VersaLogic, one of the originators of the 4.5 x 6.5 inch EPIC standard for single board computers (SBCs), has announced an EPIC SBC targeting medical, homeland security, semiconductor, and industrial control applications. (more…)

This brief, readable whitepaper by Brian Richardson, a product manager at BIOS-vendor AMI, examines the history of BIOS firmware and explains why chipmaker Intel has invested much time and effort to create and promote a firmware framework to replace BIOS. Why would a chip company care about firmware? (more…)

IBM has published the following technical articles, tutorials, and downloads on its developerWorks Website. They cover a range of interesting (though not necessarily embedded) technical topics. Some require free registration. Enjoy . . . (more…)

Technophiles, especially visitors to LinuxDevices.com, have seen Intel talk a lot about “firmware” [definition] over the past few years. Intel is normally associated with processors and chipsets, but its introduction of the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) and the Intel Platform Innovation Framework for EFI… (more…)

The Free Standards Group (FSG) has released the second version of the Linux Standard Base (LSB), an effort to standardize Linux for cross-vendor interoperability. LSB 2.0 adds a C++ ABI (application binary interface) and support for 32-bit and 64-bit hardware architectures. The standard has received widespread industry support. (more…)

WinSystems, one of the originators of the 4.5 x 6.5 inch EPIC standard for embedded single board computers (SBCs), has unveiled its first SBC in the EPIC format. The EPX-C3 is based on an x86-compatible 733MHz Via C3 processor, and supports embedded Linux. (more…)

Jaluna has closed a $12M round of Series A funding, and will use the money in a worldwide marketing and sales effort behind its “platform virtualization” technology, which enables embedded Linux to run alongside other operating environments on single-processor systems. Jaluna's technology targets customer premises equipment (CPEs) such as IP-STBs (Internet protocol set-top boxes). (more…)

AMD is sampling an inexpensive sub-1GHz embedded processor based on an x86 core borrowed from its line of mobile computing chips. The Geode [email protected] is based on a mobile Athlon core and can be passively cooled. It targets thin clients, printers, point of sale, information and transaction kiosks, and telecommunications networking equipment. (more…)

EDN magazine's technical editor Warren Webb has written about technological and marketplace advances that are propelling Linux into prominence in the embedded and real-time computing markets. Webb's article discusses single- and dual-kernel real-time Linux, new embedded capabilities in Linux 2.6, and industry uptake among both RTOS and embedded hardware vendors. (more…)

MontaVista has released what it calls an “early access” version of its commercial embedded Linux distribution based on the 2.6-series Linux kernel. The x86-only evaluation release will let existing MontaVista customers test applications on the new kernel, MontaVista says, and is available to current subscribers of MontaVista Linux Professional Edition. (more…)

National Public Radio (NPR) is airing a story about the Brazillian government's initiative to migrate 40 percent of its computers to Free Software such as Linux by 2006. The four-minute spot includes great quotes from Brazillian government officials, including one likening Microsoft's marketing tactics to those of a drug dealer. (more…)

Via has released a free, open source utility that renders deleted Linux, Win2k, and WinCE files “virtually unrecoverable,” it says. The PadLock Tru-Delete utility is available as binary or source, and is intended to show off the random number generator in newer Via processors. (more…)

Jaluna has developed technology that lets uClinux run alongside the native DSP/BIOS application environment on a single-core DSP (digital signal processor). The technology can be used to build inexpensive IP-STBs based on Texas Instruments DSPs. Jaluna has partnered with codec vendor Ateme to demo a single-DSP IP-STB software implementation. (more…)

In-Stat/MDR is bullish on the market for chips used in networked consumer devices over the next four years. It says that increasing sales of networked multimedia-oriented products such as PVRs, media adapters, and wireless home gateways will drive sector growth despite falling unit prices for chips. (more…)

A Motorola smartphone scheduled for US distribution before the year-end holiday season will include embedded Linux software from MontaVista and embedded database software from Sleepycat, the companies announced today. (more…)