Chip maker Transmeta has released a version of the GNU/Linux operating system for Internet appliances and mobile devices.
On Tuesday, Transmeta's Midori Linux was "open sourced," or made publicly available for further development by the Linux programming community.
The source code for Midori Linux has been released under the GNU Project's General Public License and the company has started a forum on SourceForge to coordinate development.
Transmeta designs energy-efficient chips primarily for laptops but its Crusoe chips are used in a range of devices, from subnotebooks to servers.
The Santa Clara, Calif., company famously employs Linus Torvalds, who is the lead developer of the Linux kernel, the heart of the upstart operating system.
The release of Midori Linux could raise conflict of interest questions for Torvalds.
Torvalds has the last word on new features in the Linux kernel, and has avoided working for Linux distributors to maintain his neutrality.
But now that the company he works for has released Linux software, does Transmeta have a fast track to new features beneficial to the company?
Adding fuel to the fire, there have been complaints recently that Linux hasn't addressed the needs of computer manufacturers at the other end of the scale -- makers of the "big iron" that run server farms and data processing centers.
Among the complaints is Linux' troubles when working on large multi-processor systems.
Stacy Quandt, an analyst with Giga Information Group, a market research firm, said questions about a conflict of interest could be raised, but she didn't think there was much evidence to support them.
"He (Torvalds) is not just focused on the embedded space," she said. "Linux is used in many areas and he's responded to that."
Similarly, Quandt said Transmeta sells chips to mobile device manufacturers as well as server vendors.
"I don't see them focused just on mobile devices," she added. "Transmeta has a pretty big server operation."
Transmeta hopes Midori Linux will make it easier for hardware manufacturers to build small, energy-efficient devices based on Linux. And of course, it hopes to sell more Crusoe processors to run those devices.
"Anything we do to that enhances Linux for small devices, that's good for Crusoe too," said Dan Quinlan, a software engineer in Transmeta's Linux group. "They complement each other."
The system will go up against Microsoft's Pocket PC, Palm's PalmOS, Be's BeIA, and the myriad versions of embedded Linux, such as Pocket Linux, Lineo's Embedix and MontaVista Software's Hard Hat Linux.
Erik Andersen, a senior software engineer with Lineo, said Midori Linux might appeal to device manufacturers who don't want to pay the "Microsoft tax" because it is free.
"As price points come down the percentage you pay to Microsoft versus the percentage you pay for the hardware is getting bigger," he said. "Microsoft is getting a bigger and bigger piece of the pie as the costs come down. It's incredibly appealing to manufacturers to bring down the price points by cutting Microsoft out."
Midori Linux draws heavily on Busybox, a suite of common Linux utilities shrunk for small devices that was written in large part by Andersen. (It was originally created by Bruce Perens.)
Although he works for a "competitor," Andersen said he was delighted to see Transmeta using the software.
"It's wonderful to have software I've helped create to be useful in the world," he said.
According to Transmeta's Quinlan, Midori Linux is very compact and will run in very limited amounts of Flash memory, one of the most expensive components of small devices.
The system includes new components for compressing data stored in Flash memory, allowing manufacturers to limit the amount they use.
Midori Linux also has some new power-management features that take advantage of Crusoe chips' ability to use more or less power depending on the task being performed.
The system is compatible with x86 chips, not just Crusoe processors, and can run the full range of Linux software. It uses the popular X-11 Windowing system as a graphical interface.
Midori Linux has already been loaded onto Internet appliances, Gateway's Connected TouchPad, and Web pads.
Quinlan said Midori Linux is suitable for a range of small devices, from Internet routers to PDAs and MP3 players.
Midori Linux will be shown on several upcoming products at CeBit 2001, the company said.
The Midori name comes from the Japanese word for green, implying that the system's low-power features are environmentally friendly.
Components of the system have been used before -- parts have turned up in a Compaq iPaq handheld running Linux -- but Tuesday's release is the first complete release of the package.
