Welcome to . . .
the LinuxDevices.com Embedded Linux Weekly Newsletter
September 21, 2000
by Rick Lehrbaum -- Executive Editor, ZDNet's LinuxDevices.com
*** SPECIAL FEATURE ***
Embedded Linux Market Survey -- Sept. 2000 Snapshot -- as the embedded hardware and software world prepares for the "big" annual Embedded Systems Conference in San Jose, CA, it seems an appropriate time to take a look at the current Embedded Linux market landscape. LinuxDevices.com's "Embedded Linux Market Survey" contains twenty pie charts that are based on the accumulated responses to questions contained in five ongoing online Embedded Linux Polls. story*** SPECIAL FEATURE ***
Announcing the "Real-time Linux Quick Reference Guide" -- if you want to use Linux as the basis of a real-time application, there are a great many options you can choose from in order to enhance the real-time responsiveness of Linux. Given the somewhat bewildering variety of alternatives, LinuxDevices.com has created the "Real-time Linux Quick Reference Guide", which we hope will assist you in locating Linux-based solutions that match your system requirements. story*** SPECIAL FEATURE ***
Real-time Linux -- what is it, why do you want it, how do you do it? -- this feature article by Rick Lehrbaum draws on inputs from seven "real-time experts" to put together a comprehensive definition of real-time, probe the issues associated with obtaining adequate real-time performance in Linux systems, and understand some of the alternative real-time Linux approaches. story*** EXCLUSIVE "SNEAK PREVIEW" ***
Advanced information on a Korean combo cell phone + PDA -- to gather more background on this exciting project, which appeared to represent either the first -- or one of the first -- cellular phones based on embedded Linux, Rick Lehrbaum interviewed Minsuk Lee, VP of Engineering of PalmPalm Technology. Lehrbaum was surprised to discover that this exciting new Embedded Linux based device is not just a cellular phone, but a combination cell phone plus PDA -- complete with a 4" TFT display -- plus a tiny built-in video camera! story
*** THE GREAT REAL-TIME LINUX "DEBATE" -- PART II ***
TimeSys issues position statement on MontaVista real-time -- TimeSys has joined the chorus of responses to MontaVista Software's recent press release entitled "MontaVista First to Deliver Hard Real-Time Linux". story TimeSys announces preemptive Linux kernel support -- TimeSys reports enhancements to its Linux/RT operating system distribution that make the Linux kernel preemptable and significantly enhances hard real-time responsiveness by minimizing waiting times for higher priority real-time tasks. story Guest column: When hard real-time goes soft -- Lineo's Jeff Dionne demystifies the issues of real-time, and clarifies the distinctions between hard and soft real-time operating systems. story
*** NEW WHITEPAPERS AT LINUXDEVICES.COM ***
Know Your Rights [regarding Open Source Software] -- Michael Barr of Embedded Systems Programming provides an overview of the broad assortment of "open source" licenses (and nonlicenses) that are in use today, and sheds some light on their differences and subtleties. Barr discusses: proprietary software, shareware, free software, public domain software, GPL, LGPL, open source, and community source. story The Architecture and Development of Etlinux -- Marco Pantaleoni of Linuxcare Italia provides an overview of Etlinux, an embedded Linux distribution developed by the Italian company, PROSA (subsequently acquired by Linuxcare). story
*** OTHER NEWS ***
uClinux at basis of Red Hat / NetSilicon "partnership" -- Red Hat will provide engineering services to NetSilicon and ongoing support to NetSilicon customers. The first product of this partnership is NET+Lx, a development platform for Internet Appliances running uClinux, which was ported by Red Hat to NetSilicon's NET+ARM processor. story Final agenda for Real-time and Embedded Forum -- The Open Group has finalized the agenda for the upcoming Real-time and Embedded Systems Forum being held October 25 and 26 in Washington, DC. Presentations during the open session on the 25th include several topics of interest to developers using Embedded Linux. story PC/104 inventor Ampro unveils new small form-factor platform -- Ampro has tipped its hand on a new form-factor, beyond EBX and PC/104. The new 100mm x 145mm format will be used to implement highly integrated SBCs that plug into application baseboards as a daughter module. Ampro says the new format, which is being offered up as an open standard, is CPU architecture independent, and that they will soon introduce non-X86 versions. story Ampro announces MIPS SBC strategy -- shortly after announcing their new 100mm x 145mm SBC form-factor, Ampro announced a strategic relationship which will result in a series of MIPS processor based reference designs and OEM SBCs using the new SBC module format. story Coollogic creates "appliance edition" of embedded Linux+Java -- the appliance OS platform is built around a core operating system specifically designed for Internet appliances such as digital set-top boxes, countertop devices, Web pads, and thin clients. story Intel adds MontaVista to "applied computing" partner list -- MontaVista has become the second Embedded Linux company to be on Intel's elite Applied Computing Platform Providers list. Learn more about it here: story Lineo expands Embedded Linux professional services -- the Lineo Professional Services Group provides assistance in bringing embedded products to market sooner. Services include design and porting assistance, board support packages, driver development, and kernel customization. story QSLinux PowerPC embedded Linux gets speed boost -- the latest release adds provisions for configuring the operational clock speed of the target processor. The new release, which is open source under GPL, was tested on a XPC850SRZT80B processor. story RadiSys, LynuxWorks to develop an open HA Linux architecture -- the new OS extensions will provide full support for CompactPCI hot swap operations allowing on-line repair of standard peripheral controllers as well as completely dynamic system reconfiguration. The OS will also support failover between redundant system host processors in a CompactPCI system and advanced platform management through the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI). story National ups the SOC ante with 3 new "appliance-on-chip" ICs -- the three new devices are the latest members of the highly successful Geode family. Each combines a 32-bit 'x86' processor CPU core with a full system's worth of peripheral interfaces. Basically, National has combined the Geode GXLV chip with its companion I/O chip to gain a much higher level of integration. Take a look! story Embedded Linux plays key role in new online development resource -- DevelopOnline announced that its web resource, which is meant to reduce the time-to-market for designing PDAs, Internet appliances, and other intelligent electronic products, goes live on Oct. 2. The site is a collaborative online development center where programmers, innovators, and engineers can rapidly design new products or improve existing ones. Embedded Linux will be promoted as one of the core embedded technologies. story M-Systems acquires data security & crypto technology company -- M-Systems says the acquired technology will let them incorporate security features directly within future data storage products, an important capability for increasingly mobile, wireless, and Internet-connected embedded devices. story Triscend announces ARM SOC with 3,200 field-configurable cells -- you get to program a lot of the logic inside this new ARM7TDMI based SOC according to your embedded system's requirements! Up to 40,000 gates (depending on version) are organized as up to 3,200 programmable cells. At $13 in high volumes, it's worth looking at for simple embedded Linux apps. story GNU telephony server project (Bayonne) hits Milestone #5 -- This milestone offers support for Voicetronix's new unified telephony driver for both FreeBSD and Linux. In addition, Bayonne supports Pika "MonteCarlo" based DSP telephony cards and Quicknet cards under Linux. story MontaVista receives equity investment from VCs and Intel -- the Hard Hat folks report the receipt of funding from some prominent VCs, as well as from Intel. The two events are reported in these two stories . . . story story
*** LINKS OF THE WEEK ***
Smoothwall -- a minimal but secure firewall/router Linux -- a GPL distribution of Linux based around VA Linux 6.2.1, that is customized and cut down to a minimal but secure configuration. SmoothWall can turn a 486/P100 PC into a full-fledged dialup router and firewall. story
Wap-Dev mailing list -- a mailing list for developers of WAP services that provides a forum for those creating the new wave of mobile applications -- a place to swap tips, tricks, and techniques. story TLWonder -- an open source GUI-based tool for developing TL1 agents -- the tool is built using the Tcl/Tk scripting language and generates Tcl code which forms the core of the TL1 agent. What is TL1? Learn more here . . . story PuffinPLC.org -- Web Site for Linux based PLCs -- the project seeks to create a fully open source software implementation of a programmable logic controller (PLC), with the initial target platforms being Linux and its real-time variants. story
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