AbsoluteValue Systems (AVS) and Intersil announced that the new AVS wireless LAN (WLAN) development system for Linux-based embedded systems bases its wireless interface on Intersil's PRISM WLAN chipset. The new AVS WLAN development system system is said to be the first to target embedded Linux based systems. The system consists of a complete package of software, hardware, documentation, and source code that allows developers to quickly implement a WLAN system.

Larry Ciaccia, vice president and general manager of PRISM Wireless Products at Intersil, said “as Internet appliances begin to proliferate, Linux will be widely adopted as an ideal operating platform for mobile computing applications, a fact that makes this type of developers kit critical for the deployment of Linux-based wireless LAN solutions.”

Mark Matthews, co-owner of AbsoluteValue Software, said “we're confident that our Linux-based WLAN system will capitalize on the tremendous market opportunity ahead for mobility-based, high-speed wireless local area network products.”

Intersil claims that over a hundred significant product designs have been based on its PRISM WLAN chipset, since the device's introduction in 1996. Those design wins include WLAN systems from Cisco, Nokia, Siemens, Compaq, 3Com, Dell, Nortel, Samsung, SpectraLink, and Zoom. According to an Intersil spokesperson, a May 2000 report from the Cahners In-Stat Group called Intersil “the dominant force in the WLAN chip set marketplace with their PRISM chipsets holding the majority of market share.” PRISM technology complies with the IEEE 802.11b global standard, and Intersil is a founding sponsor of the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA), whose Wi-Fi brand is a mark of compatibility for 802.11b-based systems.

AbsoluteValue Systems, in the software development services business under the name AbsoluteValue Software since 1993, has recently entered a startup mode with respect to offering Wireless LAN products. The company is attempting to leverage its expertise in the 802.11 wireless LAN protocol, embedded applications, and the Linux operating system to develop a full line of products for the WLAN market. Company founders include Mark Mathews, primary developer of the Linux-WLAN driver software package, and Jo-Ellen Mathews, primary developer of the AbsoluteValue Systems WLAN Developers Kit. Brian Mathews, who led the original PRISM chip set project at Intersil, has recently joined AbsoluteValue Systems to lead the company's marketing and WLAN product planning efforts.

 
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