WireSpeed Communications Corporation, a developer of customized embedded network software solutions, today announced its Embedded Linux Service. The new service is designed to help companies developing embedded system products quickly reap the benefits of basing their designs on the feature-rich, open-source, Linux software platform.

According to WireSpeed VP of Marketing and Sales, Jim True, “WireSpeed's Embedded Linux Service is intended to enable manufacturers to reduce the time, risk, and cost of building new Linux-based embedded products.” Embedded Linux has quickly emerged as one of the world's fastest growing operating systems by offering high reliability, free distribution, and open-source application support. “This growth is putting extreme pressure on companies to quickly introduce products that support Linux,” says True. “Unfortunately, the pool of engineers with sufficient embedded Linux experience is severely limited.”

WireSpeed's software and hardware development engineers have already helped many companies embed Linux and open-source applications into their embedded systems,” continues True. “Our programmers and engineers have considerable experience in the field of networked real-time software/hardware system design and development, with a special emphasis on fitting Linux into the highly constrained resources (memory, Flash disk, etc.) of embedded devices,” True adds. “WireSpeed is prepared to support a broad spectrum of embedded Linux projects, including both short 'fire-fighting' emergencies, as well as large scale long-term development programs.”

To date, WireSpeed's embedded Linux solutions have been primarily based on the Red Hat Linux distribution, with WireSpeed focusing on device driver development and, when necessary, kernel tweaks to meet unique application-specific requirements. WireSpeed's strategy is to offer their customer significantly reduced time-to-market without the customer needing to relinquish control or ownership of the final product. Source code is included in the deliverables, allowing the customers to later modify or enhance the product's capabilities on their own, if desired.

Initially, WireSpeed is targeting its software services at Internet appliance applications, by embedding a Linux operating system and Netscape browser capabilities into a small amount of diskless or disk based storage. Included in the browser functionality is support for Java, SSL 3.0, HTML 3.2, JavaScript 1.2 and plug-in capabilities. WireSpeed typically will provide its customers with custom engineering, source code, support, and maintenance. Although the company's main focus is software development, WireSpeed also has the resources to assist with system hardware design and development.

About WireSpeed

WireSpeed Communications Corporation, based in Huntsville Ala., specializes in software development and embedded systems engineering across a broad range of hardware platforms and operating systems. Founded in 1995, the company has become proficient in the development of customized embedded network and control systems, with special emphasis on “embedding the web” through integrating a selected network technology (ATM, DSL, Ethernet, etc.) along with an appropriate embedded operating system (Linux, Windows CE/NTE, or VxWorks). Some of WireSpeed's customers are Alcatel, Boeing, HP, ITT, Motorola, Texas Instruments and Time Domain Systems. WireSpeed is now increasing its corporate emphasis on using the Linux operating system in embedded networked systems applications.

 
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