MontaVista will host two free educational webinars on porting VxWorks applications to embedded Linux. Led by MontaVista founder and CTO Jim Ready (pictured), the Oct. 23 webinars will offer tips on code migration, including how to know when it's best not to port.

The MontaVista events will provide advice to developers on when it's best to migrate existing code, use virtualization, or recode the application, or when it's best to stand pat with the VxWorks real-time operating system (RTOS), says the company. Various approaches that will be covered include VxWorks API emulation, run-time partitioning with virtualization, and application porting.

In the webinars, Ready will describe the differences between VxWorks and embedded Linux programming models, memory models, real-time techniques, and debugging. The presentation also aims to show the common barriers to a successful migration, offer tips for overcoming them, and survey free migration tools, says MontaVista.

Maintained by MontaVista rival Wind River, and widely used in telecom infrastructure equipment, VxWorks was once the top commercial embedded OS. However, most analysts agree that Linux is now tops in terms of deployments. In terms of revenue, Microsoft surpassed Wind River in 2004.

There are applications where VxWorks and other RTOSes are arguably better suited than Linux. For the highest-volume devices, it may be cheaper to buy an OS smaller than Linux, in order to save on storage bill-of-material costs. In a recent report on its 2Q earnings, Wind River said that although VxWorks growth trailed the increases of its Linux-related business, VxWorks-related revenues grew by nine percent in the quarter, led by gains in aerospace and defense.

Availability

MontaVista is offering the one-hour webcast, “Migrating VxWorks Applications to Linux,” at two times on October 23: 10AM ET (3PM in London) and 2PM ET (11AM in California). Attendees will receive a free white paper on the VxWorks-to-Linux migrations, says MontaVista. More information may be found here.

 
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.