[ Thanks to Dan Orzech
for this link. ]
“…it may actually be Linux that ascends to the top of the heap
in the $3.5 billion-per-year market for embedded system development
tools. Enthusiasm for embedded Linux systems has grown dramatically
over the past two years–even Linus Torvalds has gone on the record
to say that it should be a priority for the open source OS.”
“The Embedded Linux Consortium, barely a couple of months old,
already boasts 78 member organizations, most of which take the
venture seriously enough to front the $5,000 premium level
membership cost. “Promotion of Linux as a solution for embedded
applications is our goal,” says Murry Shohat, acting executive
director. “The key is marketing and promotion. The longer-range
goal is what you see many consortia doing: standards and
intellectual property promotion.” In other words, don’t count on
the group to vote on a rigid spec for real-time Linux any time
soon.”
“…with major electronics companies such as cell phone
manufacturer Nokia turning to ROM-based Linux to drive their
consumer and industrial devices, anything is possible. “Never
underestimate the programming bandwidth of over 12,000 open source
developers around the world,” says Lineo’s Drabik. And if they
adopt the embedded market with the same enthusiasm they’ve shown
for Linux on servers and desktops, embedded computing could be just
another step for Linux on the path to World Domination.”