Which is better -- the preempt patch, or the low-latency patch? Both! -- In this whitepaper on Linux Scheduler Latency, Clark Williams of Red Hat Inc. compares the performance of two popular ways to improve kernel Linux preemption latency -- the preemption patch pioneered by MontaVista and the low-latency patch pioneered by Ingo Molnar -- and discovers that the best approach might be a combination of both. Story

Lineo swallows another bitter pill, cuts staff to under 80 -- Citing "the impact of the economic downturn that has prevailed since March", Lineo reduced its headcount again this week and continued the process begun last Fall of narrowing its focus to three key target markets. According to CEO Matt Harris, the company is reducing its size from 138 employees to between 75 and 80. Story

Keynote presentations from March 12 ELC meeting -- In case you missed the March 12 Embedded Linux Consortium meeting, you can now view the two keynote presentations online at LinuxDevices.com . . .

• The Future of Embedded Linux (and the evolving role of the Embedded Linux Consortium), by Rick Lehrbaum, Founder and Executive Editor, LinuxDevices.com
  

• Update on Embedded Linux in Japan (and EMBLIX, the Japan Embedded Linux Consortium), by Dr. Tatsuo Nakajima, Chairman of the Japan Embedded Linux Consortium (EMBLIX)
  

Second major book on Embedded Linux is published -- Addison Wesley Professional has released a new technical book on Embedded Linux entitled "Embedded Linux: Hardware, Software, and Interfacing". The 432-page book, written by Dr. Craig Hollabaugh, teaches the development and implementation of interfacing applications on an embedded Linux platform. A summary of the contents of the book, including its table of contents, appears here: Story

Embedded Linux conference issues "call for papers" -- A call for papers has been issued for the Embedded Linux Expo & Conference (ELEC) to be held in Dallas, TX on June 11. Papers can be on a wide range of software, hardware, system, and business topics associated with Embedded Linux based systems. Abstracts are due by April 4, 2002. Story

BIOS-level code adds fault-tolerant infrastructure -- General Software unveiled Firmbase, a unique software development kit that offers a fault-tolerant, run-time infrastructure which allows high-availability firmware programs (called "firmware applications") to run concurrently with industry-standard operating systems (including Linux). The technology makes use of system management mode on x86 architecture processors. Story

KDE.org announces Qt support for Mono -- This marks the first step in developing an open source alternative to Microsoft's .NET Story

Here are some additional news items and announcements of interest from the past week . . .

• Embedded Linux supports Home Network Processors
  
• Linux digs in at embedded systems show
  
• MPEG-4 gets mobile with Embedded Linux/Java
  
• Linux consortium slows to a waddle, critics say
  
• Startup unveils plan for '2nd generation info appliance'
  
• 'Smart Skins' and Linux enable new wireless phones
  
• Linux4.TV: enhanced STB source code available for download
  
• How IBM deals with software patents when developing with Linux
  
• Pioneer Licenses Jeode for Linux-based iTV
  
• Wipro announces Linux-based Home Gateway Software Solutions
  
• FSMLabs adds StrongARM support to RTLinux distro
  
• MontaVista Linux supports new IBM 440GP PowerPC
  

• Article talkbacks
  
• Linux on PDAs
  
• Embedded Linux Q&A
  
• Real-time Linux
  
• GPL issues & discussion
  
• Embedded Java+Linux
  
• Little Linux systems
  
• Defenestrating Windows
  
• General discussion
  

• Introduction & Overview ("start here")
  
• Embedded Linux Distributions
  
• Real-time Linux
  
• GUI/Windowing Software
  
• Java on Embedded Linux
  
• System-on-Chip Processors
  
• Single Board Computers
  
• Little Linux Systems
  
• Linux-Based "Cool Devices"
  
• Linux-PDAs and PDA-Linux
  

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:   Mar. 14, 2002,   Mar. 7, 2002,   Feb. 28, 2002,   Feb. 21, 2002,   Feb. 14, 2002,   Feb. 7, 2002,   Jan. 31, 2002,   Jan. 24, 2002,   Jan. 17, 2002,   Jan. 10, 2002,   Jan. 3, 2002

• Subscribe -- send a blank message to this address, from the address you wish to subscribe.
• Unsubscribe -- send a blank message to this address, from the address you wish to unsubscribe.
• Change address -- send a blank message from your new address, with your old address in the "Subject" line, to this address.

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.