Internet telephony outfit Aplio is to standardise on Linux as the operating system for future Internet appliances and embedded systems. The company's first Linux-based product, it says, will be out this summer. Despite recent growth, Linux hasn't so far made any major breakthroughs in the appliance and/or embedded arenas. The OS can run on fairly cheap hardware, its footprint can be reduced, and there are a few projects implementing it on low-resource platforms (e.g. Linux7k, a port of Linux to the Psion Series 5). But widespread uptake of Linux in these fields will more likely be dependent on larger companies putting resources into development, and Aplio seems to fit the bill. It already makes the Aplio/Phone, and says there are clear advantages to Linux in the Internet telephony area. According to CTO Henri Tebeka: "Linux is the ideal operating system for our technology. Its built-in Internet connectivity, royalty-free accessibility, and open source structure will allow us to streamline our development process, and ultimately strengthen our position as the leading provider of Internet Telephony Appliance technology." ®