An anonymous reader writes "Few in the open source community have welcomed online applications like Google Docs with open arms, but Keir Thomas claims he’s found a way forward — and it’s one that involves exclusively open source. He reckons BIOS-based operating systems are the future, because they will alter the way users think about their computers. FTA: ‘The key breakthrough is ideological: BIOS-based operating systems demote the operating system to just another function of the hardware. It breaks the old mindset of the operating system being a distinct platform, or an end in itself. The operating system becomes part of the overall computing appliance. This allows the spotlight to focus on online applications.
“Ksimus is a circuit simulator that allows you to build digital and analog circuits with discrete components and simulate them in real time. Ksimus does have its limitations though. Ksimus doesn’t supply any of the larger circuits like addressable memory or 8-bit adders, but you can build one for yourself and package it up as a Ksimus module. Also, because Ksimus provides only discrete logic components, you’re probably not going to be designing a quad-core microprocessor or anything moderately complex. That said, you certainly can use Ksimus to learn about computer logic design, and you even can use it to simulate basic logic circuits. But, best of all, it’s just fun to play with!“
CodeSourcery has updated its commercially supported GNU- and Eclipse-based software development toolkits with compiler optimizations and other enhancements. The Spring release of Sourcery G++ also offers a QEMU emulator and updated runtime library routines, as well as new IDE debugging support, says the company.
Open source hacker community GizmoForYou is shipping a Linux hardware/software kit for building a modular touchcreen smartphone. Based on the OMAP35x-based Gumstix Overo Earth single-board computer (SBC), the Flow phone offers modules including GPS, 3.5G cellular, Bluetooth, WiFi, and a camera, says the group.
The GNU C
library (or glibc) is a fundamental component of the Linux operating
system. It provides much of the user-space interface to the kernel as well
as a sizable portion of the utility routines that are used by virtually all
Linux applications. A variant of glibc—known as Embedded glibc or EGLIBC—is not
very well known outside of the embedded space, but that looks to be
changing with the announcement
that Debian will switch from glibc to EGLIBC. This article (subscribers
only) takes a look at EGLIBC and where it is headed.
Links for 2009-05-21
Posted on 2009/05/21
Posted in: Links