Freescale (formerly Motorola) Semiconductor has joined a TimeSys program that enables chipmakers to continuously supply their Linux optimizations for inclusion in commercially support Linux toolkits. Joining TimeSys's “OnBoard” program will enable Freescale to get its PowerPC optimizations into TimeSys's TimeStorm Linux Development Kits (LDKs), TimeSys says.

TimeSys announced the OnBoard program at this year's Embedded Systems Conference, held this week in San Francisco. Besides Freescale, other early participants include MIPS and ARM.

TimeSys calls the OnBoard program “the embedded Linux industry's most comprehensive program for hosting, certifying, distributing, and supporting commercialized Linux distributions.” The company says the program will enable it to continuously package, maintain, and support TimeStorm Linux Development Kits (LDKs) with the latest Freescale-developed enhancements for the PowerPC architecture.

TimeSys says Freescale-optimized TimeStorm LDKs are already available for Freescale's MPC8555E, MPC8560, and MPC8272 processors. TimeStorm LDKs include 2.6-based embedded Linux distributions with target images (kernel and root file system). They also include the Eclipse 3.0-based TimeStorm Linux Development Suite (LDS) cross-development environment, as well as kernel and device driver platform customization.

David Mothersole, distinguished technology fellow and CTO for Freescale's networking and computing systems group, said, “Freescale recognizes the growing importance of open source Linux solutions for our customers. TimeSys will commercialize and support all of our Linux enhancements, and make them available to the vast community of embedded Linux developers building products that use Freescale's processors based on the PowerPC architecture.”

 
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