SnapGear Inc. announced what it calls the world's first free “commercial grade” embedded Linux distribution that targets development of secure Internet-enabled products. The distribution supports a range of processors, both with and without memory management units (MMUs), and includes toolchains and library support, resulting in a “one-stop” executable and source collection, the company said.

Supported non-MMU processors are said include Motorola ColdFire, ARM, and LEON SPARC, while supported processors having MMUs include Hitachi SuperH, Intel XScale IXP425, Intel x86, and other ARM cores.

“In the past, building embedded Linux software without the cost of a commercial toolkit required the collection and integration of a tool-chain, kernel, applications, and many patches,” commented SnapGear CEO Rick Stevenson. “This was a difficult and time-consuming process. We've been through this exercise many times and built up a sophisticated multi-platform build environment including tool-chains, kernels, and many applications useful in embedded devices — especially those with advanced networking and communications requirements.”

“In the true spirit of open source, we are making this freely available so that others can benefit,” added Stevenson. “Where SnapGear adds value is that we design, manufacture, and provide fulfillment services for turn-key embedded products world-wide. This distribution represents just a piece of that puzzle.”

The SnapGear embedded Linux distribution is available for immediate free download from www.snapgear.org, and can be purchased on CD for a nominal postage and handling charge.

 
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