MontaVista is offering existing customers a peek at its next-generation embedded Linux distributions, to be based on a 2.6.18 kernel and released in mid-2007. The company's 5.0 series “technology preview” aims to help developers begin porting and testing applications, or begin development of next-generation devices that exploit newly available features.

MontaVista's Linux distributions include Professional Edition, Carrier Grade Edition, and Mobilinux Edition, all of which are based on a common source code base. The 5.0 series technology preview appears to represent the current state of that common base.

MontaVista says its technology preview will help customers identify changes needed to successfully migrate to its 5.0 series Linux stacks. The preview also aims to provide a testing platform for application validation.

Additionally, the technology preview exposes customers to the technology trends being implemented in MontaVista's current common code base, allowing them to begin developing next-generation devices based on these features, the company says.

Technical highlights of the 5.0 series preview release are listed as follows:

• 2.6.18 kernel, said to provide enhanced user-space real-time options. Additionally, MontaVista expects to be the first embedded OS vendor to integrate “the latest real-time patches” from Ingo Molnar.
• GCC 4.2.0 compiler collection, said to enhance performance through “inter-procedural optimizations, auto-vectorization, and improved debugging capabilities using location lists”
• IPv6 support, described as “more comprehensive” than in the past
• OProfile, a “continuous system-wide profiler” for kernels and applications, allows data to be collected at any time, according to the company
• mpatrol can be used to diagnose run-time memory errors and leaks; additionally, it can serve as a library for controlling and tracing dynamic memory allocations.
• USB “On-The-Go” (OTG) support allows direct device communication when a PC is not available

Oren Teich, director of product marketing, stated, “Customers depend on MontaVista to lower overall development costs. This technology preview gives them the opportunity to prepare and experience first-hand the innovative features of MontaVista's forthcoming 5.0 products.”

Availability

The 5.0 series technology preview is available now to MontaVista customers. It is distributed as a VMWare disk image that can be used with VMWare's free VMWare player on any Linux or Windows host.

MontaVista, which announced a $21M funding round this month, also recently launched an open beta program for its next release of Dev Rocket, its Eclipse-based development suite. It hired a new CEO in June.

 
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