Writing at Embedded.com, Jack Ganssle questions the value and success of Linux in the embedded market — apparently based on three factors: (1) the experience of a friend, who failed at starting an Embedded Linux business; (2) his first-hand experience from his travels, where he still sees most projects being based on “home grown” kernels; and (3) the fact that Linux isn't a real-time operating system… (RTOS). Ganssle writes . . .

“Embedded Systems Programming Editor in Chief Michael Barr recently forwarded me an intriguing letter from a consultant who had attempted to build a business helping companies incorporate Linux into their embedded systems. The effort was a complete failure; a year of work had turned up only two companies actually using Linux in the embedded arena, so the consultant returned to traditional real-time operating systems where there's plenty of work and lots of money.”

“What gives? If you believe the magazines, it appears anyone not using Linux is a dinosaur, an atavistic throwback doomed to write miserable little 8051 assembly language programs forever. At the local bookstore an entire shelf of computer magazine headlines scream 'Linux Forever!' All tout this OS as the solution to everything that ails us, from hackers to global warming.”

“. . . Yet it's just an operating system. That's it — a tool, something that allows us to build real systems. In the embedded world Linux is even less than an OS; it can't even manage real time events — at least not in the native distribution . . .”

“In my travels around the embedded world I see a huge number of developers working with all sorts of real time operating systems, from very simple home-brew taskers to complete top-of-the-line commercial products with protocol stacks and a wealth of features. But Linux seems to be a phantom OS. Plenty of folks have adopted it as a development platform, but only rarely do I see it incorporated into a product . . . “

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