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 NEWSVendors forge Embedded Linux Consortium By Nancy Weil March 9, 2000 11:41 am PT REPRESENTATIVES FROM SOME 30 vendors have formed the Embedded Linux Consortium, known as ELC, to promote Linux-based embedded applications, the group announced on Thursday.
The group formed at an organizational meeting last week during the Embedded Systems Conference at Chicago's McCormick Place. "When we arrived in Chicago last week, it was after a several month e-mail campaign by Rick Lehrbaum to determine whether embedded vendors of hardware and software would be interested in a Linux consortium. There was a lot of pent-up demand in the room," said Murry Shohat, who is serving as the ELC's interim executive director. Lehrbaum is interim chairman. The group reserved a room at the McCormick, expecting 30 to 40 people to show up. The room was too small and organizers quickly had to arrange for double the number of seats when 80 people turned out, Shohat said. There was a lunch provided "and the kitchen had to scramble to feed the extra attendees," he added. One vendor representative commented that his company had been considering calling for formation of such a group for a while, but there was concern that the vendor would be viewed as having a self interest to promote. Shohat said that such concerns were set aside as the group talked because a strong vendor-neutral attitude emerged. Besides promoting the market for embedded applications for Linux, the increasingly popular open-source operating system, the group will assist member companies and will present a cohesive voice for vendors. For instance, the ELC will obtain technical materials from members and present it at trade shows and conferences. The consortium also will offer marketing help to embedded-Linux start-ups, though that is not intended to be a permanent offering for every member. "It won't relieve companies of the need to be a complete company," Shohat said. "They've got to build that themselves, but in the early stages I think we can be a big help." Shohat's main business is a marketing consulting company, Shohat & Kahn, in Santa Rosa, Calif. Lehrbaum is with Linuxdevices.com, in Palo Alto, Calif. The consortium will meet monthly, with some meetings conducted via conference call to accommodate far-flung members. A formation committee named at the Chicago meeting eventually will become the consortium board of directors with an executive committee expected to be spun out of that, Shohat said. Embedded applications typically are integrated into larger systems to enable them to perform specific functions. They are becoming widely used in services for Internet appliances and wireless devices. Additional information about the group may be obtained by contacting Shohat at murry@sonic.net. Nancy Weil is a Boston correspondent for the IDG News Service, an InfoWorld affiliate.  RELATED SUBJECTS  Operating SystemsSPONSORED WHITE PAPERS 
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