeGo's UI API is based on the Qt toolkit as described in the architecture; MeeGo will also include Clutter and GTK+.
Q Will MeeGo use telepathy?
Yes. MeeGo will use telepathy.
Q Will MeeGo support ARM?
Yes. MeeGo is a multi-platform project supporting the Intel/Atom and ARM architectures. As in any open source project, the community can choose the architecture direction and port the project to additional architectures.
Q How do I get support for MeeGo?
You can jump in and ask questions on IRC, join our mailing list, or participate in the forum.