[yellowdog-announce] Terra Soft Offers PowerPC ATX Board, Linux Systems: Press Release 2002 12/04

[TSS Media Relations]

TERRA SOFT OFFERS POWERPC ATX BOARD, LINUX SYSTEMS

Loveland, Colorado -- 4 December 2002 -- Terra Soft Solutions, Inc.,=20
the leading developer of integrated PowerPC Linux solutions, is proud=20
to offer the world's first consumer priced ATX form-factor PowerPC=20
motherboard with full Linux support.

In bringing to market an ATX PowerPC Linux solution, Terra Soft is=20
fulfilling a need for a PowerPC system built on industry standards.=20
This enables individuals to build custom systems with components=20
readily available through retail and online outlets. Resellers may=20
purchase the Teron motherboard from Terra Soft and build custom=20
PowerPC Linux solutions for their unique, local customers.

Terra Soft has partnered with Mai Logic, Inc., an advanced integrated=20
circuits and systems design company, developer of the Articia series=20
chipsets and Teron series development reference platforms, to deliver=20
both stand-alone motherboards and fully integrated, assembled=20
systems.

Dan Burcaw, co-founder and CTO, Terra Soft states, "Mai has developed=20
a straight-forward, open-source friendly design with support for=20
inexpensive x86 video, audio, and PCI cards; PPCBoot firmware, and=20
extensive, ongoing in-house Linux bring-up and testing. We are proud=20
to stand behind this solution."

In the mid-to-late '90s, Apple, IBM, and Motorola worked toward a=20
PowerPC Common Hardware Reference Platform (CHRP). In 2000 IBM=20
released complete board specs and a generic design for this platform,=20
known as 'POP' (PowerPC Open Platform). Mai Logic's Teron series=20
boards are designed from the IBM specifications.

"It has been a pleasure to work with the Mai team. They are=20
knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and dedicated to supporting their=20
products. We are confident our two companies will provide a=20
thoroughly documented, well supported, evolving series of ATX PowerPC=20
motherboards for many years to come," offers Kai Staats, co-founder=20
and CEO of Terra Soft Solutions.

In this relationship, Terra Soft is distributor of the Teron series=20
motherboards for both end-user and retail sales. Terra Soft offers=20
both stand-alone motherboard-CPU sets and complete systems. Qualified=20
Value Added Resellers may purchase motherboards with intent to build=20
complete systems, custom designed and supported for their local=20
customers.

"We are excited with the opportunity to introduce the Teron systems=20
with tremendous flexibility and low cost to many who have been=20
waiting for a long time now," says Jason Hou, CEO of Mai Logic, "By=20
leveraging Terra Soft's outstanding relationships within the Linux=20
community, we hope to offer Mai Logic's innovative solutions to=20
customers worldwide."

Mai Logic's Teron CX PowerPC motherboard is a fully ATX compliant=20
form-factor with serial, parallel, PS/2, USB, ATA 100, and PCI=20
on-board:
 - IBM PowerPC (TM) 750 CXe CPU
 - Mai Logic Articia S chipset w/133 MHz bus
 - Three 32-bit 33MHz PCI slots
 - One AGP/PCI (66 MHz AGP 2X or 33/66 MHz PCI) slot
 - Two 168-pin DIMM slots on board
 - Supports up to 2GB, 72-bit (ECC) SDRAM
 - Dual ATA 100 drive ports
 - Dual USB, PS/2, and com/serial (RS232) ports
 - Single parallel port
 - Support by Yellow Dog Linux

A complete Terra Soft 'Boxer-T G3' running Yellow Dog Linux has been=20
reviewed by Linux Journal with pending publication in late=20
winter/early spring.

The Teron CX motherboard with IBM 750 CXe CPU and the Terra Soft Boxer=20
Series tower may be ordered now from the Terra Soft Store at=20
http://www.terrasoftsolutions.com/store/:

        Mobo + CPU: $495.00
        Tower, generic case: $799.00
        Tower, Antec case: $889.00
        1U rackmount: $869.00

Boards and complete systems are expected to ship in January 2003.


About Mai Logic, Inc.
With more than 30 US and International invention patents granted and=20
100 more pending in the fields of IC, security, and systems design=20
engineering, Mai Logic, through its advanced technology offering, has=20
established itself as a technology powerhouse. Mai Logic applies the=20
latest trends and methodologies in design, manufacturing, and=20
logistics in the PC segment to the PowerPC market. Mai Logic's=20
end-to-end turnkey solutions include chipsets, development platforms,=20
and modules.


About Terra Soft Solutions, Inc.
Terra Soft is a leading developer of integrated solutions for PowerPC.=20
Yellow Dog Linux, the flagship product, has boosted viability of=20
Linux on PowerPC microprocessors with support for Mai Logic ATX=20
motherboards, the Apple PowerPC computers, the briQ, and other=20
PowerPC-based desktop, embedded, and HPC computers. Black Lab is an=20
advanced, scalable HPC cluster node build and management suite.

For more information, visit http://www.terrasoftsolutions.com/