Sun co-founder Scott McNealy's tenure as CEO came to an end this week, amidst a chorus of reaction. In this opinion piece, veteran Unix journalist Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols acknowledges McNealy's formative contributions to the computer industry, Internet, and open source as we know it. (more…)

Foreword: Sun co-founder Scott McNealy's tenure as CEO came to an end this week, amidst a chorus of reaction. In this opinion piece, veteran Unix journalist Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols acknowledges McNealy's formative contributions to the… (more…)

Chipmaker Cavium Networks is shipping a family of PCI-X cards aimed at increasing throughput of network and storage appliances based on commodity x86-based designs. The Octeon XL Accelerator cards feature multi-core MIPS64-based processors, throughputs between 500Mbps and 6Gbps, and are supported by a MontaVista Linux… (more…)

A free, half-day seminar on the U.S. Navy Open Archtecture (OA) will be offered at seven Eastern U.S. cities, in May and June. The seminar will include presentations from LynuxWorks, Arrow Electronics, Motorola, and Real-Time Innovations (RTI), along with discussion of how OA can fulfill military demands, the companies say. (more…)

Elsevier Science has updated its embedded Linux text. The second edition of Linux for Embedded and Real-Time Applications includes revisions to reflect the 2.6-series kernel, along with 100 pages of new material, including chapters on uCLinux and the Eclipse IDE. (more…)

A graduate student in Colombia has developed a small ARM9 SBC (single-board computer) that runs Debian Linux. Carlos Camargo says he built his ECB_AT91 board for a doctoral research project in swarm robotics. (more…)

ClearCube is shipping a Linux-powered “virtual client” that offers secure remote access to a dedicated blade server running Windows XP. The I/Port I8020 client has more inherent security than a laptop, and provides the “full power” of a Pentium 4 from anywhere in the world, according to the company. (more…)

A Chinese company is touting an inexpensive Linux-based computer as a way to close the “digital divide.” YellowSheepRiver's $150 “Municator” appears to be available now, with a three-month leadtime, suggesting it could reach market well ahead of MIT's $100 “One Laptop Per Child” (OLPC) device. (more…)

Media appliance software vendor Mediabolic has agreed to acquire Digital 5, which sells client and server stacks, protocol SDKs, and DRM (digital rights management) stacks for “connected” home entertainment devices. (more…)

IBM has published the following new technical articles, tutorials, and downloads on its DeveloperWorks website. They cover a range of interesting (though not necessarily embedded) technical topics, primarily related to Linux and open source system development. Some require free registration. Enjoy . . . ! (more…)

Borland will release a version of its CORBA (common object request broker) middleware product for MontaVista Linux Carrier Grade Edition (CGE). VisiBroker 7.0, already shipping on other platforms, enables legacy and new CORBA applications to be integrated with modern technology stacks, including .NET, J2EE, Web Services, and SOA (service-oriented architecture), Borland says. (more…)

The program has been finalized for the largest WiMAX conference yet held in Europe, according to event organizer Trendsmedia. The “WiMAX World Europe Conference and Expo,” set for May 22-24, in Vienna, Austria, will focus on operator and service provider experiences with early deployments. (more…)

Mobile phones will displace PCs as the top Internet access platform, connect increasingly with home networks, and within five years, serve as electronic wallets, according to recent reports from several market research firms. Additionally, phone shipments continue to grow fast, fueled by both replacement business and developing markets. (more…)

[Updated Apr. 24] — Snom is accepting advance orders for a basic model in its line of Linux-based business VoIP (voice-over-IP) phones. The Snom 300 supports six lines, and has six programmable buttons, along with a browser interface. (more…)

Foreword: In this guest editorial, FSMLabs CEO Victor Yodaiken relates his company's experiences in the real-time Linux market to Wind River's efforts to reposition embedded software development as “device software optimization,” or DSO. (more…)