The Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) has filed another GPL lawsuit, and for the first time on behalf of the Free Software Foundation (FSF). The suit alleges that Cisco Systems violated the GNU General Public License (GPL) and Lesser GPL (LGPL) in several Linux-equipped Linksys devices.

The lawsuit, filed yesterday in the Southern District of New York, claims that Cisco distributed several FSF-copyrighted GNU/Linux programs, including GCC, binutils, and the GNU C Library (see list below), without providing complete source code, as required by the GPL and LGPL. The FSF has requested that an injunction be issued against Cisco and that damages and litigation costs be awarded. The Linksys devices covered in the lawsuit (see list farther below) include the popular Linksys WRT54GL WiFi router (pictured above).

The FSF has been asking Cisco to publish source code for the Linksys products since 2003. At the time, open source expert Bruce Perens suggested that Cisco was unaware of the problem, which originated with an overseas subcontractor working for Linksys before it was acquired by Cisco. Indeed, the company initially pledged to work with the FSF on a compliance plan, according to the FSF, but little progress has been made over five years.

Busted: Actiontec MI424WR
wireless router
(Click for details)
After GPL-Violations.org won several GPL cases in Germany, including a successful suit against Skype, the SFLC has racked up one GPL settlement after another on behalf of the developers of BusyBox. Even Verizon settled with the SFLC when it was discovered that Actiontec's MI424WR wireless router (pictured at right), used by Verizon's FiOS customers, violated the GPL. Most recently, the SFLC sued Extreme Networks. This is the first time the group, which recently published a GPL compliance guide, has sued on behalf of any group except for BusyBox.

Linksys models covered in the SFLC/FSF suit against Cisco are said to include:EFG120
EFG250
NAS200
SPA400
WAG300N
WAP4400N
WIP300
WMA11B
WRV54G
WRT54GL
WRV200
WRV54G
WVC54GC
Quick-VPN softwareFSF-licensed GNU software covered in the Cisco complaint includes:GNU C Library
GNU Coreutils
GNU Readline
GNU Parted
GNU Wget
GNU Compiler Collection
GNU Binutils
GNU DebuggerStated Richard Stallman, president and founder of the FSF, and the original developer of GNU back in 1983, "Our licenses are designed to ensure that everyone who uses the software can change it. We are enforcing our licenses to protect the rights that everyone should have with all software: to use it, share it, and modify it as they see fit."

Stated Brett Smith, licensing compliance engineer at the FSF, "We began working with Cisco in 2003 to help them establish a process for complying with our software licenses, and the initial changes were very promising. Unfortunately, they never put in the effort that was necessary to finish the process, and now five years later we have still not seen a plan for compliance."

Stated Peter Brown, executive director of the FSF, "In the fifteen years we've spent enforcing our licenses, we've never gone to court before. But at the end of the day, we're also willing to take the legal action necessary to ensure users have the rights that our licenses guarantee."

A PDF copy of the complaint, filed in United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, should be available here.


Lil’ Kim Sued and Silenced
(E! Online)
Is Miley Cyrus Really Divorcing Her Parents?
(E! Online)
Voting-machine firm sued for GPL violations

Denx Software Engineering has updated its industrial Linux and tools distribution for ARM. Optionally available with the Qong EVB-Lite evaluation board pictured, Embedded Linux Development Kit (ELDK) includes cross-tools, real-time add-ons, and target architecture support for ARM chips with or without EABIs (embedded application binary interfaces).

(Click for larger view of Qong EVB-Lite evaluation board)

Available as an open-source software development kit (SDK), the ELDK Linux distribution and development tool suite is especially popular in Europe's industrial Linux community. The last major version, release 4.1, was announced in January 2007, adding support for Xenomai 2.3 real-time extensions, uClibc for ARM and PowerPC, and AMCC evaluation boards. One recent embedded device to combine ELDK and Xenomai was Neuronics's Katana Robotic Arm (pictured below, at right).

Neuronics's Katana
Robotic Arm
(Click for details)
ELDK 4.2 for ARM is aimed at a variety of embedded and real-time systems running ARM11, ARM9, ARM7, XScale, AT91, and other ARM architectures, says Denx. The company mentions the Freescale i.MX31 and Samsung S3C6400 as two target ARM11 system-on-chips (SoCs) that are well-suited for the distribution. The SDK is available with a new Qong EVB-Lite evaluation board (pictured at top) aimed at industrial devices. The board is based on an i.MX31-equipped Qong processor module that was co-developed with Italian turn-key vendor DAVE.

ELDK 4.2 for ARM is said to offer the following features:Cross development tools, including compiler, assembler, and linker
Native tools (shell, commands, and libraries) that run on the target system
Firmware for porting to new boards and processors (Denx maintains the open source Das U-boot bootloader)
Linux kernel including all device drivers and board-support functions
Xenomai real-time kernel extension support
EABI support
Software and hardware floating point versions
SELF (Simple Embedded Linux Framework) for building run-time environmentsFor ARM chips without hardware FPUs (floating point units), ELDK includes an "arm-linux" target architecture with software floating-point support. However, it also includes an armVFP-linux target architecture said to support ARM's EABI. ARM's EABI offers a way for application code to use "privileged" instructions to access on-chip hardware such as a VFP unit (vector floating point). That results in much better floating point performance compared to software techniques.

Availability

ELDK 4.2 for ARM is available now, says Denx, with source code available under GPL and other open source licenses. The ELDK can be downloaded from the Denx FTP server, here, as well as from several mirror sites, and is available on CD-ROM for 100 Euros (about $132 US).


ARM11 module targets low-power devices
Beastie Boys add dates to Obama tour
(Reuters)

Patent holding company Open Invention Network (OIN) has launched a "Linux Defenders" program, co-sponsored by the Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) and the Linux Foundation (LF). The program is designed to make prior art more readily accessible to patent and trademark office examiners, says OIN.

Linux Defenders aims to increase the quality of granted patents, and reduce poor quality patents, says OIN. Specifically, it plans to:solicit prior art to enable the rejection of poor quality patent applications
solicit prior art to enable the invalidation of poor quality issued patents
solicit high quality inventions that can be prepared as patent applications or defensive publicationsOIN was established by IBM, Sony, Philips, Novell, and Red Hat back in 2005, and has since been joined by NEC. The company acquires patents and licenses them royalty-free to companies that agree not to enforce their own patents against Linux and "certain Linux-related applications," says OIN.

Defending against trolls and strategics

To limit bogus patent claims, Linux Defenders will finance and organize "defensive publications" that establish a body of new prior art by placing it into the public domain. Examiners can then use these publications to improve patent application screening, thereby theoretically leading to higher patent quality. Endorsed by the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO), defensive publications are said to provide a form of preemptive disclosure that prevents other parties from obtaining a patent.

Linux Defenders is developing a set of Web-based forms that let non-attorneys generate defensive publications. It will also offer direct consulting, and establish a "Wiki"-like contribution model that calls upon community involvement. Linux Defenders will then post the publications to the IP.com database. The services are free to contributors of prior art or inventions, says the group.

Linux Defenders is also helping to extend two programs developed by the Center for Patent Innovations at the New York Law School. The Peer-to-Patent program, developed with the USPTO, offers a public forum for contributing information relevant to pending patent applications. The Post-Issue Peer-to-Patent uses a similar community-based peer review approach to patents that have already been issued.

Stated Eben Moglen, chairman of the SFLC, "The Software Freedom Law Center is pleased to co-sponsor Linux Defenders with the goal of ridding the world of patents that unscrupulous organizations use to cripple the innovation inherent in freely redistributable, open source software."

Stated Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation. "The open source community is getting an IP rights tool that will limit distractions created from organizations that like to play the FUD game."

Stated Keith Bergelt, CEO of OIN, "This landmark program will benefit open source innovation by significantly reducing the number of poor quality patents that might otherwise be used by patent trolls or strategics."

More information on Linux Defenders may be found here. OIN's site may be found here.


Miguel de Icaza on Mono 2.0
Vallenato duo bring Colombian genre to U.S. fans
(Reuters)
Linux Foundation spins end-user conference

Tilcon Software is shipping a version of its embedded GUI (graphical user interface) toolkit designed to work with Wind River Linux. Tilcon's Interface Development Suite (IDS) 5.5.5 for Wind River is aimed at embedded applications in industrial, defense, medical, automotive, and mobile devices, says the company.

(Click for palette of GUIs developed with IDS)

Tilcon's IDS can be used to build "fast, flicker-free interfaces, instrument clusters, and complex visualization systems," says the company. The tool features a drag-and-drop interface builder, property sheets for customizing appearance, behavior, resources, and actions, and a "wide" range of GUI and HMI objects, the company says. There is also a GIS application development module and Rhapsody UML (unified modeling language).

IDS is based on the Tilcon Embedded Vector Engine (EVE), pictured at the bottom center of the diagram below. This scalable graphics kernel is said to manage display and user interaction events as a service to distributed API clients. Working directly with native RTOSes such as Linux, EVE interacts with core graphics libraries, including WindML, Win32, Photon, and OpenGL ES.

Tilcon IDS screen displays


Stated Ron Boivin, VP of Tilcon, "By leveraging Wind River's operating systems, media enablement assets, and graphic subsystems, we help our customers to produce compelling user interfaces with exceptional responsiveness."

Ottawa-based Tilcon announced version 5.5.5 of IDS in February.

Availability

Tilcon's Interface Development Suite 5.5.5 for Wind River Linux is available now at an undisclosed price, says the company. It also supports Wind River VxWorks, enabling deployment across both platforms without modifying the underlying UI code, claims Tilcon.


Don’t Cry, Argentina. MadRod Didn’t Cause Delay
(E! Online)
Linux vendor touts infotainment stack

The German company DSM Computer announced a fanless computer targeting "24 x 7" operation in harsh environmental conditions. The NanoServer E8 includes an AMD Geode LX800 processor, a CompactFlash Type II slot, Mini PCI slot, and an optional "robust, protected" hard disk drive, the company says.

(Click here for a larger view of DSM's NanoServer E8)

According to DSM, the NanoServer E8 is intended for applications such as aerospace, machine control, and mobile video monitoring. As the photo above shows, the device's solid metal case has no ventilation holes, only ports (pictured later in this story).

Fanless operation is made possible courtesy of AMD's 500MHz Geode LX800 CPU/northbridge chip, and CS5536 southbridge, the company says. (For block diagrams of the AMD chips, see here and here, respectively.)

Continuous operation of the NanoServer E8 in demanding conditions is said to be ensured by the computer's use of a Type II CompactFlash socket for operating system installation. The device also has a bay for an internal 2.5-inch HDD (hard disk drive), the company says.

DSM offers an 80GB HDD option as an alternative to flash storage. It touts the drive as having been "tested during a Mount Everest expedition, and in rain forests with a relative humidity of 85 percent." The drive reportedly features "a new ventilation system, special bearings, and an optimized read-write head." It has a 750,000-hour MTBF rating, according to the company.

The NanoServer E8 accepts up to 1GB of DDR RAM in a single SODIMM slot, and has an internal Mini PCI slot. DSM lists optional 802.11b/g wireless LAN support, but doesn't say whether this requires use of the Mini PCI slot.

The NanoServer E8's ports are all on its rear panel
(Click to enlarge)
Meanwhile, on its rear (as shown above, from left to right), the computer has three serial ports, a 12VDC power input, PS/2 connectors for a keyboard and mouse, a parallel port, VGA, two 10/100 Ethernet ports, two USB ports, and audio I/O. Inside, says DSM, there's an additional serial port, plus two more USB ports.

Features and specifications listed by DSM for the NanoServer E8 include:Processor -- AMD Geode LX800 clocked at 500MHz
Memory -- Up to 1GB of DDR RAM
Storage -- CompactFlash Type II socket or 2.5-inch hard disk drive with 80GB of storage (optional)
Networking -- 2 x 10/100 Ethernet
Other I/O:4 x USB 2.0 (2 external, 2 internal)
4 x serial (3 external, 1 internal)
2 x PS/2 for keyboard and mouse
Audio -- mic in, line in, line out
1 x parallel
12VDC power inputExpansion -- Mini-PCI slot
Operating temperature -- -20 to 60 deg. C (-4 to 140 deg. F)
Dimensions:Without mounting rails, 8.66 x 8.11 x 2.04 inches (220 x 206 x 52mm)
With mounting rails (as pictured above), 9.64 x 8.66 x 2.36 inches (245 x 220 x 60.1mm)Pricing for the NanoServer E8 wasn't released, but the device appears to be available now. DSM also did not specify operating system support for the computer, but a search of the company's site shows that it has supported Linux, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows XP Professional on other products in its line.

More information about the NanoServer E8 may be available on the DSM website, here.


Mini-ITX board has HDMI port
Mini-ITX board sports six SATA II ports
Norway consumer body challenges Apple over iTunes
(Reuters)

[Updated, Dec. 12] -- DMP Electronics has announced a second x86-compatible SoC (system on chip) that's claimed to run Linux using under two Watts. The 32-bit Vortex86MX is said to integrate graphics, audio, and networking on a single chip.

(Click here for a larger view of the Vortex86MX/Xcore86)

Word of the new Vortex86MX came first not from Taiwan-based DMP itself, but from Thailand's NorhTec, which has resold DMP products in the past. In an email, NorhTec President Michael Barnes described the Vortex86MX as a "complete x586 motherboard on a single chip," and called it "the most energy-efficient and cost-effective technology available to run x86 operating systems."

NorhTec will rebrand the Vortex86MX as the Xcore86MX, pictured above, and has established a subsidiary known as Xcore to develop products based on the SoC, according to Barnes. Xcore is currently working on a "PC built on a motherboard the size of a business card," which will boot from microSD storage, he added.

Meanwhile, NorhTec also announced a panel PC it says will sell for as little as $400, based on the Vortex86DX SoC introduced by DMP last month. For more information on the "Touche 5.7," see later in this story.

The new SoC

As mentioned, DMP itself has not yet published information on the Vortex86MX/Xcore86MX SoC, though it recently registered the Vortex86MX.com domain name. However, piecing together information provided by Barnes, and a processor roadmap (below) posted by Brazilian reseller InDevices earlier this year, we're able to say that DMP's Vortex86MX is an enhanced version of the Vortex86DX introduced in November.

A DMP processor roadmap published earlier this year
Source: InDevices
(Click to enlarge)
According to NorhTec and InDevices, the Vortex86MX is similar to the Vortex86DX, but adds integrated VGA graphics and audio. DMP's newest SoC likely is built on a 90nm process, like the Vortex86DX, and apparently also comes in the same 27 x 27mm package. However, InDevices's roadmap suggests, the pinouts differ, likely because of the graphics output.

Note that since the graphic above was prepared by InDevices, DMP apparently increased the Vortex86DX's clock speed to 1GHz from the 800MHz shown. As for power consumption, the Vortex86DX and newer Vortex86MX both use under two Watts, NorhTec's Barnes confirmed.

Described by DMP as a "second-wave" product, the Vortex86DX is related to the Taiwan-based company's previously released Vortex86SX SoC. While the Vortex86SX was said to use under one Watt at 300MHz, the Vortex86DX uses under two Watts while being clocked at up to 1GHz, claims DMP. In addition, the SoC now not only includes the complete 486SX instruction set, but also adds floating point support and other enhancements, according to the company.

Additional performance enhancements in the Vortex86DX -- apparently also carried over to the Vortex86MX/Xcore86MX -- were said to include:256KB of embedded L2 cache (compared to none on the Vortex86SX)
Support for up to 1GB of 333MHz DDR2 RAM (compared to the Vortex86SX's 256MB of 166MHz DDR RAM)
A 2MB flash BIOS (compared to the Vortex86SX's 256KB BIOS)The DMP SoCs pack extensive northbridge and southbridge functions. On-chip controllers include serial, parallel, USB, GPIO (general purpose I/O lines), watchdog timer, counter, a 10/100Mbps Ethernet controller.

According to NorhTec, while the Vortex86MX/Xcore86MX add VGA and audio, they drop the legacy 16-bit ISA bus found in the previously announced DX versions. A block diagram of the Vortex86MX is not yet available, but a block diagram of the Vortex86DX is shown below.

A block diagram of DMP's Vortex86DX, which forms the basis of the new Vortex86MX
(Click to enlarge)
Touted for the Vortex86DX, and possibly carried over to the Vortex86MX/Xcore86DX, is an interesting "embedded redundancy" feature that first made its debut on DMP's earlier SoC. DMP says the feature allows two Vortex86DX CPU boards to be linked via a single cable in a master/slave configuration. In the event of "six different types of unpredictable system crash" -- which were not detailed further -- it's possible to switch from the master board to the slave board within one microsecond, the company claims.

A new panel PC

NorhTec has announced what appears to be the first device based on the Vortex86DX/Xcore86DX, a panel PC it says will sell for as little as $400. Described as an "ultra-low-cost solution providing touchscreen control for any room in the house," the Touche 5.7 weighs just 13 ounces, sporting a 5.7-inch display with 640 x 480 resolution.

NorhTec's Touche 5.7 panel PC, shown with optional WiFi antenna
(Click to enlarge)
According to NorhTec, the Touche 5.7 has a 1GHz Xcore86DX, 512MB of DDR2 RAM, and a Mini PCI slot that supports an optional wireless LAN card. The device includes both a microSD slot, and a Type I/II CompactFlash slot, accessible from the side, as pictured above.

Ports on the Touche 5.7
(Click to enlarge)
Wired interfaces (above) include 10/100 Ethernet, three USB 2.0 ports, a PS/2 port, and an RS232/422/485 port. Alternatively, an audio line out jack can be ordered instead of the third USB port, the company says.

Features and specifications listed by NorhTec for the Touche 5.7 include:Processor -- 1GHz Xcore86DX
Memory -- 512MB of DDR2 RAM (expandability not cited)
Display -- 5.7-inch touchscreen display with 640 x 480 resolution, 400-nit brightness, and 300:1 contrast ratio
Networking -- 10/100 Ethernet
Other I/O:3 x USB 2.0
Audio line out (optionally replaces one USB port)
1 x RS232/422/485
1 x PS/2Expansion:1 x Mini PCI
1 x microSD
1 x CompactFlash (Type I/II)Operating temperature -- -20 to 70 deg. C
Power requirements -- 5VDCDimensions -- 6 x 4.4 x 1.3 inches (152 x 112 x 1.3 inches)
Weight -- 13 ounces (374g)Further information

According to NorhTec, its Touche 5.7 panel PC is compatible with Linux, Windows XP, Windows XP Embedded, Windows CE. Availability was not cited, but the Touche 5.7 will sell for approximately $400, NorhTec says.

More information on the Touche 5.7 may be found on the NorhTec website, here. Meanwhile, NorhTec adds that the new Vortex86MX/Xcore86MX SoCs are expected to ship in February.


Die-shrunk x86 SoC draws 2 Watts at 1GHz
Dell spins dual-core thin client
Jay-Z Gets Out Vote for Obama; Boss Adds Shows
(E! Online)

Birdstep Technology has upgraded its Linux-compatible Raima Embedded Database Manager (RDM Embedded). With "native," Java, SQL, and XML APIs, Version 9.0 of RDM Embedded adds a "circular tables" function, as well as a MicroHTTP server.

Since 1984, the embedded DBMS (formerly dbVista) has served as a cross-platform database for resource-constrained environments. Uniquely, according to the vendor, RDM supports either relational or "network data" models, with the latter claimed to perform better. The company claims over 20 million installations of the product, and adoption by more than 20,000 developers.

In recent years, Birdstep has introduced a client/server version of RDM Embedded called RDM Server, as well as an RDM Mobile version designed for consumer electronics products. In February, the company released RDM Embedded version 8.0, adding "performance-enhancing" features such as hybrid in-memory support, true varchars, and sparse indexing.

Version 9.0's MicroHTTP server enables applications that would allow inserting, updating, and deleting data within an RDM Embedded database via a web browser. Birdstep offers the example of an industrial power consumption monitoring application in which time interval data points dynamically adjust parameters. At a certain power threshold, the application would adjust the machinery parameters stored in the database accordingly, but users could override the adjustments via the web.

The circular tables feature, meanwhile, enables developers to define a maximum number of rows allowed in a table. When the table is full, additional rows could be added by automatically replacing the oldest rows, using the First in First out (FIFO) concept. The feature was requested for applications that contain event logs or statistics in which older data is no longer needed, thereby reducing the size of the tables to a manageable level.

Availability

A free download of the RDM Embedded software development kit (SDK) should be available now, with registration and acceptance of a EULA agreement, here. Fourteen different OSes are supported, including Linux, FreeBSD, Windows CE, Windows Embedded, Solaris, VxWorks, MicroC, Integrity, QNX Neutrino, and HP-UX.


Placido Domingo sings at Mexico pyramid
(AP)
Modular DB stores media metadata
Jay-Z Gets Out Vote for Obama; Boss Adds Shows
(E! Online)