Many computer users run a modified version of the GNU system every day, without realizing it. Through a peculiar turn of events, the version of GNU which is widely used today is more often known as “Linux”, and many users are not aware of the extent of its connection with the GNU Project. (more…)

Before jumping headlong into our discussion of RTAI, a quick review of what real time means and how standard Linux relates to real time is appropriate. The term “real time” can have significantly different meanings, depending on the audience and the nature of the application in question. (more…)

Neoware offers this definition of “Information Appliance” — a term that's beginning to receive widespread use . . . (more…)

There's no question that Windows is king of the Desktop Market and won't lose that status in the immediate future. On the other hand, Linux is well on its way to a dominant position in the Server Market, as evidenced by its doubling of market share during each of the past two years. (more…)

Last Fall, several companies in the newly emerging Embedded Linux market approached me to request that I help create a vendor-neutral Embedded Linux trade association. Initially, I used the resources of my newly established Embedded Linux Portal website (LinuxDevices.com) to propose the establishment of a group called the “Embedded Linux Consortium”, or “ELC”. (more…)

Overview

KURT (KU Real-Time Linux) is a real-time modification to the Linux operating system that allows scheduling of real-time events at the resolution of 10's of microseconds. Rather than relying on priority based scheduling or strictly periodic schedules, KURT schedules are explicitly specified by the application programmer. (more…)

In recognition of the burgeoning role of Linux and open-source software in embedded system development, the recent Embedded Systems Conference (Chicago, IL; March, 2000) opened with a panel discussion on: “The Open Source Phenomenon: Is the Embedded Systems Business Ready for it?” (more…)

Jerry Fiddler co-founded Wind River in 1981 and has taken on many roles during the past 19 years, from chief and only programmer to president and CEO to chairman of the board of one of the world's largest software companies. Jerry was recently profiled on KICU-TV's “Silicon Valley Business This Week” (located here). (more…)

Please Note: This is a draft, for discussion and comment. Please post your comments in the Embedded Linux Consortium topic area of the LinuxDevices.com forum, or bring them to the ELC organizational meeting at ESC. Or you can email them to me if you prefer. (more…)

Embedded systems frequently incorporate highly customized microcomputers, but our company's goal was to build a robot from commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) embedded components. We felt that this approach would maximize the R&D capabilities of our own team and minimize the cost of our product. (more…)

Why Linux?

Intelligent dedicated systems and appliances used in interface, monitoring, communications, and control applications increasingly demand the services of a sophisticated, state-of-the-art operating system. Many such systems require advanced capabilities like: high resolution and user-friendly graphical user interfaces (GUIs); TCP/IP connectivity; substitution of reliable (and low… (more…)

In this IBM white paper, author Jim McQuillan of the Linux Terminal Server Project takes a look at the potent combination of Linux and thin client computing. Thin clients have the potential to save money in terms of both hardware and software, while users take advantage of a “write once, run anywhere” technology. (more…)

Draft Version 1.1 of EL/IX, a proposed embedded Linux API, is currently available for download and comment (PDF file). EL/IX is an embedded application programming interface (API) that makes it possible to use desktop Linux systems for application development and then easily recompile and deploy those applications across the complete spectrum of… (more…)

Jim Ready, founder and CEO of MontaVista Software, is renowned as a pioneer in the real-time and embedded operating systems market. He co-founded Ready Systems in 1980, the company that developed VRTX, the embedded computer industry's first popular commercial real-time kernel. In this interview, LinuxDevices.com founder Rick Lehrbaum asks Jim about his views on the embedded Linux market in general and… (more…)

Linux vs. Windows. It's a battle fought on many fronts. While a worldwide legion of Linux developers has successfully mounted a frontal attack on Microsoft's WinNT in the servers, routers, firewalls, and telecommunications markets, the open-source community has quietly set its sites on another of Microsoft's three OSes: WinCE — the Windows operating system for handheld and embedded devices. (more…)