The two biggest ISP in France providing broadband internet access via ADSL offers Linux based modem to their customers.

Free with the Freebox, for which I worked a few month, was the first to do that having a two-ended ADSL solution running Linux. Their Freebox modem and set-top box, that provides Internet access, VoIP and TV over DSL, and the DSLAM, the other end, that works over IP and Gigabit Ethernet (fiber optics) unlike what was on the market, at least in 2003, that are ATM based.

Now, France Telecom with the Livebox, provide a DSL Modem/router, with VoIP (yes, a telecom operator that compete with himself with VoIP services), TV (requires an external Ethernet connected decoder), wireless and other gizmos. This box, made by Inventel, runs Linux (the manufacturer advertise it as such).

But last news is more encouraging: Access Linux Platform by PalmSource. PalmSource has been acquired by a Japanse cell-phone company that wanted to go away from Symbian and WinCE with the plan to make PalmOS and Linux the base of their next generation OS. So they announced it. ALP has a Gtk based UI (they don't tell about X11, but apparently it uses X11) and use gstreamer, sqlite on top of a Linux 2.6.12 kernel. I wonder how much intersect with Nokia Maemo, but that would be their interest to team up to create a viable ecosystem of software. Maybe this time we could have AbiWord on PalmOS?