* MontaVista releases Linux Consumer Electronics Edition 3.1
Not to be outdone by Red Hat and Wind River’s embedded Linux news last week, MontaVista announced Version 3.1 of its Consumer Electronics Edition operating system. The software, based on the Linux 2.4.20 kernel, will run on embedded device processors from Texas Instruments, Intel, Renesas, Motorola and ITE.
Among the improvements in the new software are better power management and the ability to load the operating system directly from flash memory. Also added was a new file structure called Protected RAM File System (PRAMFS), aimed at improving the protection of data stored in flash memory. MontaVista says its software will conform to the specifications being developed by the Consumer Electronics Linux Forum, a technology association working on a common set of embedded Linux standards for gadgets.
Consumer Electronics Edition 3.1 also includes DevRocket 1.0, a development environment for writing applications to run on MontaVista-powered consumer devices. The software includes Linux, Windows and Solaris development- and debugging-platforms, as well as libraries and event logging of Consumer Electronics Edition software.
MontaVista, a privately held company, has come on strong in the market for embedded Linux as of late, especially with gadget makers such as PDAs, smart phones and cell phones. It recently reported a revenue increase of 77% from the year before – although it would not discuss dollar amounts. The 200-employee company also claims to have had 15-consecutive quarters of growth, with 500 new customers gained in last year.
MontaVista will compete in the same market for embedded real-time operating systems against the Red Hat and Wind River partnership (see previous newsletter for more on that partnership).
Although its history is established in industrial and telecom embedded Linux, MontaVista lately has increased its focus on the consumer gadget market, such as its recent partnership on Motorola’s new smart phones.
