The current issue of Instrumentation & Control Systems (I&CS) magazine has a feature article on embedded and real-time Linux (written by LinuxDevices.com's Rick Lehrbaum) . . .

“Today's highly sophisticated and empowered intelligent embedded systems, which are based on the newest chips and hardware capabilities, require nothing less than the power and sophistication of high-end operating systems (OSs) like Windows 98 or Windows NT. However, embedded systems also require extremely high reliability for nonstop, unattended operation, plus the customization of the OS to match the application's unique requirements.”

“You might think that Linux, like Windows, would be large and highly demanding of system resources. However, unlike Windows, Linux is inherently modular and can easily be scaled to compact configurations-barely larger than DOS-that can fit on a single floppy. What's more, because Linux source code is freely available, it's relatively easy to customize the operating system according to unique embedded system requirements.”

“Open-source Linux has created a new OS development and support paradigm, wherein thousands of developers continually contribute to a constantly evolving Linux. Also, there are dozens of software companies that are eager to support the needs of Linux developers building a variety of applications, ranging from factory automation to deeply embedded devices.”

* Read full story *

 
This article was originally published on LinuxDevices.com and has been donated to the open source community by QuinStreet Inc. Please visit LinuxToday.com for up-to-date news and articles about Linux and open source.