| Lineo adds Embedded Power to its acquisition portfolio |
Feb. 01, 2001
Lineo, a prominent provider of Linux software for smart devices and embedded systems, announced the acquisition of Embedded Power Corporation, a small software company that specializes in real-time operating systems (RTOS) for microprocessors (µPs) and digital signal processors (DSPs). Coincidentally, Lineo's announcement follows by one day Red Hat's announcement of an equity investment in chip-maker Cradle Technologies in a move that also targets real-time digital signal processing technology.
What's digital signal processing?
Using digital signal processors, device developers can implement complex, high-performance real-time processing capabilities through software, rather than specialized hardware. This capability has become increasingly important with the arrival of streaming audio and video in intelligent consumer appliances -- especially in light of the lightening pace of multimedia standards evolution. Both device manufacturers and consumers have lately grown weary of rapid product obsolescence due to evolving multimedia standards. Clearly, the prospect of upgrading products by updating DSP software is attractive.
Over the last several years, multimedia technologies in PCs have begun to be implemented in software rather than hardware. Intel's MMX instructions for the Pentium are a good example. Modems are now commonly implemented using DSPs instead of dedicated chips. In both cases, the goals are similar: provide high-speed multimedia support at least equivalent to dedicated hardware -- but in a manner that allows systems to later be upgraded as standards evolve.
Mixing DSPs with µPs
As dedicated chips are replaced with programmable DSPs, smart systems end up with two distinctly different kinds of internal processors -- DSPs and µPs. Satish Gupta, CEO of Cradle Technology, puts it this way: "Serving the needs of emerging ultra-high-speed streaming media requires vast amounts of data to be handled in real time, resulting in insatiable performance demands -- which is driving the complexity of chips exponentially!" Cradle's solution to this dilemma is a unique multiprocessor architecture called the "universal micro system" (UMS), in which dozens of processors -- including both RISC microprocessors and DSPs -- can be included on a single die. Most systems, however, implement the two types of processors with completely separate chips.
Either way, however, the growing DSP+µP trend leaves OS vendors scrambling to add DSP support to their OS portfolios. In the Linux space, Red Hat recently announced a port of it's low-end open-source OS, eCos, to Cradle's UMS. Lineo's acquisition of Embedded Power adds Motorola and TI DSP support to Lineo's OS portfolio, through the addition of the RTXC RTOS. Other embedded Linux providers are likely to follow suit.
Growth by acquisition
Tom Barrett, CEO and cofounder of Embedded Power, says Lineo's primary objective in acquiring his company was for the addition of DSP software support. However, RTXC also represents a full spectrum "hard real-time" OS for microprocessors -- one that supports over twenty-five 8-bit through 32-bit microprocessors. "Our core competency is operating system environments for hard real time systems -- fast and small," points out Barrett.
Last year, Lineo acquired Zentropix, a leader in the area of open-source real-time Linux, as well as Rt-Control, the creator of uClinux, a popular open-source version of the Linux kernel for limited-resource "deeply embedded" systems. In contrast, RTXC spans the full spectrum of both processors and performance -- but in the body of a proprietary OS. Adding it all up, Lineo ends up with a much broader spectrum of support for its customers. "Our goal," says Bryan Sparks, Lineo's CEO and founder, "is to provide developers with the tools they need to develop their embedded OS on their processor of choice."
Lineo gains 27 employees through this acquisition, most of whom are programmers. Prior to the acquisition, Lineo's world-wide staff had swelled to around three hundred -- mostly through its six previous acquisitions. Last week, Lineo announced that it had withdrawn its planned IPO, citing "current market conditions" as the reason.
Related stories:
(Click here for further information)
|
|
|
FUEL Database on MontaVista Linux
Whether building a mobile handset, a car navigation system, a package tracking device, or a home entertainment console, developers need capable software systems, including an operating system, development tools, and supporting libraries, to gain maximum benefit from their hardware platform and to meet aggressive time-to-market goals.
Breaking New Ground: The Evolution of Linux Clustering
With a platform comprising a complete Linux distribution, enhanced for clustering, and tailored for HPC, Penguin Computing¿s Scyld Software provides the building blocks for organizations from enterprises to workgroups to deploy, manage, and maintain Linux clusters, regardless of their size.
Data Monitoring with NightStar LX
Unlike ordinary debuggers, NightStar LX doesn¿t leave you stranded in the dark. It¿s more than just a debugger, it¿s a whole suite of integrated diagnostic tools designed for time-critical Linux applications to reduce test time, increase productivity and lower costs. You can debug, monitor, analyze and tune with minimal intrusion, so you see real execution behavior. And that¿s positively illuminating.
Virtualizing Service Provider Networks with Vyatta
This paper highlights Vyatta's unique ability to virtualize networking functions using Vyatta's secure routing software in service provider environments.
High Availability Messaging Solution Using AXIGEN, Heartbeat and DRBD
This white paper discusses a high-availability messaging solution relying on the AXIGEN Mail Server, Heartbeat and DRBD. Solution architecture and implementation, as well as benefits of using AXIGEN for this setup are all presented in detail.
Understanding the Financial Benefits of Open Source
Will open source pay off? Open source is becoming standard within enterprises, often because of cost savings. Find out how much of a financial impact it can have on your organization. Get this methodology and calculator now, compliments of JBoss.
Embedded Hardware and OS Technology Empower PC-Based Platforms
The modern embedded computer is the jack of all trades appearing in many forms.
Data Management for Real-Time Distributed Systems
This paper provides an overview of the network-centric computing model, data distribution services, and distributed data management. It then describes how the SkyBoard integration and synchronization service, coupled with an implementation of the OMG¿s Data Distribution Service (DDS) standard, can be used to create an efficient data distribution, storage, and retrieval system.
7 Advantages of D2D Backup
For decades, tape has been the backup medium of choice. But, now, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup is gaining in favor. Learn why you should make the move in this whitepaper.
|
|
|
|
|
news feed