Inferno 1 0 Operating System example essay topic

425 words
Murray Hill, N.J. -- Lucent Technologies' Inferno (Network Software business today announced Inferno Release 1.0 -- a real-time network operating system (OS) that provides a software infrastructure for businesses to create distributed network applications. Inferno 1.0 provides end-to-end connectivity over the public telephone network, the Internet, corporate networks, cable television and satellite broadcast. With Inferno, networking and security protocols are built in the OS, and applications run unchanged across any communications network or device. The product has a very small memory footprint, allowing it to act as a stand-alone OS on information appliances and run as an application on network elements -- such as servers, routers and switches -- using UNIX or Microsoft NT platforms. Inferno is a full-featured operating system for customers developing heavyweight network applications for all types of information and communication devices. Today complex mix of networks makes possible for customers to use Inferno to capitalize on new business opportunities while leveraging existing hardware and software investments.

Omni Box, a provider and developer of interactive services and programming for the home electronic commerce market, is an Inferno 1.0 customer. Thomas A. Bush, president of Omni Box, said, "Our goal with the Omni Box Network is to help communications distributors in all channels reach many businesses, households, universities and hospitals. We chose to build our services architecture on Inferno because it provides the flexibility, openness and robustness that such a sophisticated electronic commerce system requires". The Inferno 1.0 operating system includes the Styx communications protocols, the Limbo programming language and the Disc "virtual machine". Inferno 1.0 supports applications and services developed from other programming languages, such as Java, C and C++.

The new release of Inferno also includes drivers for speech and audio applications, and open database connectivity (ODBC) for Informix, Microsoft, Sybase and Oracle databases. Enhanced documentation, training and support include programmer and user guides, a Limbo programming course and a support hotline for developers. Inferno 1.0 runs as a stand-alone operating system on small devices, which use Hitachi SH 3, DEC StrongArm, Intel Architecture, MIPS, Motorola 68030, Power PC, SPARC and ARM processors. The product also can be hosted as a virtual system on Sun Solaris, Silicon Graphics IRIX, DEC Alpha, HP-UX, and Microsoft NT and Win 95.

Lucent Technologies designs, builds and delivers a wide range of public and private networks, communications systems and software, consumer and business telephone systems and microelectronics components. Bell Labs is the research and development arm for the company.

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