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Wind River Joins the Mobile Linux Fray

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the self-proclaimed-battles-royale dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Embedded software powerhouse Wind River launched a Consumer Electronics Linux distribution today targeting 'mobile phones, set-top boxes, PVRs, and other small-footprint consumer devices.' The company says several phones based on its brand of Linux will begin shipping before the end of this year, and is rumored to have teamed with PalmSource, which itself is busy converting Palm OS into a software stack for Linux mobile phones."

7 of 45 comments (clear)

  1. Good thing is by cached · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The good thing is that in any event, multi-vendor competition bodes well for Linux's chances against single-vendor operating systems such as Windows Mobile and Symbian, since competitors in the Linux space end up contributing to an evolving shared base of open source software.

    --
    +1 funny, -2 overrated. Life isn't fair.
  2. Rumored to have teamed with PalmSource? by Sam+Haine+'95 · · Score: 4, Interesting
    From TFA:
    It will be interesting to see whether newcomer PalmSource, which is busy converting Palm OS into a software stack running on Linux, taps Wind River as a Linux OS partner in the mobile phone space, as has been rumored. For its part, however, MontaVista already announced an alliance with PalmSource in August.
    PalmSource have always claimed that PalmOS-for-Linux is to be distro-agnostic, allowing the hardware manufacterer to decide which distro to use.
  3. Liscensing by rufty_tufty · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Looking at the article they're planning to liscense this on a per devloper per year basis. One thing I don't get though is how this fits in with the GPL, surely the key thing Windriver offer is tweeks to the kernel to make it a good RTOS and associted BSPs for the various phones. But those would have to be GPLed as well.
    So what is there here that isn't GPLed and therefore why would someone pay for this? Or is it the tools, this CELF of which they speak?

    --
    "The weirdest thing about a mind, is that every answer that you find, is the basis of a brand new cliche" -
  4. Re:Is this the same wind river that maintains by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    PyQT and PyKDE bindings?

    I think you mean Riverbank.

  5. "pristine kernel sources" by jhoger · · Score: 5, Interesting

    So is the kernel redistributable under the GPL once it has been patched by WindRiver's wizard? Anyone know the license they use on the patches, or do you end up with a tainted kernel which cannot be redistributed without a separate license agreement from WindRiver?

    Such a wizard sounds like a great way to sneak around the license to me, or at least pass on liability to customers.

    -- John

  6. Why would I want such a thing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Why on earth would I want a WinDriver in my linux kernel?

    /* gets coat */

  7. It's all about the tools by Wesley+Felter · · Score: 3, Insightful

    All the embedded Linux companies have non-open-source tools and documentation; that's really what they're selling (since the kernel and userland are free).