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Rukmini Priyadarshini

Having made waves in the Web server market, the penguin is now moving into the hot information appliances space.

THE upstart Linux operating system has been the darling of the media and developers for the past three-four years. In that time, the move to bring it into the mainstream consisted largely of projecting it as a Windows killer. But the desktop may not be the penguin's destination at all.

Having made waves in the Web server market, the penguin is now moving into the hot information appliances space. Cell-phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and Net appliances will soon sport a Linux interface.

Though Linux may not pose a threat to Windows in the desktop space, the server OS space is happy hunting ground for the penguin and importantly, it could become the OS of choice for portable and/or basic computing and Internet-access devices, collectively known as information appliances. These will outnumber PCs by 2005, according to IDC.

Since these appliances will cost not more than a couple of hundred dollars, and will have limited memory space, they will require a sleeker and cheaper OS than Windows. Linux is small, can be customised and is Internet-compatible, making it the natural choice. It is cheap, stable, makes small demands on the system resources and is suited for the small screens of these devices.

Another factor favouring Linux in the info appliance space is that, being embedded, the brand name of the operating system becomes irrelevant. And the important features — performance, price and support — will determine the choice. Linux is well ahead on these fronts.

Several info appliance makers have adopted Linux: Intel is to use Linux for Intel-branded Web appliances and National Semiconductors is offering its information appliance platform — the WebPad — with a choice of operating systems — Linux, Stinger from Be Inc and the PSOS.

TiVo's personal video recorder — available from Philips — runs on Linux with software created by itself. While Transmeta's Crusoe processors will work with Windows software, for information appliance applications the company is pushing Linux.

Software manufacturers such as Lineo have developed versions of Linux that will run on cell-phones, Palm devices, TV set-top boxes and even cars. Ericsson and Red Hat are integrating a Linux-based browser into an upcoming cell-phone and plan to develop consumer products and services for home information appliances.

Of course, for Linux itself, penetration into the information appliance market will also mean that it could lose its visibility as the OS embedded in devices.

Though Web servers and programming tools had the most open-source installations on a percentage basis, Linux is making inroads into the other markets. This is not simply because Linux is already better suited for these applications, but also because it is evolving to match requirements.

While companies like to be able to tailor the OS to meet their needs, the Linux community itself is developing slimmed-down embedded Linux and mobile Linux, for instance. Imagine asking Microsoft for a stripped-down version of Windows!

priya@thehindu.co.in

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