LinuxDevices.com Embedded Linux Newsletter -- November 30, 2000


Welcome to the LinuxDevices.com
Embedded Linux Newsletter
November 30, 2000

by Rick Lehrbaum -- Executive Editor
ZDNet's LinuxDevices.com


*** SPECIAL FEATURE ***

Embedding Linux in a DiskOnChip -- this "how-to" article by John Lombardo, adapted from his upcoming book on Embedded Linux, explains how to embed Linux and a small application in an M-Systems DiskOnChip solid-state Flash module (without violating the GPL). The article provides a detailed, step-by-step process which can be used to create and test the embedded application. story

Build Dejaneiro -- a browser-controlled MP3 Player -- this "mini how-to" article, by Kevin Dankwardt, explains how to create a home-made MP3 player appliance based on Embedded Linux. You control it using a web browser on a separate computer. Warning! . . . this project assumes a moderate level of experience with Linux and its components. story

*** OTHER NEWS ***

BSD to leapfrog Linux? -- Henry Kingman, senior producer of ZDNet's Linux Resource Center, reports on progress in the world of BSD Unix. "Soon," Kingman observes, "the 'fifth BSD' could put BSD on more computers than run Linux." story

Startup unveils tiny "Linux-like" OS for Internet appliances -- DSPsoft has unveiled UnixCE, a small footprint operating system for resource constrained Internet appliances and mobile devices. The company claims the new OS is the smallest Unix-like kernel that contains a built-in X-Windows compatible API. story

GPL DiskOnChip support moves closer to completion -- the open source Memory Technology Driver project has new code that properly handles bad blocks and implements ECC, along with a number of other bug fixes. Is it time to add full DiskOnChip support to the Linux kernel or RedBoot? story

Small footprint embedded browser rides on JVM -- ANT Ltd. announced a new version of its embedded browser which uses the Java Native Interface (JNI) to interface with Java-based clients. The result is a small footprint, customizable browser for embedded systems and mobile devices. story

Linux gains built-in WAP support -- 5NINE launched WAPLinux.org, an open source development project for modifying the Linux kernel to fully support the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) and third generation (3G) wireless technologies. This will help wireless device manufacturers to embed Linux in PDAs, watches, appliances, and cell phones, and will set a Linux standard for wireless client application technology. story

Real-time HMI development tools gain Linux support -- Virtual Prototypes Inc., announced the release of compiled libraries for Linux. The libraries allow applications built with the company's real-time Human-Machine Interface (HMI) tools to be deployed on Embedded Linux systems. story

Universal Dynamic Trace for Linux -- the Linux Trace Toolkit now supports dynamic insertion of trace points using IBM's DProbes. With tracepoints defined and applied dynamically to object modules as probepoints using DProbes, tracing can be accomplished without source code modification. story

Linux fiesta in the Lone Star State -- ZDNet News reports on a gathering of three hundred IBM employees from around the globe in Texas, last week, "to celebrate all things open source". story

*** LINKS OF THE WEEK ***

RedBoot -- an open source boot/debug environment -- RedBoot is designed to replace the existing debug/boot tools CygMon and GDB stubs and provides a complete bootstrap environment, including network downloading and debugging. It also provides a simple flash file system for boot images. story

DiskOnChip2000 Open Source Linux Driver -- M-Systems' DiskOnChip 2000 is now supported by the Linux Memory Technology Device subsystem. An open source driver was developed based on specifications and sample hardware provided by M-Systems. story

The GNU Hurd -- the GNU project's Unix kernel replacement -- The Hurd is a collection of servers that run on the Mach microkernel to implement file systems, network protocols, file access control, and other features that are implemented by the Unix kernel or similar kernels (such as Linux). story

WAPLinux.org project -- Bringing WAP to Linux -- The WAPLinux project has the objective of implementing a fully featured WAP stack inside the Linux kernel. This allows Linux to have WAP capabilities similar to the TCP/IP protocol suite and will provide tools to Linux developers who wish to make WAP oriented applications for either small portable Linux devices or even large scale carrier-side WAP gateways. story

Dynamic debugging probes -- Dynamic Probes is a generic and pervasive debugging facility that will operate under the most extreme software conditions such as debugging a deep rooted operating system problem in a live environment, for example in the page-manager of the kernel or perhaps a problem that will not re-create easily in either a lab or production environment. story

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