“National Semiconductor Japan will demonstrate 41 information
appliances (IAs) powered by National Semiconductor technologies at
an IA Seminar in Tokyo on August 30. The National Geode WebPAD(TM)
reference platform porting TRON (The Real-time Operating System
Nucleus), a Japanese-originated operating system, also will be
shown for the first time.”
“…Highlighting the show is the Geode WebPAD platform running
BTRON, a “Cho-Kanji,” x86 compatible open source-code operating
system used in Japan and other Asian countries and able to handle
more than 100,000 Chinese characters and about 30,000 other
language characters. This solution is marketed by Personal Media, a
Japanese company who partnered with National on porting TRON to
National’s WebPAD reference platform. TRON was developed by the
Japan Electronics Industry Development Association and based on the
concept of an ideal computer and standardized architecture proposed
by Prof. Sakamura from the University of Tokyo.”
“…Several information appliances powered by Geode
technology and porting Linux as the operating system will be
presented at the IA seminar, including DT Research’s thin clients
and WebPAD devices, Infomatec’s thin clients and set-top boxes, and
Wyse’s thin clients. Japanese companies are also entering this
market with IA products, including Takaoka, which will display thin
clients; Epson, which will present its card PC; and Pinon, which
will introduce its compact PC.”