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Product category: Embedded Software and Operating Systems
News Release from: LynuxWorks
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 25 June 2003

Customers are safe, says CEO

LynuxWorks customers have nothing to fear from the outcome of the forthcoming SCO Group/IBM court case says CEO Dr Inder Singh

In March, SCO Group, a small Utah software firm, sued IBM for $1 billion, claiming that IBM misappropriated SCO Unix trade secrets by putting some of the Unix code into Linux. Instead of settling the case ahead of the 100-day deadline set by SCO, IBM intends to take the matter to court. Meanwhile, the SCO Group and Novell are embroiled in arguments over who actually owns the copyright for the Unix operating system.

Novell says it did not transfer the Unix copyrights or patents to SCO when it sold the operating system to SCO in 1995.

"The industry is still waiting to see proof of SCO's claims", says Dr Inder Singh, CEO of LynuxWorks and Chairman of the Embedded Linux Consortium.

"However, this debate is creating some unfortunate and unnecessary "FUD" (fear, uncertainty, doubt) among Linux users.

I predict that by the time SCO's claims are put to the legal test Linux programmers around the world will have already generated new open source code to "patch" or bypass the portion currently in question - and in effect, the debate will become a moot point.

But regardless of the legal outcomes, Linux will continue to progress unimpeded as a robust, royalty free software solution.

Linux has an infinite horizon and LynuxWorks will be there to support it all the way with our BlueCat Linux product line, as well as our LynxOS family of embedded operating systems which provide full Linux ABI compatibility".

LynuxWorks is the only company to offer customers a complete family of Linux ABI- (application binary interface) compatible embedded operating systems - from its royalty free BlueCat Linux to BlueCat RT to its industry leading LynxOS real-time operating system (RTOS).

This approach enables customers to protect their investment and avoid the high cost-barriers and time-to-market penalties that changing embedded operating systems normally incurs.

Applications can be easily moved between those that have been quickly and inexpensively developed with BlueCat Linux and those on the LynxOS real-time platform if and when real-time product requirements emerge - with no costly or lengthy porting process.

In addition, the LynxOS source code was written in a "clean-room" environment.

That is, LynuxWorks created it from the ground up.

In fact, the code was certified as such by AT and T (the former owner of Unix), which stated that LynuxWorks can claim full ownership, patents and copyrights for the LynxOS code.

Having previously completed this certification for LynxOS, LynuxWorks can apply the same process to its BlueCat code, if necessary.

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