The RTAI team has released a new version of the popular real-time extension to the Linux kernel. From the announcement by Paolo Mantegazza . . .

At the RTAI website you'll find the new RTAI release rtai-24.1.8. It improves and expands RTAI in many aspects, a lot of work being poured into it since release 24.1.7, excerpts:

• port to MIPS by Steve ([email protected]) (NEW)
• a yet more comprehensive multiarch making by David Schleef ([email protected])
• many hidden rewrites and extensions to improve robustness and ease of use
• rt_com aligned with the latest CVS by Giuseppe ([email protected])
• patches for recent kernels and the latest LTT support by Karym ([email protected])
• net_rpc to transparently support distributed use of RTAI services/APIs on networked applications, symmetrically in kernel/user space (NEW)
• last but not least, even if not cited with specific reference to anybody, there is a lot of very important cooperative effort from all RTAI friends, developers/coordinators who keep working and fighting friendly for this truly open source project, involving both individual hackers and companies.

Please refer to the related READMEs in the distribution for more in depth explanations.

I do want to take this chance to return to a many times discussed subject because I'm still receiving a lot of requests of clarification from many people that are still frightened by an infamous patent and related FUD. To have it as short as possible I think there is no better remind and answer worth repeating than the one from E. Moglen (FSF):

• message in archive

What stated above is clear, well written and comes from a renowned authority of legal OS stuff. To further help fighting FUD beginning with this release (24.1.8) RTAI developers have also cared to have the likely affected RTAI core functionality explicitly GPLed. Let's hope it helps having fainthearted Linux real timers not tricked as in “business, politics, war or even marriages”. Emperors are often naked, do we need to find a kid to yell it (H.C. Handersen, The Emperor's New Clothes).

– Paolo Mantegazza

 
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