Linux Journal: Transmeta: So Now We Know

“Well, we knew that. What we didn’t know was how little it
was about Linux. At least on the surface. (At a deeper level
it was very much about Linux, as we shall soon see.) The whole
rollout took better than two hours, and Linus only appeared once,
to demonstrate how perfectly Linux could run a Quake game on a
Transmeta box….”

“But Transmeta is equally a software company, and that’s where
Linux fits in–literally. Only Linux has two attributes that make
it the ideal OS for a new class of “mobile Internet appliances”
that feature the screen of a laptop (or smaller), the mass of a
notepad (or less) and the battery life of a Walkman (or better).
Those attributes are: 1) it can fit into Flash ROM; and 2) the
market demands it.”

“Of course, the market also demands Windows. So Transmeta
introduced two new microprocessors: one to run Linux and one to run
Windows, the TM 3120 and TM 5400, respectively. The Linux version
is the smaller and less power-hungry of the two, and is meant to
serve as the brains for a new class of consumer electronic goods
that browses the Web. The Windows version is meant to compete
against Intel and its clones in the lightweight mobile notebook
computer market. In other words, Linux hosts the sexier
category.”

Complete
Story