Priest of the Order of the Butterfly
Posts: 751 from 2003/2/14
From: Earth
Here is the report. The pictures are online but not loading properly. We will sort it out shortly. R&B
SNDF Report:
The Freescale Semiconductor Smart Networks Developer Forum (SNDF) represented a quantum leap for Genesi/bplan in terms of industry exposure and sales. Held at the Hyatt Regency Dallas, 26-29 April 2004, the Forum was like no other in which we have participated. For three and a half days Genesi presented eight Open Desktop Pegasos II G4 workstations in its Booth running various operating systems. Ten additional machines ran in two separate Internet Cafes for the Forums participants. The operating systems featured in the Booth included, MorphOS, Debian, Suse, and Yellow Dog Linux. In the Internet Cafe Debian was used. What made the Internet Cafe interesting to many of the Forum participants was that one Open Desktop Workstation (ODW) functioned as a File Server and Internet gateway while the other four operated as disk-less thin clients. This provided a simulated office environment that generated questions and interest. Participants used OpenOffice to view Forum presentations offered for download online through the thin clients to USB memory sticks that were provided to all in attendance. The ODW was also also featured by Freescale's Applications Engineering Team in their Booth demonstrating embedded development tools and applications.
One of the most interesting aspects of the Forum was the high concentration of technology experts and hands on laboratory classes and seminars as well as long range strategic planning discussions. For example, Matt Sealey had a chance to attended classes on AltiVec programming, Sven Luther worked with the Freescale Application Engineering Team to bring up and demonstrate in Forum labs a new AltiVec G4 tool kit on the ODW, and Gerald Carda and Thomas Knäbel had the opportunity Freescale hardware development engineers. During the conference, Dr Claudine Simson, the Freescale Chief Technology Officer, took the time to visit the Genesi Booth and see the Open Desktop Workstation. In her Keynote speech, she had outlined the current status and future plans of Freescale in terms of the PowerPC® core roadmap and at the Booth she confirmed the value of the Open Desktop Workstation to that evolution.
The following day, Bill Dunnigan, VP and General Manager of the Computing Platforms Division, placed Freescale's third order for complete Open Desktop Workstations. It is the largest single order Genesi has ever received. Many of these units will be provided to freescale partners and customers, including Fermi National Laboratory, who are building a cluster system to analyze proton/anti-proton collisions; Cisco, who find the power efficiency features of the PowerPC and the Pegasos appealing as a new low cost netcom device, and Green Hills Software, who will port Integrity operating system and a number of embedded software development tools to the Pegasos/Open Desktop Workstation. Of course, freescale will also receive additional units for internal use and Gerald Carda will be in Austin the first week of June to present a seminar on the Pegasos and the Open Desktop Workstation to a worldwide conference of Freescale Field Application Engineers. The Open Desktop Workstation will be found in freescale offices worldwide.
The Forum was the first time freescale had publicly called themselves "freescale" as opposed the the Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector and the G4 CPU series was re-branded the e600 and e700 Cores and Platforms. It was a well organized event and Genesi is proud to have participated. It was a great opportunity for Genesi and with the experience we have had in Dallas we will be even more prepared for SNDF Europe in Frankfurt at the end of September. For this Event, we will seek to involve many more members of the Genesi, bplan and MorphOS team and we will be ready to present ourselves and our technology in the best manner possible.
Targhan