LinuxWorld continued
Lightning Instrumentation -- showed a miniature Embedded Linux based router device, the MultiCom Ethernet II. Lightning-Linux, the Embedded Linux OS used within the MultiCom router device, is also being made available independently of the hardware. Much of Lightning-Linux is apparently available under GPL.
LinAXE Project -- at a tiny booth, a brand new project had just set up shop: the "linAXE Project". linAXE started out as an effort to develop a Linux-based RTOS to control the popular "BattleBots" fighting robots, thus the combative name. Since then, the linAXE Project has broadened its scope.
Lineo -- as usual, Lineo's pavilion was bustling with activity and provided many interesting demonstrations . . .
- The successor to Lineo's uCsimm, the uCdimm. The new soDIMM form-factor (1.7" x 2.7") SBC is based on a DragonBallVZ microcontroller and, not surprisingly, runs uClinux.
- Trolltech (a Lineo partner) was present, demonstrating Qt/Embedded and the Qt Palmtop Environment (QPE).
- Rappore (a Lineo partner) was present, demonstrating an Embedded Linux based Bluetooth stack in a demo that consisted of a doll house with lighting, garage door, etc., controlled by a notebook computer -- with everything interconnected via Bluetooth wireless communications.
- The Lineo SecureEdge VPN router platform was demonstrated.
- A small PowerPC-based Embedded Planet PC/104 form-factor single board computer was used to demonstrate M-Systems' latest DiskOnChip embedded Linux driver.
- The new Lineo "Academic Student Kit" was on display. This kit, which contains a uCsimm, the uClinux OS, a small experimenter board, and a detailed instruction manual, will be sold to students for $250 which includes courseware and software CDs. Thirteen universities are already using the kit as part of their computer science classes.
LynuxWorks -- both the open source Blue Cat Linux and the proprietary LynxOS real-time OS (RTOS) were being demonstrated in the LynuxWorks pavilion, which now represents the combined strengths of LynuxWorks and ISDCorp, a company acquired by LynuxWorks last Summer. Demo's included . . .
- One of the most interesting demo's at the show was the showcasing of "Linux application binary interface (ABI) compatibility" of a preview version of the next release of LynxOS. A copy of Quake was downloaded from the web and compiled on a standard (x86) Linux system in a completely standard manner. Then, the compiled Quake program was transferred to a LynxOS system and run on both systems (Linux and LynxOS) at once. An identical resource-hogging program (a simple "while loop") was then started on both systems, resulting in jerky video performance. Then, real-time priority was adjusted on the LynxOS RTOS system, demonstrating the real-time performance capabilities of "a true RTOS". According to LynuxWorks chairman Inder Singh, this represented the first time any RTOS company has demonstrated such a high degree of "ABI compatibility" with Linux -- fulfilling a promise made by Singh just over a year ago to bring LynxOS into ABI compliance with Linux. (hrm . . . I suspect "full ABI compatibility" is quite a bit more difficult than simply running Quake -- but it's certainly a good start.)
- The new SpyKer real-time event profiler and trace tool was demonstrated.
- PhatNoise's Phatbox, an automobile MP3 player based on embedded Blue Cat Linux, was demonstrated.
- A high-availability chess game, based on Blue Cat Linux with host fail-over, was demonstrated at Intel's booth.
- M-Systems DiskOnChip support for Blue Cat Linux was demonstrated.
Metrowerks -- showed their recently enhanced CodeWarrior Integrated Development Environment (IDE), which provides embedded debugger and remote debugging capabilities, on a Motorola PowerPC 8260 reference board and an Embedded Planet PC/104 form-factor PowerPC 823 SBC. The booth's theme: "Embedded Linux -- increasing the IQ of Smart Devices."
MontaVista -- there was lots to see, with eight product demo's and five partner demo's. Some highlights of are . . .
- A high availability (HA) CompactPCI system demo, based on Hard Hat Linux, Ziatech and Motorola CompactPCI processors, MontaVista's High Availability software, backplane networking software, and "hot swap" drivers
- Various demo's of cross development tools, graphic embedded kernel configuration tools, graphical IDEs, remote debuggers, and performance analysis tools
- @win, a small footprint (200KB) GUI / windowing system from MontaVista partner Adelinux (Korea), running on a Compaq iPAQ (compatible with GTK/GTK+ and QT tool kits)
- a Compaq iPAQ PDA running Hard Hat Linux and the X Window system, with Internet browsing via Netscape 6 and displaying live video within an X window
- MontaVista's approach to a "hard real-time" Linux kernel was demonstrated using two identical systems running sound applications. One had a "vanilla" Linux kernel, while the other contained MontaVista's real-time enhancements. The CPU and scheduling latency for each was shown on a continuously refreshed chart.
- Motorola's 74xx Altivec processor running Hard Hat Linux on a Motorola Sandpoint embedded reference design
- Support for Embedded Java Applications under Hard Hat Linux was demonstrated, based on IBM's VisualAge Micro Edition (VAME)
- IBM's 750CX/CXe PowerPC running Hard Hat Linux
- a StrongARM based customer retail point-of-sale subsystem (designed by RadiSYS for USA Technologies), called ePort, was shown two ways: as an exposed electro-mechanical subsystem, and mounted inside a soft drink machine; so now, you can browse the web while you buy your Coke!
- a customer's 1U "industrial strength" rack-mount gateway appliance (made by Diversified Technologies) with "Hard Hat inside" was demonstrated
- one of the first working demonstrations of embedded Linux (Hard Hat Linux, of course) running on Intel's new XScale microarchitecture (the next generation of the StrongARM processor) was shown running on Intel's XScale evaluation platform
