The Solar Spectral Flux Radiometer is a scientific instrument that requires accurate data collection and logging at 70,000 feet. Here's how real-time Linux helps collect atmospheric data. (more…)

When you install Linux on a desktop PC, you normally choose from among a few “standard” graphics support components. You'll likely use the X Window system (XFree86 or ) as the display interface foundation (with associated Linux drivers to control the hardware), (more…)

This guide provides a sampling of PDAs (personal digital assistants), PMPs (portable media players), PNDs (portable navigation devices), and other handheld devices based on Linux that have been covered in LinuxDevices. (more…)

Foreword: This article is the fifth in LinuxDevices.com's series of reviews of Embedded Linux toolkits by embedded developer Jerry Epplin. In order to gain insight into the use of each toolkit from the developer's perspective, Epplin builds Embedded Linux OS images for three different x86-based EBX form-factor single-board computers using each toolkit. (more…)

Initial installation

Installation went smoothly enough. Before installing, RED-Builder insists that you enter one of those obnoxious long serial numbers like the ones Microsoft customers must enter. You will find this serial number on the inside back cover of your manual, though you'd never guess this from the documentation. (more…)

Creating a project

Once you have an RKM complete, the next step is to use it to create a project. This is where you select the packages to be included on your target system. (more…)

Flexibility and extensibility

On the whole, RED-Builder's facilities are remarkably flexible and extensible. I've already mentioned the well-documented means to add RKAs and RKMs. You can also add new modules or modify existing ones using the Module Editor. (more…)

[Updated Feb. 19, 2002] Kevin Dankwardt sets out to discover how many implementations of Embedded Linux are available for free — free as in “free beer”, that is, not free as in “free speech” . . . (more…)

Infomart saw an opening between the high-end high-cost Pocket PC PDAs, and the low-end low-cost Palm PDAs, and created a new PDA called “Kaii” to fill that gap. “We wanted to make a PDA with the features of high-end PDAs, but at an affordable cost,” said Devesh R. Agarwal, managing director of the Bangalore, India based development company. (more…)

There are two types of people in the world: people who use Linux and people who don't, and rarely the twain shall meet. Until a few days ago, I was with the latter group of the twain. That is, until I thought it would be a good idea to throw caution to the wind and try to install Linux on my innocent Handspring Visor. (more…)

Jerry Epplin tries out a collection of commercial mini-apps for Sharp's Linux-based Zaurus PDA which have recently been released by theKompany.com . . . (more…)

Foreword: This is the eighth article in LinuxDevices.com's series on Exploring Linux PDA Alternatives by Jerry Epplin that explores the history, status, alternative architectures, and future developments of Linux on PDAs and handheld devices. (more…)

How many bits are really needed in the image pixels?

Modern CMOS image sensors provide high resolution digital output of 10 to 12 bits. When CCD sensors are used, the same (or higher) resolution is provided by separate ADC or integrated CCD signal processors. (more…)

[Updated 3:00pm PST, Jan. 18, 2002] In this interview, LinuxDevices.com founder and executive editor Rick Lehrbaum chats with Robert Love, the principal maintainer of an increasingly popular kernel-preemption patch that improves the real-time responsiveness of the Linux kernel. (more…)

Elphel, Inc. has used Embedded Linux in the design of a High Speed Gated Intensified Camera. The device combines a fast gated micro-channel plate (MCP) image intensifier, a CMOS image sensor, and an embedded computer based on an Axis Communications ETRAX RISC processor running Embedded Linux. (more…)