Starting new design projects with semiconductor or open source Linux technology is very common. You do this in order to get a quick and early start to development. However, serious challenges arise later in the development process when software limitations, defects, and difficulties arise, well after the board is booted. While developers know embedded Linux commercialization partners can offer tools, technical support, and bug fixes proven to improve design outcomes, it can be difficult to transition from a homegrown approach to a commercial solution. Challenge #1: How do you transition from a semiconductor's Linux to a commercial vendor without hitting the project reset button? Open source software is great. However, for systems engineers trying to customize their distribution, there is no easy access to source code, patches, and information on how to build binaries. It's difficult to integrate code from various open source communities, outside contractors, and even team members, while at the same time insulating your project from errors. Challenge #2: How do you leverage the power of the open source community, and with the right tools, to customize the software to your application requirements? Nick Pollitt will discuss how you can transition your development process to MontaVista Linux 6 and leverage the power of the open source community without hitting the project reset button.