Caldera, General Software To Provide Embedded OS, BIOS

Caldera Thin Clients Inc. and General Software have announced a partnership agreement targeted at handheld and mobile electronic devices, such as cellular phones and handheld PCs (HPCs). Under the partnership agreement, the companies will allow original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to combine Caldera's DR-DOS operating system (OS) with General Software's Embedded BIOS product in their embedded system designs.

DR-DOS is compatible with MS-DOS 6.X operating systems. Compliant with year 2000 specifications, this OS supports access to Netware 3.4, IntranetWare, and Personal NetWare servers. It also supports third party DOS networks such as LANTastic, Banyan, LAN Manager, and Windows for Workgroups.

Embedded BIOS is a basic input/output system (BIOS) for embedded applications. This product includes over 400 source-level configuration options. It also features support for read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), and flash memory.

Under terms of the new agreement, Caldera and General Software will partner on engineering, marketing, sales, training, and technical support. In addition, the companies will share technologies, will cooperate on new product development and marketing, and will work together to forge new distribution channels.

Caldera has also announced latest version of its 32-b graphical interface and Internet browser for compact devices, such as smart phones. The DR-WebSpyder 2.1 graphical interface now includes support for Javascript, secure socket layers (SSLs), cookies, sound files, and printing. In addition, this updated interface and browser offers ¼ screen VGA support, anti-aliased fonts, and improved customization and user interface designs.

DSS-WebSpyder 2.1 is scheduled to ship on November 30. Pricing starts at $69 for a single copy.