Like the LinuxWorld expo in San Francisco last summer, reports from the current expo in New York paint a picture of a quieter event than a year ago, with smaller exhibitor booths and fewer giveaways, but with a steady stream of attendees browsing the show floor and participating in the conference sessions. HP and IBM seemed to dominate the LinuxWorld landscape this year, both physically and emotionally, and most of the Linux software vendors appear to have cut expenses in order to weather the storm of the current economic recession. Nevertheless, there was no lack of Linux and Embedded Linux news breaking around the show, since a major event like LinuxWorld offers the perfect opportunity to focus marketing and development resources on a point in time when Linux is on everyone's minds and tongues.
HP Fiorina: "Linux ready for breakout year" -- In her LinuxWorld keynote address, HP CEO Carly Fiorina declared this the breakout year for Linux, saying Linux is finding favor with big businesses due to its flexibility and cost-effectiveness. HP's CEO also described her company's initiatives to contribute to the advance of Linux. Story
IBM: Linux is already paying off -- This article from CNET reports that IBM believes it has already nearly recouped the $1 billion it claims to have invested in Linux during 2001. Bill Zeitler, head of IBM's server group and a keynote speaker at LinuxWorld, said "We think it was money well spent. Almost all of it, we got back." Story
HP: "Linux is the OS of the future in telecom" -- HP unveiled a range of new Linux-based products and services targeting the Internet infrastructure, telecommunications, and network equipment provider markets, including a family of Linux-based "carrier grade" servers and a developer's kit for HP Opencall software. The new telecom-oriented server family will be powered by a special version of Linux that is being referred to as "Carrier Grade Linux." Story
Non-profit lab launches "Carrier Grade Linux", "Data Center Linux" projects -- And speaking of "Carrier Grade Linux", the 22-member non-profit Open Source Development Lab (OSDL) announced a pair of technical working groups aimed at enhancing the suitability of Linux for telecommunications and datacenter infrastructure applications. The groups will develop functional and API standards for Carrier Grade Linux and Data Center Linux, and will provide guidance to open source projects and the industry at large. Story
Open development environment for Linux gains C/C++ tools -- The eclipse.org project made a fully functional C and C++ Integrated Development Environment (IDE) available for evaluation with the eclipse platform on Linux workstations. The C/C++ tools, which complement existing Java language support, make the eclipse platform the first full function, tightly integrated, multi-language tools environment available as open source. Story
Sony announces Linux for PlayStation 2 -- Sony announced that it is getting ready to release Linux for PlayStation 2 (Release 1.0), targeted toward the Linux development community in North America. Designed as a hobbyist development environment, users can not only run the wide variety of computer applications written for the Linux operating system, but also create original programs and applications designed to run on Linux for PlayStation 2. Story
MontaVista announces version 2.1 of ... "MontaVista Linux" -- MontaVista Software announced MontaVista Linux 2.1, the next generation of the company's popular Embedded Linux operating platform. Note the new name: "Hard Hat Linux" will henceforth be known as "MontaVista Linux." Story
IBM shows smart vending machine running Linux -- Big Blue showed off an intelligent vending machine which takes e-commerce from the Internet to the snack room, allowing customers to purchase items using a variety of wireless devices. The embedded computer portion of the demo was running MontaVista Linux on an Intel StrongARM system-on-chip processor. Story
ZDNet LinuxWorld coverage: Penguins unite! -- Finally, we bring you ZDNet's perspective on LinuxWorld New York: "With IBM leading the charge, the corporate world is finding a space for the alternative OS. While enthusiasts look forward to mainstreaming it on the desktop, Linux is gaining in the bigger picture." Story
Here are some additional news items and announcements of interest to the Embedded Linux Community . . .
As part of our continuing efforts to support the rapidly growing Embedded Linux Market, we are pleased to announce the online 2001 Embedded Linux Market Survey. The survey, which is structured in three parts, asks developers of Linux-based embedded systems and intelligent devices to anonymously provide information about their applications, their embedded Linux OS requirements and preferences, and the perceived advantages and disadvantages of using Linux in embedded applications.
Read them here: Jan. 24, 2002, Jan. 17, 2002, Jan. 10, 2002, Jan. 3, 2002, Dec. 20, 2001, Dec. 13, 2001, Dec. 6, 2001, Nov. 29, 2001, Nov. 22, 2001, Nov. 15, 2001, Nov. 8, 2001, Nov. 1, 2001, Oct. 25, 2001, Oct. 18, 2001, Oct. 11, 2001, Oct. 4, 2001, Sep. 27, 2001, Sep. 20, 2001, Sep. 13, 2001, Sep. 6, 2001
Be sure to stop by LinuxDevices.com -- "the Embedded Linux Portal" -- for the latest news, articles, forums, products, companies, jobs, and buzz in the fast-moving "post-PC" world of Linux-based intelligent devices, Internet appliances, and embedded systems. You can contact us here.