RHAT wins US Army contract..a big deal
Red Hat has won a foothold in the U.S. Army in a deal
that might eventually spread a Linux-based
diagnostic device into several thousand military
vehicles.
Rymic Systems has chosen a small "embedded" version of
Linux for use in prototype Internet devices that will diagnose
vehicle performance and predict if failure might be
imminent, the company said.
The prototypes will be tested in Fort Riley, Kan., said Pat
Stevens, deputy product manager of the U.S. Army
diagnostic involvement program. Eventually, the device
could be used in 3,000 to 50,000 trucks and fighting
vehicles, he said in a statement.
Red Hat got its start selling Linux for use in servers, the
comparatively powerful computers that support networks.
But the company also is pushing into embedded
devices--specialized equipment with computing capabilities.
Embedded devices include factory robots, pagers, routers
and airplane radar systems.
Red Hat is competing not only with a number of Linux start-ups, but also with
traditional embedded software companies such as Wind River Systems. Another
competitor, LynuxWorks, has years of experience in the embedded realm and is
adding Linux to its product line.
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