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Transmeta Releases Midori Linux
_Upsilon_ writes "Transmeta announced today that they have released under the GPL their mobile linux as "Midori Linux". It is an x86 compatible version of Linux for internet appliances, residential gateway appliances, wireless web pads, and home audio components." They've got SourceForge project setup for discussion and usage. As well, the download page is ready - the current version is 1.0.0-beta1. And be careful not to drink too much of the distro.
Unless a lot has changed since I saw their marketing material, they either are offering, or are planning to offer a "native" version with a RISC instruction set as well. However, that may be old scrapped marketing "truths"... :-)
>infectious sense of fun.
Don't all porn actresses have an infection from their sense of fun?
If tits were wings it'd be flying around.
Am I sharing too much?
FP?
OK,
- B
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http://www.bradheintz.com/
- updated
You know, the release name probably isn't based off of the alcoholic syrup Midori, rather the meaning of the Japanese word midori, which means 'green' ... apart from sounding cool, they're probably trying to point out the low-power-consumption-appliance aim of the distro.
Just my ni-en.
--
...would be pretty simple. A picture of Linus against a black background, with the caption "He works for us, you know." and a logo. Heck, they're paying him, why not?
He who joyfully marches in rank and file has already earned my contempt. - "Big Al" Einstein
In Japanese, but has pictures
Manufacturers page, with english specs
Now what is 55,000 Yen in decent currencies? Is it around $500? This board also has two Intel network chips, which would cost about $200 for a dual network PCI card. Also has 64MB of memory installed. One PCI slot and one micro-PCI. Two parallel, 2 USB, 2 IDE, 1 floppy and audio. No graphics, you will have to use a PCI card, like a Voodoo5500, if you want graphics.
Check out the list of developers.
I'm sure he had input, but I guess he's not the only programmer at Transmeta. Maybe he finds the low-level x86 translation code more interesting, who knows?
Jon Acheson
All opinions expressed herein are my own, and not those of my employers, who are appalled.
I'd like to see a lot of hardware vendors with their own distribution. A lot of the problems with installs and "user-friendliness" in current distributions is the need to include support for every piece of hardware in existence. This often causes complex error scenarios when trying to autodetect hardware.
However, if Dell, for example, were to do a distribution for Dell computers, they would only include support for the chipsets that they were currently shipping. There would be no need to include code that would make sure that there wasn't a SuperCollosalXX00 Video Controller installed before checking for a VIA 200KX Romtroller (just to make up a bogus example).
People keep saying that 'Linux' can't do everything, but then they don't define 'Linux'. KDE/Gnome may not go everywhere, but there is no reason that the kernel can't be used in most computers, be they server, destop or appliance. And with that basic foundation, computing in general is simplified because all the systems will start behaving similarly. Where we need to differeniate is at the DISTRIBUTION level. Red Hat Linux isn't the solution to all problems. Maybe Mandrake is better for your home destop, Red Hat fits the corporate desktop and Suse is best for the server. (No flame wars please. All examples are contrived.) Currently Red Hat, Mandrake, et.al., have tried to be all things to all people, leading to the idea that Linux is complicated. Linux is not ocmplicated and can do everything if the distributers would catch a clue, define a market, and then design their distribution as a solution for that market.
The point is that all distributions should take the parts of what's being developed out there and package them in an appropriate way for the appropriate application. It will still be Linux, it will just be the parts that apply to the problem space.
So here's KUDOs to Transmeta and any other hardware vendor building a problem space specific distribution. May you live long and prosper.
Aah, change is good. -- Rafiki
Yeah, but it ain't easy. -- Simba
Am I the only one who remembers one of Linus's original reasons for joining Transmeta? Namely that they did not do a Linux distro, and he could therefore not be accused of favouritism towards one distro in his kernel work. I wonder what his stance now is on this.
Stealing a rhinoceros should not be attempted lightly.
...the ruggedized Webplayer I'm designing for a canoe trip down the Yukon river this summer. The plan is to take a solar-powered Webplayer with me, connected to which is a USB camera and a microphone. The camera will be fitted to a headband, it will see what I see. The mike will be somewhere where it hears what I say. I'll use this gear to make a report of this two-month trip from Whitehorse (Canada) to Emmonak (somewhere near the Bering sea). Pity there is no affordable, reliable wireless datacom coverage yet, or I would be able to beam this data right to my website... Hm, reminds me of the 'gargoyles' from Snow Crash...
--frank[at]unternet.org