MontaVista hopes to join Linux group

MontaVista Software, a company specializing in Linux for "embedded" computing devices such as network equipment, hopes to join the newly announced Consumer Electronics Linux Forum, the company said Wednesday. Founders of the group are Matsushita Electric, Sony, Hitachi, NEC, Royal Philips Electronics, Samsung, Sharp and Toshiba.

"We absolutely plan to apply for membership," said Scott Hedrick, senior product marketing manager for MontaVista's consumer electronics version of Linux, released in January. CELF members Sony, Matsushita and NEC are investors in the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company. MontaVista plans to support the specifications the forum requests, Hedrick added.