“MontaVista Software has begun work to endow Linux with a
feature currently possessed only by proprietary rivals: a
guaranteed fast response time useful in everything from automotive
control computers to video players.“The Californian start-up focuses on embedded computing devices
such as DVD players and telecommunications equipment. But the
company hasn’t been able to bring Linux to a significant part of
the embedded market, devices requiring a ‘hard real time’ operating
system that can assure a response within a specific and short span
of time…”