Joerg Bertholdt, vice president of marketing, MontaVista Software

CS: Can you tell us about the Meld community forum and why developers of embedded Linux devices need such a site? JB: While there are a number of communities in existence, they are mostly focused on development of open source projects. Kernel.org and glibc are two examples. There hasn't really been a good resource for developers of commercial embedded Linux devices to turn to – developers who use open source code to develop devices rather than to contribute to open source developments. They have been forced to pull information from other resources, or use search engines, and then figure out how the information relates to their specific design. Meld allows developers to exchange information with other developers of commercial devices, find subject matter experts, and collaborate on challenging problems as they related to embedded design. CS: Where do you see the future of embedded Linux commercialism, bearing in mind the current economic downturn? JB: We feel that the economic downturn may actually help device manufacturers better understand their core competencies and how to apply their now fewer resources to deliver clearly differentiated products. Many companies will have resource and budget constraints in place, and they will ask themselves how to get the most out of Linux in their designs. We believe companies will take a much more rational approach – a business and cost driven approach – to define their Linux strategies. As embedded Linux commercialisation is about helping customers get the most from open source, we believe that the economic downturn will open new opportunities for MV. CS: What can an open source platform bring to a company not yet committed to Linux? JB: Embedded Linux has matured over the last 10 years to a point where it's no longer a question of if but when. Market statistics from vendors such as VDC show that Linux is now the OS of choice for more than 50% of new embedded design starts far outstripping any other OS technology for embedded applications. Conversations with our customers have shifted to 'how do I transition to Linux?' MontaVista has programs in place to help customers with this transition and we're happy to share this expertise with anyone who wants to transition to embedded Linux. CS: Finally, why are mobile devices based on Linux successful? JB: Linux is delivering on its promises – bringing innovative, successful devices to market.