Friday, February 6, 2004
Lycoris Soon to Ship Mobile Linux, Pocket PC Edition
Posted by Andy Sjostrom in "THOUGHT" @ 03:35 AM
Lycoris is known for its desktop Linux operating system and they are just finishing a mobile version of their distribution. The operating system will be called "Desktop/LX Pocket PC Edition (DL-PPC)" and it will be made available to device makers and consumers directly. DL-PPC origins from the more known OpenZaurus and Opie.
"DL-PPC will initially support ARM-based PDAs such as the Sharp Zaurus and HP iPaq. However, it uses a standard Linux kernel -- version 2.4.18 initially, with updates planned soon -- making it relatively easy to port to other architectures, according to Lycoris Founder Joseph Cheek."
So, what is this "Pocket PC" all about? Well, founder Joseph Cheek is a former Microsoft employee. Lycoris was first called "Redmond Linux Project" before it was changed to Lycoris in a pre-emptive move. Joseph says they "performed extensive trademark research before choosing the "Pocket PC" name. "We couldn't find anything at the Office of Patents and Trademarks, and we couldn't find anything at Microsoft," he said."
Linux in mobile devices has been debated here before. Personally, I believe Linux will eventually make it to noticeable market share numbers. The critical issue is getting a major player, such as Motorola, to set the API standards and UI guidelines. Foster a developer community and attract more device makers. It won't happen this year or the next. But in three years? Likely.
"DL-PPC will initially support ARM-based PDAs such as the Sharp Zaurus and HP iPaq. However, it uses a standard Linux kernel -- version 2.4.18 initially, with updates planned soon -- making it relatively easy to port to other architectures, according to Lycoris Founder Joseph Cheek."
So, what is this "Pocket PC" all about? Well, founder Joseph Cheek is a former Microsoft employee. Lycoris was first called "Redmond Linux Project" before it was changed to Lycoris in a pre-emptive move. Joseph says they "performed extensive trademark research before choosing the "Pocket PC" name. "We couldn't find anything at the Office of Patents and Trademarks, and we couldn't find anything at Microsoft," he said."
Linux in mobile devices has been debated here before. Personally, I believe Linux will eventually make it to noticeable market share numbers. The critical issue is getting a major player, such as Motorola, to set the API standards and UI guidelines. Foster a developer community and attract more device makers. It won't happen this year or the next. But in three years? Likely.
