"Penguins in the clouds
The best operating environment for a thin client designed around
cloud computing has the following characteristics:
"Highly customizable
An inexpensive or even free operating system
All necessary applications inexpensive or free
Networking built into the operating system core
Small enough to fit into tiny devices
Flexible and powerful enough to run full laptops
Miserly enough to conserve battery life to a maximum degree
"Linux meets all of these criteria. It is taking over in the
mobile space, the enterprise space, and the embedded space,
including dedicated consumer devices such as book readers and
set-top boxes. And with virtualization, Linux can also run
applications built for the Windows®, Mac OS X, and other
operating systems.
"Linux: the operating system for the cloud
Linux has matured and become viable as an embedded operating
system; its freedom--both in terms of cost and royalty-free
licensing--has revolutionized a market that once was dominated by
only a few players who demanded stiff per-unit royalties. Linux now
has real-time support as well as structured driver support with a
flexibility never dreamed of for proprietary real-time operating
systems, and the availability of relevant applications is
unprecedented.
"Linux is the basis behind at least four new netbook operating
systems, leads the explosive growth in smart phones, and is slated
to continue to absorb market share over the next 5 to 10
years."
