LinuxDevices.com: eCos vs. uClinux: Which is best for your embedded target?

“…the development tools packaged with eCos are more
finely “tuned” for the needs of system designers and developers
than currently available uClinux tools that I’ve seen. While that
doesn’t prohibit development, in fact, it enables you to select any
tool that does the job, it doesn’t offer a composite package
ready-to-ship that many companies seek when considering ramping up
on a new project. Naturally, pre-packaged tools come at an
additional project budget impact, however, such might be seen as a
risk-mitigating factor in the eyes of many line and configuration
managers. Lineo, probably the forerunner of uClinux support and
services, is undoubtedly producing similar tools for uClinux. As a
note, the wave of people rushing to embrace a platform seems to be
heading in the direction of uClinux, which may be an important
consideration as we all keep an eye on what the future offers.

If you’re looking for something to familiarize yourself with the
(seemingly) recently-blooming embedded systems world, you may be
happy to consider uClinux as an excellent starting point. While
you’re welcomed by Red Hat to download eCos, you’re not as likely
to find as much free and active developer support as you would from
the Linux/uClinux community. Most Linux mailing lists I’ve seen are
relatively eager to help out newbies and many developers offer free
help in jumpstarting projects once hardware is available for
businesses considering exploring for an existing or new board.
Either eCos or uClinux offer plenty of insight into the complete
worlds of embedded systems in each board support package made
freely available.”

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