RSSRed Hat, 3G Lab Developing Wireless OS
By Mykel Nahorniak | Published July 30, 2001, 11:58 PM
Popular Linux company Red Hat and UK-based 3G Lab announced Monday plans to create an operating system to be run on wireless devices. Based around Red Hat's eCos, the embedded configurable operating system, the new OS will power Web-enabled mobile phones. The software will be open source, thus allowing developers to download the API and create applications designed for the OS.
The new software is slated to be dubbed eCos/M3, and will have specific features geared towards improving battery life and ensuring smooth streaming media content. While suggested to be the first "wireless Linux," the OS will in fact not be based on Linux or any derivative. eCos is able to run on devices with a much smaller memory footprint than that needed by Linux.
The first smartphones will debut later this year, designed for displaying e-mail, playing video clips, maintaining a calendar and more. Red Hat and 3G however, have plans to make their wireless OS different. With eCos/M3, manufacturers will be allowed to customize the software to the needs of the specific cell phone, rather than having one generic version for each device.
Why create this 'wireless OS' when Nokia, Motorola etc are already coming out with Java-enabled mobile phones? (And J2ME can be used on any mobile/wireless device).
It's a pity this OS won't be based on Linux though, I was looking forward to recompiling my mobile phone once a month.
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|Yeah, the Linux rumor spread pretty quick, kind of ridiculous. Linux requires about 1.4MB at it's smallest point last I checked. These phones need something to run on 10-100KB, which is where an embedded OS like eCos comes in. I think the only thing it has in common with Linux is support for Linux emulation (kind of) and that it's open source.
I agree with you though - you'd think these companies would work to settle on one standard. Guess people just don't like Java.
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|Is a Linux-like OS in conflict with being Java Enabeled!? I don't think so, they have diffrent usages.
100KB ROM in the Embedded world is treaded as a very HUGE OS. Most of the new Unix like Embedded OSes in the market take %20 of this size ( even big and lazy Java OSes take around 64 Kb), so I expect this new OS by using a couple of megs of rams in the phone will include lots of Real Linux Services.
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|Shut up .. That post was completely uncalled for .. no WAIT You want to go there, fine .. At least I don't have to reboot my phone every time I want to redial .. I don't have to shut my phone off because someone's worm smacked it, and now it's calling washington every other second .. Should I go on or are you done now?
-8vO
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Go ahead moderate this post, see how busy I can make you, I know more cuss words than your filter does .. heh :-P
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|My kernel is 400K .. That includes sound, IDE, floppy, and many other things that a phone wouldn't need .. On top of that the amount of space for the embedded application is trivial ..
-8vO
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Go ahead moderate this post, see how busy I can make you, I know more cuss words than your filter does .. heh :-P
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|My my, we are a bit sensitive aren't we? Why am I not allowed to make a sarcastic comment now and then? Or would you rather I act like Brian D. and I just swear my head of and insult everyone? You make it seem like there's something wrong with recompiling once a month.
I assume (please correct me if I've misunderstood) that your references were towards Windows. I didn't mention that i wanted Windows CE or anything of that sort, I mentioned Java. No need to turn this into a Linux vs Windows war, I was mearly wondering why you would want this OS as oppose to using Java which would allow you to write an application and distribute it to a user's mobile, pda etc.
'At least I don't have to reboot my phone every time I want to redial'
It's funny you should say that....my current mobile is acting up almost that badly, the battery just dies. I'm waiting for a java enabled mobile.
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|I think the Linux rumor's spread resulting from people automatically associating RedHat with Linux. As for the one standard - it would be great! But as always everyone is trying to cash in while they have the chance =)
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|no, you are totally entitled to be sarcastic, I suppose I just read it wrong (still half awake after the first pot this morning )
-8vO
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|Oh, I want a linux enabled phone so I can ssh to it, and play the nibbles clone Seriously .. There's no reason why I wouldn't want it :-)
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|Whats a good Linux Distribution?
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|my current nokia probably has to be restarted more times a month than any w2k pcs/servers I have seen do in a year.
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|Linux = Linux.
Redhat Linux = Linux + Applications + Config tools (Primarily GUI).
Let's stick to Linux, shall we? ;)
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|Linux = kernel
Redhat Linux (or any distro for that matter) = kernel + 5 billion other applications.
But what does that have to do with: 'rumor's spread resulting from people automatically ASSOCIATING RedHat with Linux'
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