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Lineo 1.0 Eor Embedded x86 Released
Snarfvs Maximvs wrote to us with the news Lineo's Embedix Linux 1.0 for embedded x86 devices is out, with a distribution ready for download. One of the areas of interest is the WinCE compatibility layer that's currently in development - anyone know anything more about that? And what's going to happen now that Transmeta's "Mobile Linux" is out and about as well as Lineo?
I ment to hit "preview"... there isn't any way to modify one's commets, is there?
Anyway "Dinix" should be "DinX", and here's the description from the 0.2.2 announcement on linux-fbdev:
Full anouncement here .
Don't forget these as well:
ET-Linux - Runs on embedded x86 systems, and really IS meant for small, embedded systems (eg. little to no security). glibc2.1/kernel 2.0.38. Used with an ADC card to acquire data in the astrophysics lab where I work. It'll fit nicely in a 6MB flash chip.
TINY Linux - Really meant for recycling old 386s, works in an embedded environment without too much work. A full install with X takes around 80MB, but you can pare it down to 10-20. Based on libc5, though, so watch out when compiling new packages.
MicroLinux - I haven't used this one, nor do I read Russian (which the page is in), but I've heard that it works and has a very small installed footprint.
MuLinux - An Italian distro, still in development, major feature of which is the ability to live in a ramdisk on a computer with only 4MB of ram, if I understand correctly what I've read about it. (Haven't actually used this one either.)
Quantum mechanics: the dreams that stuff is made of.
Here ya go... hot off the presses. Just got an email today from Lineo with the URL to the source for their GPLed components. Somebody else can go check it out: ftp://ftp.lineo.com/pub/embedix/v1.0 There's the love.
i downloaded the binaries on friday, though i have not touched them since.
on the website, it said to mail embedix-support@lineo.com to get the source. i mailed that address with a request for source a few minutes after i downloaded the binaries on friday, and have yet to recieve a reply. ymmv.
For the actual press release and not the company's home page click Here.
That which does not kill me only makes me whinier
Palm has a huge momentum in the US, and in Europe there's no doubt that Symbian will rule the smartphone and handheld market completely. Looking at their website they have special made versions of the OS for many screen sizes and devices. It's only a question of _when_ those things will appear on the market. To get a brief hint on what's to come, look at how many awars the Psion Revo has won!
It will be very interesting to see an OS not really made to work on small devices compete in this arena. WinCE failed badly - PalmOS is doing quite well even though it's hardly a real OS, and the Symbian OS has been tailor made by first Psion and now Symbian since many many years for exactly this ...
Yeah, I have devices with WinCE, PalmOS and the Symbian OS ;) The MC218 (by Ericsson) is the one I use for my daily work ...
it's in my head
One gets the feeling, or at least I do, that Caldera probably wishes that they hadn't been working on this. It's only been, what a week Since the Transmeta announcement?
I can't really see this getting that much market acceptance over the Embedded Linux that comes strait from linus for the Crusoe. I suppose there's a large market for 386's and stuff though.
A smart thing for Caldera to do would be to port there "CE compatibility layer" to Embedded Linux on the Crusoe, that would enable them to cash in on there hard work and still be useable in a Transmeta world (depending on whether or not Transmeta succeeds).
Oh well, its nice to see Linux getting a hold on the embedded market.
[ c h a d o k e r e ]
ReadThe ReflectionEngine, a cyberpunk style n
Looks like this is for making embedded linux solutions on x86 and PowerPC. It's free for download, and they'll have to at least release whatever changes they've made to the 2.2 kernel, if they aren't just kernel modules. It will be interesting to see what functionality this shares with MobileLinux (if any), and how much of it we can cobble together between the two of them.
Also, some of this code might be handy for making a modern version of Linux that runs well on old computers without that much RAM. (yeah, yeah, yeah, 386 with 4MB RAM. Of course it's possible, but have you tried it lately? I wouldn't mind a distro that made it easier.)
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pb Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate.
pb Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate.
crusoe is x86 compatible. nothing is going to be written directly for the crusoe's vliw instruction set. it will all be written for x86, ppc, or whatever else the crusoe is emulating today.
Sorry for any confusion on this matter. It looks like some people read
the license, but I will point out a few parts for those who haven't yet:
In the first paragraph of the license it states:
"Any product provided along with the Software that is associated with a
separate end-user license agreement is licensed to you under the terms of
that license agreement."
Also, later in the license it says:
"GPL Software" is not owned by Lineo and is distributed to you by Lineo
for your use. GPL Software is distributed under the terms of the GNU
General Public License, Version 2, June 1991, a copy of which accompanies
this EULA"
and:
"Lineo will provide source code for any of the components of the Software
licensed under the GNU General Public License. To obtain such source code,
send email to embedix-support@lineo.com"
Unfortunately, the mail account for embedix-support@lineo.com was unmanned
yesterday and today. However, we are actively working on manning it and making the source code available on our FTP site. This will be in the
form of Source RPM files. I am leaving town tonight, but it should happen
in my absence, sometime this week.
In general, Embedix Linux consists of software which comes under a variety
of licenses (including GPL, Artistic, BSD, and Lineo's own EULA). Our
intent is to comply fully with all the different licenses (and have the
EULA act as a boilerplate for the whole collection). So, in answer to
an obvious question: "Can I take Embedix Linux and copy the whole thing
freely?", the answer is No. However, you CAN take the GPL parts and
redistribute them as per the GPL.
Lineo is very committed to GPL, including funding of OpenSource
activities, and direct development on several GPL components
(for example, see http://busybox.lineo.com/)
I don't see the two competing too much; they address somewhat different applications. Mobile Linux appears to be for laptops, web pads, and the like, while Lineo is for truly embedded systems with little or no user interface such as cell phones, heating & cooling systems, etc. (or in my case traffic controllers and telescope mounts)
However, Lineo *does* face competition from RTLinux, uClinux and eCos. And they've been around a little longer than Lineo. But certainly this is good news for us embedded developers. Having more options is always better and Lineo seems at first glance to be an attractive one. I'll be giving it a closer look for sure.
Admit nothing, deny everything and make counter-accusations.
Hemos is a big Winnie the pooh fan. He just put the book down for a second.
Embedix Linux -- by Lineo
Targets 32-bit x86 and PowerPC systems, requires 8mb RAM and 3mb ROM. Based on Linux 2.2 kernel, includes own GUI.
Mobile Linux -- by Transmeta
Not much detail available as to requirements, but seems to be targeted for fairly beefy hardware relative to a PDA.
ELKS (Embeddable Linux Kernel Subset) -- by independent hackers
Targets 8088/8086 x86 processors. Requires up to 640k of RAM. Linux-like, but not Linux proper. Doesn't include a GUI (see NanoGUI below).
NanoGUI -- by independent hackers
Based on the old "mini-x" released for Minix. Mini-x ran under 8086es, but whether NanoGUI retains that capability is hard to find out (please enlighten me!). If it does, it's the natural choice to add to ELKS for a ultralightweight 16-bit "Linux".
Steven E. Ehrbar
Also, does anyone know the pricing for royalties/licensing?