To support all the Centrino capabilities, Linux or other operating systems need software modules called "drivers" that enable the use of specific hardware such as printers, graphics accelerators or wireless networking chips.
What I believe will happen is we will end up having a Linux compatibility driver that is not open source at first, then designing future drivers in such a way that they are open source but will not expose intellectual property," Swope said.
Because some portions of Solaris 10, such as device drivers, are the property of other companies, Sun will release source code as well as binaries, in which proprietary code is not accessible, Weinberg said.
But while Intel is dominant in desktops and servers, it has made less headway in processors for mobile phones, where its competitors include ARM Holdings and Texas Instruments. Today, Linux is suitable chiefly for higher-end phones with powerful...
Large servers most often divide memory so it's in patches near different processors. The unusual processor is also used in Sony's upcoming PlayStation 3 game console but IBM expects it to be used for high-performance computing tasks such as medical...
Linux's spread to mobile phones is a remarkable achievement for an operating system that's chiefly popular in powerful servers with multiple processors, abundant memory, and a full-time connection to a power plug.