“Considering all of the possible support avenues, Linux support ends up being lower quality and more costly than the alternatives of using a homegrown operating system or purchasing a proprietary one. This will dissuade manufacturers who care about support from using embedded Linux. Those who remain with Linux will do so because support is not important to them, meaning that they will not turn to a commercial tools supplier for support either.” Read the article at EETimes. Having EETimes say all that, MontaVista seems to do well.
The Myth of the Embedded Linux Tools Market
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
Dan O’Dowd is President and chief executive officer of Green Hills Software,Inc. (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
http://www.ghs.com – “The Leader In Real Time Operating Systems”
I’ve almost read the whole article until I read the profession of this guy: “President and chief executive officer of Green Hills Software,Inc. (Santa Barbara, Calif.) “.
Maybe he’s right in some points, but this article has as much value as all those Microsoft studies about competing operating systems.
nuff said.
So I guess everytime any Linux users expresses his/her (the very few women who actually heard of Linux) opinions about the OS market we can quickly declare it as FUD since it’s clearly biased?
Cheers for that…. I’ll keep it in mind whenever the “Linux is ready for desktop” discussion comes around next time..
Linux is gaining embedded market because people don’t want to be dependent of royalties payments, of proprietary and closed products or to be slaves of big companies (like M$ with your Windows CE and XP embedded).
So I guess everytime any Linux users expresses his/her (the very few women who actually heard of Linux) opinions about the OS market we can quickly declare it as FUD since it’s clearly biased?
Cheers for that…. I’ll keep it in mind whenever the “Linux is ready for desktop” discussion comes around next time..
I’m not sure what your point is. If you had one you didn’t put it across very well.
There is a huge difference (in FUD terms) between a Linux user posting a comment in a forum and the head of a corporation writing an entire article.
I think the FUD accusation is warranted. Although I do not believe he is being intentionally subversive, his opinions are most definitely biased due to his occupation.
And no I am not a Linux user.
As we’ve been through this at our firm, what we found was that although Linux gave a wonderfully stable system, for mass-market consumer gear where hardware cost is everything and an extra $ or two in the BOM can lose you $1000’s in lost profits, the extra resources required for Linux compared to a more conventional RTOS can be a project killer.
It actually works out cheaper to use VxWorks or Nucleus or something than it does to add a larger flashrom chip & more RAM to accomodate linux.
Embedded systems vary enourmously. They can be anything from from the systems inside your washing machine, to mobile phones and PDA’s, to the control systems for jumbo jets and space shuttles. Linux can’t be everything to everyone, of course there will be times when a purpose built OS will be preferable. Over time, it might become more things to more people but don’t imagine it will every achieve world domination (I don’t think world domination is a serious goal for any of the Linux developers).
Embedded Linux directly competes with this company’s Integrity product. Apparently they are also having zero success with their other products in the embedded Linux tools market. So the CEO tries to help push their current products by claiming in his opinion there is no such sustainable market in Linux. We are not supposed to know that other companies are succeeding in exactly that market, and this company may or may not be trying to work out what/how they need to change in order to succeed in it themselves.
Doesn’t change, as always, when possible and feasible don’t just passively accept “The Word” of reviewers. Do head-to-head tests yourself.
Are there many Linux devices outside of the IT geek gadget crowd? I see lots of Wireless routers, and a giant uncomely Linux Watch, but I rarely see many more interesting “end-user” products (ie – non IT). I know that TiVO is a giant gaping exception to what I have said, but please share others if there are more.