Peter Galli, writing at eWEEK, reports that the Open Source Development Lab (OSDL) has created a code benchmarking tool — known as the Scalable Test Platform (STP) — which supposedly allows developers to easily test their Linux kernel patches from a variety of tests and server configurations. (more…)

Our friends at Microsoft sent along this note regarding the upcoming availability of Windows XP Embedded . . . (more…)

REDSonic announced its entry into the MIPS Alliance Program, in an effort to leverage the success of the popular MIPS32 architecture in the high-growth digital consumer and networking markets. REDSonic has developed a board support package (BSP) for MIPS Technologies' Malta board, a MIPS32 architecture-based software development platform. (more…)

San Jose, CA — (press release excerpt) — ArTile Microsystems, Inc. has announced the first in a MIPS-based high-performance system-on-chip (SOC) family that targets the convergence of consumer digital media and information applications. The TMPR7901B incorporates a multimedia-enhanced RISC processor core with instruction and data cache memories, PCI and Ethernet interfaces, timers, and memory… (more…)

Electronic Engineering Times editor Jeff Child reports on the recent announcement by Red Hat of their support for FSMLabs' RTLinux real-time technology. Child examines the pros and cons of the two alternative approaches to real-time Linux — the dual-kernel approach and the enhanced Linux kernel approach . . . (more…)

This afternoon, LinuxDevices.com editor Rick Lehrbaum spoke with Paul Leung, CEO of Empower Technologies, regarding an alleged violation of the GNU General Public License (GPL) by the company's LinuxDA embedded Linux operating… (more…)

A note to the LinuxDevices.com community from the editor of Nooface.net . . .

I just set up a new Slash site at http://nooface.net to discuss post-PC interfaces. The goal of the site is to promote out-of-the-box thinking about truly next-generation user interfaces that are designed for new types of users and computing devices, and go beyond the WIMP… (more…)

By Stephen Shankland; special to ZDNet News . . .

Sun Microsystems and several computing giants have joined mainstream businesses such as United Airlines, General Motors, Sprint, Sony and Fidelity Investments to outflank Microsoft's Passport service for saving and checking people's online identities. (more…)

Edmonton, Alberta — (press release excerpt) — Alta Terra Ventures Corp. today announced the launch of their new BearOps Handheld Linx for Linux product. The
product is a suite of tools that allows users to transfer information from popular Palm and Handspring PDAs, as well as from Texas Instrument calculators, to most Linux operating systems. (more…)

This interesting whitepaper from Microsoft Research considers future directions for operating systems in the new millenium, and proposes a distributed operating system that offers “seamless distribution, worldwide calability, fault-tolerance, self-tuning, self-configuration, security, and resource controls.” Quoting from the abstract . . . (more…)

San Jose, CA — (press release excerpt) — Coventive Technologies today announced a new line of Linux-based server appliance products including the Blade Server, the Multi-Function Server Appliance, and the Windows-Based Terminal. The new devices are intended to offer increased simplicity, reliability, and scalability in replacing traditional server solutions. (more…)

Issaquah, WA — (press release excerpt) — McObject LLC today announced the release of eXtremeDB, its data management engine for intelligent, connected devices. Designed from scratch for high performance in resource-constrained environments, eXtremeDB targets a growing class of smart high-tech gear, including… (more…)

Tina Gasperson of NewsForge.com wonders whether Empower Technologies is violating the GNU General Public License (GPL) in the methods used to distribute LinuxDA — a version of Linux that runs on Palm and Palm-compatible PDAs. Gasperson writes . . . (more…)

Irvine, CA — (press release excerpt) — Intersil Corporation, a leading developer of silicon technology for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), announced it has developed the industry's first complete access point-on-a-chip reference design for wireless networking that combines an ARM9-based Medium Access Controller (MAC) with an Open Source Linux operating system. (more…)

Looking for a low-cost way to get started with embedded Linux? Or a fun weekend project? In this detailed how-to article, Bill Gatliff explains everything you need to do to install Linux on a Sega Dreamscast gaming console. Even the necessary Linux kernel, bootloader, and utility kernel patches are included and available for download. (more…)