Its version of Windows NT for embedded devices debuted in September and has been selected for use in 250 new products at 225 companies, the company said. About a third of the designs using Embedded NT are for automating industrial equipment. Telecommunications and medical systems are another 15 percent, Microsoft said. The company also is working on an improved version based on Windows NT's successor, Windows 2000. Lynx already sells an operating system called LynxOS for the embedded and real-time markets, but it's expanding to offer Linux as well.
Lynx specializes in operating systems that run on embedded systems.
For example, the proprietary LynxOS runs on factory robots, the U.S. Army's Crusader howitzer and air-traffic processing equipment aboard Airbus jets. Lynx now is pushing Linux into the same area as its LynxOS has been. Motorola, which sells telecommunications servers that use LynxOS, is convinced of the merits of Linux for this area. Lineo , a company expected to go public later this year, also is pushing Linux for the non-PC market. Inc. All rights reserved.