PDA Buyer's Guide has published a hands-on review of the embedded Linux based Zaurus SL-C860. The review finds little to complain about, other than the lack of official U.S. distribution, which leads to a slight documentation gap for less experienced PDA users. (more…)

The Open Service Gateway initiative (OSGi) framework provides a Java technology-based lightweight (fully J2ME-compatible) container for dynamic software components. It handles the interactions between components and allows developers to remotely manage the entire application life cycle, including over-the-network deployment and updating. (more…)

Linux DevCenter has published an article by Linux Documentation Project coordinator Guylhem Aznar about the value of buying a PDA such as the Sharp Zaurus that can run free and open source software. For Aznar, it boils down to portability, unification, standardization, sustainability, and flexibility. (more…)

This whitepaper is the second in a series from TimeSys's “2.6 Linux Resource Center” on using the new Linux 2.6 kernel. Authored by TimeSys Senior Product Manager William von Hagen, the whitepapers in this series place special emphasis on the primary issues in migrating existing drivers, applications, and embedded Linux deployments to a Linux distribution based on the 2.6 kernel. (more…)

Linux is famous for coming with a large toolbox and good ways to integrate tools. In this article, Peter Seebach discusses the Unix tools philosophy, how new tools are developed, and how to make a one-off program into a utility you could be using for years to come. (more…)

LynuxWorks has worked with MetroWerks to develop a driver that enables MetroWerks's CodeTEST Software Analysis Tools, Version 4, to be used with 2.6-series kernels. The companies have jointly certified CodeTEST with the 2.6-based LynuxWorks BlueCat Linux, and LynuxWorks is recommending CodeTEST to customers who need a… (more…)

Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) has launched a portal for the uClinux port to its “Blackfin” DSP chip, and seeks community developers. Blackfin is the first single-core DSP to run uClinux natively. uClinux runs now on ADI's Blackfin BF535 DSP, with a port to the BF533 in progress. (more…)

Foreword — This whitepaper is the second in a series from TimeSys's “2.6 Linux Resource Center” on using the new Linux 2.6 kernel. Authored by TimeSys Senior Product Manager William von Hagen, the whitepapers in this series place special emphasis on the primary issues in migrating existing drivers, applications, and embedded Linux deployments to a Linux distribution based on the 2.6 kernel. (more…)

Linux is famous for coming with a large toolbox and good ways to integrate tools. Peter Seebach discusses how new tools are developed and how to make a one-off program into a utility you'll be using for years to come. (more…)

The Eclipse development platform includes its own help system based on an XML table-of-contents that references HTML files. What isn't immediately obvious is that you don't have to write Eclipse plug-ins to use it. Any project can use a cut-down version of the platform to provide professional, easy-to-use, and searchable documentation. (more…)

ErgoTech has launched an embedded Linux based device for SECS (SEMI Equipment Communications Standard) monitoring over the Web in semiconductor fabrication plants. (more…)

VIA is shipping two new passively cooled x86 processors that use just 7W at clock speeds up to 1GHz. The VIA ESP10000 and ESP8000 are pin-compatible with earlier VIA processors and operate within a similar thermal envelope, enabling easy upgrades of existing embedded systems. The chips also feature hardware-based AES encryption and dual Random Number Generators (RNGs). (more…)

The Eclipse Platform, which provides a very powerful Integrated Development Environment (IDE), includes its own help system based on an XML table-of-contents referencing HTML files. What isn't immediately obvious is that you don't have to write Eclipse plug-ins to use it. Any project can use a cut-down version of the platform to provide professional, easy-to-use, and searchable documentation. (more…)

SSV Embedded Systems has launched a new model in its tiny DIL/NetPC single-board computer (SBC) line that runs uClinux out of a 32-bit NIOS “soft-core” RISC processor in an Altera FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) instead of a hard-wired microprocessor. (more…)

MontaVista says “very high customer demand” led it to expand its partner program, adding “Premier Professional Service Partners” (PPSP) and “Integration and Consulting Partners” (ICP) classifications. MontaVista claims its Partnering Program counts 270 constituents worldwide, including chip and board makers, software vendors, and consulting service providers. (more…)