November 23, 2012 
Dario 
What started to emerge as the next face of Nokia finally took the shape of a new start-up with a complete role reversal from close to open platform. Now that Jolla has launched its Sailfish OS, though we still don’t have the complete tech specs, it won’t be a bad idea to compare the two sons, fathered by the same person.
MeeGo Harmattan OS is a Linux based closed operating system based on MeeGo core. Sailfish on the other hand is also a Linux based but open operating system based on the MeeGo’s successor, Mer core. Due to open platform, anyone can integrate services and contribute in the community development. Sailfish is more rightly a successor to the MeeGo Harmattan OS.
MeeGo Harmattan OS was launched in 2011 while the launch of Sailfish recently took place at the Slush event in Finland on 21st November.
MeeGo Harmattan OS was initially a part of Nokia, Intel and Linux but currently being hosted by Linux Foundation only while Jolla is the proud owner of Sailfish OS.
MeeGo Harmattan OS based devices are Nokia N9 and Nokia N950 while the first Smartphone device based on Sailfish is yet to be launched probably by next month from Jolla. ST-Ericsson has also joined hands with Jolla to launch Sailfish based devices next year.
Both the systems are designed for multiple hardware platforms like Netbooks, Tablets, TV, Smartphones and other embedded systems.
MeeGo Harmattan OS has been abandoned by Nokia and will not be further updated. However, Sailfish is a new OS that has recently been launched and will be undergoing many transformations in the near future.
While MeeGo Harmattan OS boasts some multitasking features like interaction with running apps on the home screen, Sailfish takes it one step further with no need to “actually” open apps to interact with them making the interaction easier and faster.
Sailfish is obviously better than MeeGo Harmattan OS in terms of both UI and core but it is also right that Sailfish would have been impossible without MeeGo.
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Sailfish looks and sounds promising, but it is still a bit immature, at least UI looks like it. That’s why I voted for MeeGo. After all the interface is that matters for the regular user. Sailfish will be much better in all ways some day, I believe that, but harmattan just was incredible mature already when it was new. What sailfish UI should get to be better:
1. All open apps to be seen, not just those four most important. Maybe open apps could be seen by regular rolling, swipe from the bottom edge brings up the app menu. Side swipes are not good since they are for app using gestures.
2. App menu however could be side scrollable in Android and iOS fashion, for that back to top -feature would be always available.
3.Downward swipe should close the app like MeeGo does after pr1.1
I know we don’t know all the features of sailfish but as I understand, these are not in it. I hope the pulley menu works well and there is easy way to toggle internet connections since I love that in MeeGo.
So many in accuracies in this article….
Harmattan has never been based on meego core, & it was never part of the meego initiative.
It was a Nokia-only OS that was to play an important bridging role until real meego was ready.
It had a compatibility layer so that when meego did arrive, it would be compatible in many ways.
Harmattan is far more like maemo than meego, but Nokia sought permission to call it meego as a marketing exercise.
They did this AFTER they killed the whole meego program, so it made zero sense at the time.
They should’ve just called it Maemo 6x (Harmattan)…
Sailfish is based on MeR+Nemo, & MeR+Nemo was originally based on MeeGoCE, nothing to do with Harmattan.
Sailfish is better because of the apk compatibility and mer core
Sailfish os is awesome….but i don’t like menu icon and music player at all…and 4 icon under homescreen
fck that i am for meego i don’t know any thing about sailfish or what not. but if meego got support then i know meego will rule it all the
only thing missing with meego is that it can’t use andrioid app but
if meego can use android app then meego will rule it all since meego
can muliti task and it does it beautifully
let meego use android app and the compitition is over
right…. all things are great in meego except apps… hope time will come for meego to support apk apps from android…
Yeeeeah Right…..Hope a Day comes that meego support apk apps< that day we well see how this competition well go on…
in hope and waiting for that day….