alt <spamtrap@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> As much as I love linux, it's not the right tool all the time. I really
> don't see why I would use Linux on an embedded device. I'm not talking
> smartphones and the like, but on very specialized systems - like my
> Sirius radio - which don't have or need a lot of memory or CPU.
>
> just my 2 (canadian) cents.
Actually, Linux is hugely popular as an embedded OS. Obviously
it does not make sense for extremely simple devices, but nowadays
you can cram a hellofalot of computer onto a very tiny board.
There is the hugely popular PC-104 form factor and now even
smaller 'gum stick' computers the size of key fob that can run
Linux. I've personally worked on Linux computers embedded in
airplanes, cars, MRI machines, handheld games, and now cable
television video equipment. The board sizes ranged from high
end multi-processor rigs to tiny singleboard computers not much
bigger than a credit card.
Linux would be overkill for a Sirius radio receiver that just
receives one station at a time, but if you have a high end
model that can play one station while recording several others,
can store and play MP3s, and has an LCD interface, well then it
begins to make sense to consider Linux.
Thad
--
Yeah, I drank the Open Source cool-aid... Unlike the other brand, it had
all the ingredients on the label.
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