Kevin Reichard, at LinuxPlanet, writes . . .

“The long-term success of Linux is seemingly dependent on the ability of vendors to position Linux as a major player in the Internet-appliance (or network-appliance) world. Couple a rock-solid operating system with a Web browser and some Java capabilities, the reasoning goes, and consumers who don't know a lick… about operating systems and computers will be able to connect to the Internet and participate fully in the Internet revolution.”

“I used to scoff at this, but now I'm not so sure. Being a good penguinista, I should buy it, as so much venture capital and effort in the Linux community is being funneled into the development of Linux-based Internet appliances. But after playing around with an i-opener from Netpliance, reflecting on past experiences with network appliances, and spending some time making recommendations to friends about what sort of devices to buy, I've had a change of heart about what sort of devices will carry the day. Trouble is, because of the nature of embedded systems no one will know about your success.”

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[Editor: According to a report released last year by Dataquest, only 2.5 percent of the 4.8 billion microprocessors sold worldwide in 1998 were installed in PCs, making the embedded market 40 times larger than the PC market!]

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