LinuxWorld: Something For Everyone
So far, this year's LinuxWorld is offering a bit of everything: geekfests; corporate marketing mantras espoused by the likes of Dell and HP; programming seminars with plenty of meat to them; and a host of new handheld multimedia gadgets running on Linux, as if CES just a few days ago was not enough.
According to Rick Doherty, an analyst for Envisioneering in Seaford, N.Y., users around the world expect their electronic devices to easily exchange information and data and will no longer stand for incompatibility shenanigans of years past. "Users are now saying that they will not stand for impediments that keep their devices from being connected.
"They want their devices to talk to their MP3 players, to send films, and to watch things on different PC screens," Doherty said. "Previously, it was Microsoft saying the system had to be Windows and Intel saying it had to be PC. But now, consumers are saying, 'I want to buy from several different vendors and no one is going to stop me.'"
Handheld Multimedia: The Linux Connection
Analysts, OEMs, and industry insiders generally agree that Linux will represent the "dominant and primary" platform in the embedded space, which, of course, includes handheld electronics devices. Why will Linux dominate and not, for example, another OS from a vendor whose name we will not mention? That is because Linux offers an open source code, is free (yes, free), and offers a growing number of free coding applications growing at a mind-boggling rate.
"Essentially, Linux programmers have access to source code. With Microsoft, most programmers don't have access," said Bill Claybrook, an analyst for the Aberdeen Group Inc., in Boston, Mass. "It's hard to morph, debug, and basically do all you want without having your hands on the OS source code."
Having said that, some of the world's largest technology companies have collectively invested several billions of dollars to develop the semiconductors and display technologies to design what they think you, the user, might find attractive. For the software user interface, Linux has offered them the most creative freedom, they say.
IBM Corp., for example, showcased (for the first time) a hand-held multimedia prototype device based on its 32 bit RISC PowerPC processor and Linux and Java software that plays MP3 files, offers sound recording, and plays MPEG-4 video. According to IBM representatives at the booth, the device can generate up to 300 MIPs of MEG-4 video playback and lowers the processor/ memory power consumption by as much as 50%, which translates to an estimated 20% power savings at the system level. However, IBM did not name the other systems to which the company was comparing the device.
The reference design is offered to OEMs and may see commercial application by the end of 2003.
