EE Times: Be, Wind River next to jump into Net appliances

“Catching the scent of a vast new market with lots of elbow room
for multiple players, software companies are getting serious about
the Internet appliance. Boasting design wins from the likes of
Compaq, Intel and Hitachi, Be Inc. this week will unveil a software
platform tailored for that emerging market. Meanwhile, Wind River
Systems Inc. is preparing to do battle with Windows CE as it, too,
homes in on the market for Internet-savvy consumer boxes….”

“In some ways, the flowering of OSes aimed at the Internet
appliance market testifies to the gravitational pull of Linux,
which proved that a new operating system could attract users in a
software universe dominated by Microsoft. “Linux helped us in
many ways, because it said an alternative operating system could
make a go,” Potts said.”

“Yet Linux is serving more as example than model. Potts said
that many companies have tried tinkering with Linux for Net gear,
with lackluster results. One problem, he said, is the necessity of
developing Linux support for all the plug-ins and applications
usually associated with a Web-access device. “When we get candid
feedback from the engineers in the field that we work with, they
just can’t pull that off,” he said.”

“Instead, what is emerging is a market full of alternatives in
which Windows CE appears to be lagging, by most accounts.”

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