LUND, Sweden — /PRNewswire/ — With its offer of free source code to the Linux community, Axis Communications has opened the world of Linux to mobile applications using Bluetooth, a technology for wireless communications between mobile phones and other portable devices. Since the software was recently made available for download, tens of thousands of developers have accessed the Axis Developer site. In the spirit of open source, Axis plans to publish improvements made by both the development community and Axis for the benefit of all.

Bluetooth enables low-cost, wireless communication and networking in a very small form factor. The industry-lead Bluetooth consortium, made up of more than 1,500 companies, estimates that by the end of 2001, Bluetooth technology will be in more than 100 million mobile phones, and millions of PCs, laptop computers, and handheld devices.

Many in the industry view the embedded computer market as the next frontier for Linux. The OS is well suited for emerging devices because it is inexpensive, stable and requires a minimum of system resources. The market potential is significant. Although info appliances are in their infancy today, industry analysts expect them to outnumber PC's by 2005.

“Bluetooth will provide wireless connectivity among a wide range of portable and stationary devices,” said Joyce Putscher, Director of In-Stat's Converging Markets & Technologies Group. “Linux will clearly be a rising factor in the Internet Appliance (IA) arena, and IAs represent just one of the interesting markets that will take advantage of Bluetooth.”

Committed to Linux and the Open Source Movement

“This source code is a key development for Axis' wireless direction and we're giving it away,” said Martin Gren, co-founder and general manager of Axis. “By sharing this software with other developers and incorporating their feedback and improvements, we will all benefit.”

Axis brings a rich history of leadership as an embedded systems pioneer, shipping over a million thin server products to date. Axis is committed to the open source movement and a champion of getting Linux adopted. Some recent examples of their innovation in Linux include:

• Last month, Axis beat others to the market by shipping to developers a new one-chip Linux thin server designed to be used for a wide range of networked and embedded applications. This “system-on-a-chip” solution is based on the ETRAX 100, a 32-bit RISC processor designed to run embedded Linux network applications that includes on-chip memory and DMA controllers and fully-featured I/O, such as 10/100 Mbit Ethernet MAC and a Wide SCSI controller. To ease design efforts for developers, Axis is supplying evaluation boards, source code, tools and drivers for embedded Linux and a detailed reference design — with no royalties or licensing costs.
  
• In November, Axis introduced one of the first hardware products ever shipped with embedded Linux — the AXIS 2100 Digital Network Camera. This compact camera has a built-in Linux Web server, connects directly to Ethernet or to a modem and includes everything needed for capturing and transmitting high-quality video images over data networks and the Internet (no PC needed). The AXIS 2100 can be controlled and accessed from any desktop over the Internet with a standard Web browser.

The Bluetooth driver for Linux software is released under the GPL (Gnu Public License) and developed to be used on an ordinary PC and for Axis' embedded Linux environment. The code is developed initially to work with a Linux 2.0 kernel and is considered still under development. The latest release has support for SDP, L2CAP and RFCOMM, which means that the LAN profile can be used (PPP over RFCOMM). Additional improvements, such as Linux 2.2 support, will be published when available.

The software is available as a free download from the Axis developer site (developer.axis.com). Axis is also providing a developer mailing list for those interested in helping to develop the code or desire the latest information. To subscribe to the bluetooth-dev mailing list, email [email protected] and include in the body of the e-mail:

subscribe bluetooth-dev

Axis Communications is a leader in network connectivityand an emerging player in wireless communications and value-added Internet-based services. The company develops and markets solutions that enhance peoples' communication and interaction with information over network and wireless devices. These solutions provide conveniences and services that empower individuals and improve the overall effectiveness of organizations.

Founded in 1984, Axis employs over 350 people worldwide. Axis has its headquarters in Lund, Sweden and offices in 17 countries including the United States, Asia and Europe. More information about Axis can be found at www.axis.com. More information about Bluetooth can be found at www.bluetooth.com.

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Axis releases Bluetooth for mobile & embedded Linux
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New Network Camera has Linux Inside

 
This article was originally published on LinuxDevices.com and has been donated to the open source community by QuinStreet Inc. Please visit LinuxToday.com for up-to-date news and articles about Linux and open source.