As Key Technology expanded into new markets with its process-automation systems, it investigated the Linux operating system’s advantages over Microsoft Windows for OEMs – namely, more choice and control. But having so many Cincom Smalltalk VisualWorks applications, Key’s software engineers needed to ensure platform compatibility and product performance.

Adapting its turnkey systems for Linux, Key resolved numerous issues with Windows, preserved its application investments, prototyped new selection algorithms, and found new customers sorting everything from fruits and nuts to titanium ore.

"... [Any] Linux programmer would benefit from being able to write VisualWorks apps, because it's such a strong application development platform," said Senior Software Engineer Travis Griggs. "There’s a natural fit between the two platforms."