What do we learn about Jim Ready? [originaltext]Woman: Hello, Carole Gracian her

Woman: Hello, Carole Gracian here, thanks for hearing Big Thinker on air. My guest today is embedded pioneer and MontaVista OEO Jim Ready. Mr. Ready, how do you feel about having the combination of Wind River plus Red Hat as a competitor?
Man: Wind’s agreement-to the extent to which it has happened-I’ll take. But, it’s a distraction, independent of how successful you think Wind will be. You have to be prepared. They’re not stupid folks, and you have to prepare for the consequences.
Woman: Well, Wind River actually is the market share leader in embedded. So potentially, an alliance of Wind River and Red Hat combines to span the full area, from embedded to enterprise to the desktop, doesn’t it? Additionally, isn’t this end-to-end play something Microsoft is going after in a major way?.
Man: It’s clear that VxWorks is dead. There are vanishingly smaller new design wins that incorporate VxWorks. Our semiconductor friends in Asia say that in terms of new design wins, the choice is overwhelmingly Linux. That’s the whole reason we got into this in the first place-the steam has run cut d old embedded technology. Whatever Wind does in Linux, they have to split with Red Hat. That weakens their position.
Woman: Would you compare the emerging battle between Linux and Microsoft to the Cathedral and the Bazaar metaphor described by Eric S. Raymond?.
Man: The standards organisations like the Open, Source Development Labs (OSDL) with its Carrier Grade Linux are demonstrably shining stars, that bring a semi-cathedral approach to open source development. It’s an aggregation of TEMs (telecommunications equipment manufacturers), and companies like Alcatel and Nokia, specifying and then delivering compliant software. It’s an organised bazaar, with people acting in combined self-interest to Linux where it needs to go.
Woman: So, it’s not black and white, and you don’t have extremes of the cathedral / bazaar model in the Eric. S. Raymond sense. There are aggregations in the bazaar space that are more focused. Traditionally, MontaVista has stayed away from market-specific products, such as providing complete OS/ middleware stacks for PDAs, smartphones, set-top boxes,  home services gateways, etc. Will that change? If so, which vertical markets interest MontaVista most?
Man: The alternatives are not strictly vertical and horizontal. We can point out the dead bodies along the vertical path, but the alternative is not a haphazard horizontal path. Rather, it’s a horizontal path with strong partnerships. Things are going to horizontalize. Cell phones, as you get into smart phones, will be more like platforms. You will be able to customize it yourself. There’s probably an implication that says even though MontaVista will not be building vertical solutions, there is the qualification, testing opportunity to aggregating your e-cology to have more vertical solutions that are qualified by us.
Woman: It is a little complicated. Anyway, how would you characterize the current state of embedded Linux, both as a market and as a technology?.
Man: As a technology, there are still the customers who are under-satisfied, in terms of the capabilities. The appetite is enormous for moving Linux forward and taking it to realms unthought of. Linux is a wonderful starting point, but there are still gaps to fill. And that is a wonderful thing. There are market models that say where you want to be is having customers that are under-satisfied. The OSDL Carrier Grade Linux’s 2.0 specification is coming, with even more requirements. CELF wants to de a bunch of things, and then some. So, between technology improvements and injections, we’re strapped. Our engineers are  working real hard. Software’s getting pulled out of the building by our customers. We haven’t reached perfection, so that’s really good.
Woman: What key opportunities do you see for embedded Linux?
Man: The smartphone. This "platform" idea that could develop around smartphones could be the battle. From an overall business standpoint and semiconductor standpoint, you gotta win it. It’s the kind of battle that tends to bring in a lot of resources. The home is another one, the battle of digital TVs and STBs (set-top boxes} and all of that. That also has done well for us.
Woman: Mr. Ready, thank you very much!
Man: Thank you !