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Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2000 10:30:41 -0700
From: "Elizabeth O. Coolbaugh" 
To: Linux Weekly News 
Subject: Zentropix press release


Zentropix Introduces Perl Bindings For RealTime Linux
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HERNDON Virginia March 23, 2000 - Zentropix, now a Lineo, Inc., company,
today announced that a set of Perl bindings is immediately available.
Using these bindings, programmers can use the RTAI programming API from a
scripting environment, thus giving simple access to a soft real-time
programming environment.

These bindings extend the LXRT technique in the Real Time Application
Interface (RTAI) developed at Dipartimento di Ingegneria Aerospaziale
Politecnico di Milano (DIAPM) to a scripting environment.

"One of the hardest things when starting real-time programming is getting
used to the API," said Stuart Hughes, director of research at Zentropix.
"Our hope is that making the API available from a scripting environment
will make it easier for people to start using RealTime Linux."

RTAI facilitates hard real-time programming on a Linux system by using its
API within a user-written kernel module.  RTAI continued its successful
development track by the introduction last year of LXRT.  This provides
soft real-time support for Linux using a new paradigm.  In the next few
weeks a further release of RTAI will extend LXRT to include hard real-time
mode in user space.

Rather than try to alter the Linux scheduler, LXRT takes a new approach
whereby a buddy (proxy) hard real-time process carries out the scheduling
duties of the user space process.  As the user process is still subject to
being blocked by Linux kernel activity, this is considered a soft
real-time solution.  Despite this, on a machine of average loading it
still affords a low latency, high resolution real-time solution.  LXRT is
found in two formats on the distribution, the original version from DIAPM,
and the more sophisticated 'informed' version which was enhanced by Pierre
Cloutier of Poseidon Controls Inc.

Steve Papacharalambous of Zentropix said "the principle virtue of this
technique is that students and newcomers can get used to the hard
real-time API from the relative safety of user space.  Once the code has
been proven, it can be migrated to the hard real-time domain with relative
ease".


Licensing: 

RTAI, LXRT and the LXRT Perl bindings are all released under the terms of
the GNU LGPL.

Distribution information:

Zentropix distributes a RealTime Linux installation CD that comes with a
pre-patched Linux+RTAI+debug kernel and debugging tool.  Please go to
http://www.zentropix.com/ and
follow the links to products for information 
on obtaining a CD-ROM. LXRT Perl bindings for RTAI-0.9a may be found at
http://www.zentropix.com/

Other technical information about RTAI, and downloads may be found at the
DIAPM (Dipartimento di Ingegneria Aerospaziale Politecnico di Milano)
site: http://www.rtai.org/

About Zentropix.

Born from the military simulation industry, where real-time computing is
critical, Zentropix was founded in August 1997, and has offices in the US
and UK. By providing validated distribution of RealTime Linux combined
with support, custom engineering, and training, Zentropix meets the needs
of software developers and corporations, who are now developing embedded
and real-time applications. In February 2000, Zentropix was acquired by
Lineo, Inc., an embedded Linux system software developer in Lindon, Utah.

About Lineo, Inc.

Lineo, Inc., the leading developer of embedded Linux® system software,
develops, markets and sells embedded Linux system software and
applications that provide OEMs and consumers with simple, low-cost
software for interacting with the Internet via embedded devices. Lineo
owns the Embedix? product family including Embedix Linux, Embedix SDK and
Embedix Browser. Visit Lineo, Inc. at www.lineo.com. For more information,
contact Lineo, Inc. via e-mail: info@lineo.com or telephone: (801)
426-5001.

 ###

Lineo and Embedix are trademarks of Lineo, Inc. Linux is a registered
trademark owned by Linus Torvalds. All other products, services, companies
and publications are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective owners.

For further information please e-mail info@zentropix.com