The inexorable onward march of Linux: today pizza, tomorrow the world -- Linux based point-of-sale made its latest inroad into the fast food industry this week, with the announcement that Papa John's Pizza has selected Wincor Nixdorf's BEETLE /NetPOS point-of-sale (POS) terminals as its next generation hardware platform. The sealed, fanless Linux-based POS systems will be installed in as many as 2,936 of Papa John's owned and franchised pizza restaurants worldwide. Story
Turning the SEGA Dreamcast into a Linux firewall/router -- This highly detailed 101-page how-to article provides the necessary background and procedures to turn a SEGA Dreamcast gaming console into a Linux-based software router with firewalling and virtual private networking capabilities. The article explains how to create the necessary toolchain for compiling both programs and the Linux kernel, and shows how, starting from scratch, you can build a Linux operating system that runs entirely in memory. This article is so extensive, one reader called it a "small book." Story
Installing Linux on the Acer Travelmate C100 Tablet PC -- In this how-to article, Dean Townsley describes his project of getting Debian GNU/Linux installed and working on an Acer Travelmate C100 "convertible tablet PC." In addition to explaining how to install the kernel, Townsley provides tips on making functions like ACPI, sound, PCMCIA, pen support, wireless networking, and screen rotation work. Story
Universal Plug and Play -- the Foundation of the Digital Home -- This article by two developers at Intel provides an introduction and overview to Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), a standards-based technology for transparent network device connectivity that allows devices from various vendors to "just work" when plugged into the network, eliminating the administrative hassle typically associated with networking devices and making them programmable entities that can be controlled across the network. Intel has been a strong supporter of UPnP, and has released an open-source SDK for the development of Linux-based UPnP devices, hosted at SourceForge, which has been used in a number of UPnP products that will soon show up on the market. Story
Linux/Java powers JPL's new Mars Rover concept vehicle -- James Gosling, the father of Java and a "Fellow" and vice president at Sun Labs, introduced a new, Linux/Java-powered Mars rover prototype at JavaOne this week in San Francisco. The Mars Exploration Rover concept vehicle was built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) as a proof of concept for the next-generation of unmanned Mars exploration rovers, scheduled for launch in 2009. Story
uClinux powers telecom system management solutions -- Pigeon Point Systems announced a family of Linux-based hardware and software components and starter kits for interoperable out-of-band management of standards-based open modular platforms based on the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI). IPMI is the chosen foundation for platform management in the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group's recently launched AdvancedTCA specifications for next generation telecom equipment. Story
What's influencing the future of embedded Linux? -- In a lengthy opinion column, Karim Yaghmour's provides his perspective on the topic of "Embedded Systems, Linux, and the Future." Yaghmour surveys the current status and positioning of the traditional embedded software vendors, reviews the impact Linux is having, and suggests what forces are most likely to determine where the market will go. We provide an associated talkback thread in our forum, in case you want to comment on this interesting topic. Story
Sun tunes mobile JVM to XScale -- Intel and Sun announced a collaboration to optimize Sun's CDLC (Connected Limited Device Configuration) "HotSpot Implementation" for Intel's XScale family processors. Sun plans to provide XScale-optimized JVMs to manufacturers of mobile devices such as cell phones and PDAs. Story
Other noteworthy news items and announcements from the past week . . .
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Read them here: June 5, 2003, May 29, 2003, May 22, 2003, May 15, 2003, May 8, 2003, May 1, 2003, Apr. 24, 2003, Apr. 17, 2003, Apr. 10, 2003, Apr. 3, 2003, Mar. 27, 2003, Mar. 20, 2003, Mar. 13, 2003, Mar. 6, 2003, Feb. 27, 2003, Feb. 20, 2003, Feb. 13, 2003, Feb. 6, 2003, Jan. 30, 2003, Jan. 23, 2003, Jan. 16, 2003, Jan. 9, 2003, Jan. 2, 2003
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