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by Rick Lehrbaum
Lineo unveiled a challenge to Microsoft's Windows CE: Embedix PDA. The product will add a Win CE compatibility layer to Linux, allowing developers to port Win CE applications to Linux easily. Lineo's targets are palm computers and embedded systems. (http://www.lineo.com/)
Transmeta disclosed plans for ``Mobile Linux'', which will support the highly constrained resources of portable Internet devices and embedded systems. The company plans to offer its Linux enhancements to the Open Source community. (http://www.transmeta.com/)
LinuxDevices.com announced the results of its third Embedded Linux poll, which asked developers to describe an embedded computing application in which they are planning to use Linux. The Poll's results can be viewed at http://www.linuxdevices.com/polls/.
A new whitepaper from MontaVista Software reviews the benefits of Linux to embedded applications, discusses the alternatives available and offers a glimpse of what to expect from embedded Linux in the coming year. (http://www.mvista.com/)
Corel Corporation entered into an agreement to acquire up to 30% of start-up OE/ONE.com, a company founded by a former Corel executive that has developed a sub-$500 Linux-based Internet appliance. (http://www.corel.com/)
Lineo, Inc. announced it has begun shipping Embedix Linux 1.0, the company's embedded Linux distribution. Embedix is targeted to x86 and PowerPC-based embedded devices. It requires a minimum of 8MB RAM, 3MB of ROM/Flash memory and is based on the Linux 2.2 kernel. (f ROM/Flash memory and is based on the Linux 2.2 kernel. (http://www.lineo.com/)
Evidencing significant inroads made by Linux within the US government, the National Security Agency (NSA) awarded a contract to Secure Computing Corporation to develop a robust, highly secure configuration of Linux. (http://www.securecomputing.com/)
Lineo, Inc. announced a major embedded Linux design win in the set-top box market. The system, to be marketed by Bast, Inc., will go in hotel rooms and apartment buildings. The initial plan is for 50,000 systems priced at $285 US each. (http://www.lineo.com/)
Touch Dynamics announced an open-source project to develop KOSIX, an industry-standard public kiosk terminal operating system based on Linux. KOSIX will offer an open-source alternative to conventional, proprietary kiosk OSes. (http://www.touchdynamics.com/)
An interview with Michael Tiemann, Red Hat's Chief Technology Officer, discusses the impact of Red Hat's acquisition of Cygnus on the embedded Linux market and the future of the Cygnus EL/IX Embedded Linux API initiative. (http://www.linuxdevices.com/articles/)
IBM disbanded its Internet division and redirected its resources toward an aggressive campaign to promote Linux. As part of this strategy shift, former Internet division executive Irving Wladawsky-Berger was transferred to the new IBM Linux group. IBM says it will collaborate with the Linux Open Source community and has dedicated a portion of its web site to Linux-related information. (http://www.ibm.com/linux/)
DataViews Corporation, a provider of ``human-machine interfaces'' (HMIs) for factory automation operator interfaces, announced a Linux version of its high-end HMI software tool, DataViews. The company claims to be the first provider of Linux-based HMI tools. (http://www.dvcorp.com/)
UC Berkeley announced two short courses on real-world applications programming, to be offered this spring in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston. The courses will emphasize Linux and are titled ``Real-Time Programming for Embedded Systems'' and ``32-Bit Real-Time Operating Systems with an Emphasis on Linux''. (http://www.berkeley.edu/unex/eng/)
There's a movement afoot to develop Linux-based ``programmable logic controller'' (PLC) technology. PLCs are commonly used in manufacturing and factory automation control systems. A Linux-PLC web site, mailing list and open-source software are being created. (http://www.linuxplc.org/)
FSMLabs released beta version 3.0 of RTLinux for ``hard real-time'' applications. RTLinux can control machinery while maintaining full Linux compatibility. The new release, based on the latest Linux 2.3 kernel, offers improved performance and supports ports to non-x86 architectures. (http://www.fsmlabs.com/)
Linux received a boost in laboratory and industrial test, measurement and control with the announcement by National Instruments of comprehensive Linux support. The company has assembled Linux-based instrumentation and control solutions for VME and VXI-based hardware. (http://www.ni.com/)
Intel began delivering prototypes of Itanium, its new 64-bit CPU (formerly code-named Merced). Sources within Intel said the company will shortly authorize the Trillian group (a team working on Linux for Itanium) to release the Itanium Linux source code to the Linux developer community.
MontaVista Software Inc. released its Hard Hat Net CompactPCI backplane networking package to the GPL Open Source community. The move provides developers with powerful networking options for using Linux and CompactPCI in telecom, telephony, Internet and other embedded applications. (http://www.mvista.com/)
VA Linux Systems introduced SourceForge, a major open-source initiative that provides over 700 open-source development projects with extensive hosting and communication resources. The services are available at no cost to open-source developers. (http://sourceforge.net/)
Rick Lehrbaum (rick@linuxdevices.com) co-founded Ampro Computers, Inc. in 1983, where he served for 16 years in the roles of VP of Engineering, President and Executive VP of Strategic Development. In 1992, he formed the PC/104 Consortium and then served as its chairman through January 2000. In October 1999, Rick turned his attention to embedded software, founding his second startup: LinuxDevices.com--``the Embedded Linux Portal''. Rick received his BS and MS degrees in physics from NYU and Northeast Louisiana University, respectively.