News
TurboLinux Invests in Real-Time Vendor Lynx
TurboLinux, a provider of high-end Linux solutions, has entered into an investment, technology and strategic partnership with real-time operating system (RTOS) vendor Lynx Real-time Systems, a provider of embedded Linux.
The investment and alliance will focus on expanding Lynx' worldwide sales and marketing efforts and support global infrastructure for Lynx' LynuxWorks product family, which includes the company's flagship products, LynxOS RTOS and BlueCat Linux. The investment will also help Lynx advance its technology for use in embedded systems, such as Internet servers and handheld wireless devices, and will enable further research and development of high availability (downtime of less than 3 minutes per year) products for telecommunications and data communications.
The partnership comes at a time when the market for embedded systems, particularly Internet appliances, is burgeoning. It also comes at a point when some of the initial euphoria over Linux seems to be fading. Linux is penetrating the server market but isn't making inroads in the lucrative desktop market, mainly because of different versions or user interfaces. Some of the largest Linux vendors—Corel Corp., Red Hat, and VA Linux Systems—have seen their stock drop as the market cools.
Targeting Linux at the embedded market could be a smart move. Microsoft's CE doesn't seem to be gaining a strong foothold. Linux, as an open-source operating system, carries a lower price tag than the alternatives and still offers significant functionality.