A vendor of Java-based POS (point-of-sale/service) software for the hospitality industry applications is touting wireless Linux netbooks as POS terminals. Volante says Linux netbooks are “more cost effective, flexible, and allow for greater freedom of choice in software,” compared to traditional restaurant order-entry… (more…)

[Updated Oct. 9] — The largest conference devoted to Linux technology is changing its name to embrace open source software on other operating systems (OSes). Next August, LinuxWorld will relaunch as the OpenSource World Conference & Expo, but will retain existing LinuxWorld features, says show organizer IDG World Expo. (more…)

6Wind has ported its Linux-based multi-core networking stack to a new PowerPC-based networking system-on-chip (SoC) from Freescale Semiconductor. The 6WindGate stack now supports Freescale's upcoming QorIQ P4080, having been ported to the platform using Virtutech's Simics simulation environment, the company says. (more…)

Novell announced the availability of its dual-licensed cross-platform implementation of Microsoft's .NET development framework. Some five years in the making, Mono 2.0 adds “full” compatibility with .NET 2.0, improves performance and stability, and introduces an analytical tool for .NET-to-Linux migrations, says… (more…)

Ampro announced a device combining the ETX COM (computer on module) form-factor with an AMD Geode LX800 processor. Targeting “mission-critical military, avionics, and industrial applications,” the “ETX 620” runs Linux, supports 1GB of RAM, and has PCI and ISA interfaces, says Ampro. (more…)

A recent interview quoted an MSI executive as saying that returns of Linux netbooks were more than four times higher those of Windows XP netbooks. However, the quote may say more about MSI's SUSE Linux implementation than the suitability of Linux as a netbook OS. (more…)

BenQ and Italian mobile carrier TIM announced the availability of a MID with both WiFi and HSDPA mobile networking. Running Red Flag's Midinux Linux distro, the BenQ S6 Mobile Internet Device (MID) is equipped with an 800MHz Intel Atom processor and 4.8-inch WVGA touchscreen. (more…)

An LWN.net article describes how two Intel engineers got an Asus Eee PC (pictured) to boot to a graphical Linux desktop in five seconds. The boot system is based on modified software loads from Fedora and Moblin, says the article. (more…)

MontaVista's embedded Linux conference and partner expo concluded today, after three days of training, talks, and socializing. Dubbed “Vision Summit,” and held this year in San Francisco's opulent Palace Hotel, the event aimed to create “one spark that helps ignite the embedded Linux community flame,” according to CEO Rusty Harris. (more…)

Freescale Semiconductor announced it is looking to sell its cellular handset chip division. The products it plans to jettison comprise baseband processors, RF transceivers, and power management/audio products for handsets, says the semiconductor firm, and are likely to include its… (more…)

KangarooBox is shipping a “free” open-source server appliance that runs Debian 5 GNU/Linux. Targeting small offices, the silent, fanless “Joey” employs an AMD Geode-based PC Engines ALIX 3c2 single-board computer (SBC), and is given to customers buying a $3,000 one-year support plan, the company says. (more…)

[Updated 3:45PM] — CEO Rusty Harris revealed MontaVista's role developing the quick-booting, ARM-based processor subsystem expected to ship this year in select Dell laptop models. The “Latitude ON” feature aims to give enterprise laptop users instant boot-up and access to select applications, with multi-day battery… (more…)

CoWare and MontaVista Software are shipping a joint “virtual platform” development product for Linux device developers. The product is based on CoWare's electronic system-level (ESL) virtual platform technology, runs MontaVista Linux, and offers the Eclipse-based DevRocket integrated development environment (IDE),… (more…)

At its Vision 2008 conference yesterday, MontaVista Software announced that its Mobilinux distribution has been optimized for the Texas Instruments (TI) OMAP35x system-on-chip (SoC). (more…)

Network processor vendor Cortina Systems and WiFi chipset manufacturer Ralink Technology announced a joint hardware/software reference design for WiFi-enabled consumer electronics. Based on Cortina's ARM9-based CS3516 Network Processor and Ralink's 802.11n-compliant RT2880 chipset, the design comes with a Linux board support… (more…)