Linux Foundation Europe | 11 June 2024
Futurewei, Squid, Meetkai, BharOS, and Amaze unite to develop open source framework for cross-platform mobile development
BRUSSELS – JUNE 11, 2024 – Linux Foundation Europe, an independent trusted supporter and vendor-neutral home for open source projects in Europe, today announced the formation of Open Mobile Hub (OMH). Designed to streamline mobile app development, OMH's unified, open source framework and adjacent suite of SDKs and tools aims to simplify the development process for mobile devices. OMH is the latest project hosted by LF Europe, marking another milestone in our commitment to fostering open source innovation.
Born out of a desire to reduce complexity and accelerate the development of mobile applications, five leading organisations in the mobile technology sector, including Futurewei, Squid, Meetkai, BharOS, and Amaze, have come together to form the OMH project. This collaboration aims to address challenges associated with fragmented development environments and ensure consistent user experiences across all mobile devices.
“I’m excited to welcome OMH to Linux Foundation Europe, as the formation of this project represents a crucial step towards addressing the fragmentation and inefficiencies in mobile app development," said Gabriele Columbro, General Manager, Linux Foundation Europe. By bringing together industry leaders in an open mobile ecosystem, we aim to create a unified solution that simplifies the development process, ultimately leading to a better cross-platform user experience. Additionally, we see the potential to democratise another critical area of technology, characterised by a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape in the EU and beyond."
In addition, Preston Lau, Technical Steering Committee Chair of the OMH Project, commented: “The OMH plugin's extensible capabilities foster collaboration with third-party services providers, enabling a seamless service switching, thereby reducing development complexities and enhancing innovation. For example, the OMH Maps SDKs gracefully abstracts the features of major mapping services, allowing developers to effortlessly switch between Google Maps, Azure Maps, Mapbox, and OpenStreetMap with minimal code adjustments."
Specific Goals of the Open Mobile Hub Project Include:
OMH will release a comprehensive suite of SDKs and tools, including the Login & Authentication SDK, Maps & Location SDK, Storage SDK, and Core Gradle Plugin, all of which will be available as open source on GitHub. Additionally, OMH will develop a unified codebase to ensure that applications can be built and deployed across all mobile devices, regardless of the underlying OS platform. Finally, the project will enable extensibility with plugins, allowing third-party providers to develop their own plugins through standard interfaces, thus offering flexibility and adaptability in the development process.
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Support from Contributing Organisations
“At Futurewei Technologies, we are deeply committed to driving innovation through open source initiatives. The launch of the Open Mobile Hub (OMH) exemplifies our dedication to fostering collaborative development and delivering impactful solutions to the global community. By contributing to OMH, we aim to empower mobile app developers worldwide with a robust, flexible platform that accelerates the creation of cross-platform applications, enhances interoperability, reduces development time and cost. OMH stands as a testament to our mission of advancing technology and facilitating seamless, connected experiences for users everywhere."
– Dr. June Wang, Senior Vice President at Futurewei Technologies.
“As one of OMH early contributing organisations, we are excited to participate in the transformation of app development with an open source, cross-platform SDK framework promoted by the Linux Foundation Europe. Open ecosystems boost innovation and flexibility. OMH's plugin architecture ensures seamless, high-quality applications. This project defines the technology roadmap and drives a competitive mobile framework, setting new standards in unified app development.”
– Johan Othelius, CEO & Founder at SQUID App.
“BharOS is committed to liberating native mobile apps from ecosystem constraints. As a founding participant of Open Mobile Hub, we are thrilled to be part of the Linux Foundation Europe initiative to transform app development through an open source, cross-platform SDK framework. Open ecosystems foster innovation and flexibility, and OMH's plugin architecture ensures seamless, high-quality applications across diverse platforms. This project defines the technology roadmap and drives a competitive mobile framework, setting new standards in unified app development.”
– Karthik Ayyar, Creator BharOS.
“Excited to be a part of OMH in the quest to build a single set of APIs to support any type of Android device. OMH's plugin architecture also supports the Amaze Cloud Plugin, which facilitates cloud authentication for popular services such as Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, and OneDrive. This is in line with our goal to support all major service providers for local storage."
– Vishnu, Contributor/Maintainer, Amaze.
“The Open Mobile Hub project drives open source innovation for secure, transparent mobile hardware and software solutions that prioritise privacy and user control.”
– Peter John Alexander, Chief Business Officer, Meetkai.
Open Mobile Hub welcomes organisations and developers from across the mobile technology ecosystem to join and contribute to this innovative open source project. By getting involved, you can help drive advancements in mobile app development and create solutions that benefit users worldwide. To learn more about Open Mobile Hub, including how to participate and contribute please visit openmobilehub.org or contact us at info@openmobilehub.org.
Additional Resources Available on GitHub:
- Linux Foundation Research Report: A New Direction for the Mobile Industry
- OMH FAQ
- Register here for the upcoming webinar to learn more about Open Mobile Hub
- For more information on how OMH is revolutionising mobile app development, visit the OMH GitHub repository. Those interested in contributing to the project can email info@openmobilehub.org.
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