Why Linux?

Recent years have seen a broadening array of operating system (OS) software options for embedded and real-time system applications. Today, most non-desktop “embedded” systems are based on one of the following alternatives:

• Microsoft Windows, in its three “flavors”: Win98, WinNT, WinCE
• A wide variety of proprietary real-time OSes (RTOSes) — VxWorks, Lynx, QNX, pSOS,… (more…)

Embedded Linux is a hot discussion topic, today, at Slashdot. Check out the discussion * here *. After an initial storm of ZDNet trashing, resulting from their story on embedded Linux (* read it here *), you'll find some interesting observations and comments about… (more…)

Robert Lemos, writing in ZDNet News, says . . .

“Linux, the freely distributed operating system whose Cinderella story has riveted the market for Web servers, is ready to wear its glass slippers once again. The fairy-tale ball this time is the very posh information appliance market.” (more…)

Geeknews.org has just reviewed Mandrake 7.0 . . .

“There has been some hype about Mandrake being a more user-friendly Linux distribution when compared to it's contemporaries, Red Hat Linux being the most oft-cited. I have had some experience in the past using Mandrake 6.x and I thought it was okay, but felt it was clearly Red Hat Linux with some extra user-oriented applications and a bit more… (more…)

Ed Scannell and Michael Lattig, writing in InfoWorld.com, report . . .

“While the LinuxWorld expo in New York this week will showcase a raft of new technologies that spans the product spectrum, several major developers will be zeroing in on . . . embedded and handheld devices.” (more…)

“One day, every radio will work this way” boasts PenguinRadio cofounder Andrew Leyden. PenguinRadio LLC, a small Washington DC based startup, has giant plans to revolutionize how we listen to music and radio when we're not sitting at our computers. Powered by an embedded Linux operating system and “x86” CPU, and connected to the Internet via a modem or Ethernet, PenguinRadios will tap into the thousands… (more…)

Most Linux activity has focused on mainstream server and desktop applications, but it is in the embedded world that Linux may well have the biggest impact. (more…)

League City, TX — Eagle Wireless International, Inc. announced today that it has received the initial $12.5 million order which is part of a $125 million contract between Eagle and Urbana.ca for 500,000 Linux based set-top boxes. The set-top box configuration incorporates both the Linux operating system and Wavelet technology. (more…)

Rick Lehrbaum of LinuxDevices.com writes . . .

Lineo has recently announced one of the largest embedded Linux design wins to date: through a three-way partnership with Elitegroup Computing and Bast, Inc., Lineo Embedix Linux will become the software platform for Linux-based set-top devices in hotel rooms and apartment complexes throughout the US, Europe, and Asia ((more…)

SAN FRANCISCO — The show floor at the upcoming Embedded Systems Conference (ESC) Spring reflects the exploding growth in products for embedded Internet and networked information appliances. The exhibition is part of a four-day conference (February 28 — March 2 at Chicago's McCormick Place South) that provides engineers and designers with opportunities to see and learn about the latest tools and… (more…)

SAN DIEGO, CA — Synergy Microsystems announced today that its ruggedized VME PowerPC CPU board, the VGR5, has passed all shock and vibration tests required to qualify it for harsh environments. In one test, the VGR5 was subjected to random vibration in excess of 14 Gs while running programs under Linux. (more…)

Framingham, MA — (company press release) — Natural MicroSystems Corporation, an open Telecommunications leader providing convergence technologies to the world's premier suppliers of communications solutions, today announced broad support for the Linux operating system. Developers will be able to create leading-edge voice and data applications and enhanced services, using the operating system of their… (more…)

Lineo has recently announced one of the largest embedded Linux design wins to date: through a three-way partnership with Elitegroup Computing and Bast, Inc., Lineo Embedix Linux will become the software platform for Linux-based set-top devices in hotel rooms and apartment complexes throughout the US, Europe, and Asia (See… (more…)

Probotics, Inc. has announced that they have released the source code of “Map-N-Zap”, the control software for their Cye personal robot, under GPL. Parag Batavia, Probotics Chief Scientist, says “Right now, Map-N-Zap is a Win9x product only, but we have released all the source code under GPL, in the hopes that people using other platforms (linux especially) can do cool things with it.” What does it do?… (more…)

LINDON, Utah — (company press release) — Lineo, Inc., a leading developer of embedded Linux system software, today began shipping Embedix Linux 1.0, Lineo's embedded Linux distribution. Embedix Linux is engineered and re-configured specifically for embedded systems use. Embedix Linux allows OEM developers to test and implement embedded Linux on their specific hardware solutions. (more…)