Press Release

DSPLinux^TM Demonstrated on Texas Instruments' DSC Processors for Imaging Internet Appliances

San Francisco, CA - April 10, 2001 - At the Embedded Systems Conference today, RidgeRun, Inc., is demonstrating for the first time its DSPLinux^TM software platform on a Texas Instruments (TI) TMS320DSC21 processor platform. This is an exciting new advance for companies creating imaging products such as digital still cameras, streaming media devices, e-books, web pads, photo printers, digital video camcorders and next-generation digital entertainment media centers. These types of products often use DSPs for audio and video processing, and especially benefit from the reliability, flexibility and connectivity that Linux provides. DSPLinux also plans to support other products in the TI DSC family that combine an ARM processor with a DSP on a single chip, including the recently announced TMS320DSC24 real-time video and high-quality multimedia imaging processor.

At the Embedded Systems Conference, RidgeRun is showing a TI DSC21 digital camera development system running DSPLinux. The company is also demonstrating its Appliance Simulator running a simulation of a digital camera. The demonstration shows how the company's DSPLinux Software Development Kit (SDK) can reduce development time by allowing application developers to work in parallel with developers writing the low-level drivers and board support functions. Connecting the simulated and real environments makes it possible to rapidly integrate software with hardware-specific solutions.

The DSPLinux SDK delivers the most comprehensive set of tools to develop embedded software for complex DSP + ARM processors like the TMS320DSC DSC family from TI. The SDK includes the Appliance Simulator, which provides an on-screen simulation of an embedded device running DSPLinux, including LCD, buttons and industrial design. This allows embedded software developers to start creating and testing their applications even before hardware is available. "RidgeRun has made it very easy for OEMs to leverage the high-performance and low-power of TI's DSC platform," said Dr. Raj Talluri, business manager of the Imaging business at TI. "OEMs can build their products on the stable, flexible Linux operating system and use DSP algorithms through a simple, yet versatile interface."

DSPLinux from RidgeRun is the industry's first embedded Linux distribution targeted exclusively toward devices built on DSPs. The new DSC processor family from TI combines an ARM core with a DSP on a single chip. With DSPLinux, the Linux kernel runs on the ARM, while a powerful bridge interface makes it easy to run real-time tasks on the DSP. In addition to integrating the Open Source kernel and applications, DSPLinux includes proprietary advancements in memory compression, power management, security, multimedia and imaging which further leverage the power of TI's DSP components and allows OEMs to meet their performance and cost targets. The DSC21 and DSC24 combine on a single device the ultra-low power TMS320C5000^TM DSP to perform real-time media processing and an ARM7TDMI^® RISC processor for system control functions. Programmable hardware multimedia accelerators perform concurrent processing that boosts application-specific imaging and video performance. As imaging and video appliances take on real-time wireless capabilities, the DSC24 architecture will provide a future roadmap to other TI DSC architectures, which will leverage TI's power-efficient TMS320C55x^TM DSP and TI-enhanced ARM9^®.

About RidgeRun, Inc.

RidgeRun is exclusively focused on bringing the reliability and flexibility of Linux to embedded Internet appliances based on DSPs (digital signal processors). RidgeRun's DSPLinux is an operating system that leverages the power of Texas Instruments' DSP + ARM architectures to deliver the performance leading platform for wireless networking, broadband and multimedia appliances using DSPs. These include digital cameras, audio and video players, automotive systems, set-top boxes, home networking gateways, and PDAs. The RidgeRun team has extensive experience in developing world-class embedded systems, fault-tolerant software and high performance Linux solutions. RidgeRun can be reached at www.ridgerun.com or by e-mail to info@ridgerun.com.