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http://blog.aurel32.net/175

Yes, the embedded ecosystem sometimes benefit from Linux, but not because Linux is done for embedded, but because some embedded systems reach the minimum feature to be able to run it. Contrary to your view, I see the device tree story a clear prof that Linux is really not driven by embedded. It toke more than 10 years to make Linus notice of the embedded platform configuration mess, simply because he absolutely don't care about it. But a some point the conditional configuration noise of the embedded platforms was unavoidable and exactly because the embedded contributors to Linux proved to be totally unable to agree on a solution, Linus put a definitive end on accepting any more commit until a clean solution is found. This very very clearly show that the embedded part of Linux is just a noise barely perceived from the real contributing part that drive the future of Linux.

15 years ago there was already a strong market for Linux embedded. We was selling routers, collaborate to make it run PBX, gateway etc.Intel was trying really hard to make there StrongARM the standard for routers running Linux. IBM was making the best ever support I have see in my carrier for Linux from big iron down to embedded chips. I don't know what you was doing 15 years ago, but from my side this was fantastic years. Was IBM called a "disruptive change" was really was we experienced on the terrain. A this time I managed a R&D department selling embedded Linux solutions, from small business, to telecom and space agency. This was the new stuff that everybody wanted, fast, primary because Linux was the best solution to add Internet capability to products.

The biggest part of Linux in term of line of code is the drivers support. So when I say "full Linux mainline support" this definitely includes the drivers for all the chips peripherals. That and a proper boot solution is what the manufacturer need to support.

You confuse the micro-controllers world withe the Linux world. The controllers you describes don't all uses processors, and most that use a processor don't run a full operating system like Linux but a very minimum task scheduler and memory allocation. If a few of them eventually run Linux, this is only because there was enough hardware resources to support it, really not because Linux shrink down to be able to run on a even more limited hardware. I actually don't know any example of controllers in your list running Linux. Please provides some references.

How much does ARM emulation on x86 suck these days? I wasn't able to dig up much in the way of hard benchmarks; but this not-especially-recent page, describing QEMU ARM emulation (I'd assume that being adopted as the Android SDK's ARM emulator likely led to some improvements being made; since 2008; but don't know), says that an Athlon 64 X2 3800+ is about 20 percent faster than an NSLU2 (266MHz Xscale).

Given that the Athlon 64 X2 3800+ is a relative antique, and the Pi is only a 700MHz ARM core of not particularly new design, a contemporary system might actually emulate the rPi faster than the real thing, with the added bonus of being able to emulate more RAM than the real boards ship with, and likely faster mass storage.

Power efficient, this strategy would not be; but fast, it just might.

Sheeeit, think THAT is bad? Look up "Ulrich Drepper arrogant" into the search engine of your choice and be prepared to see some EPIC douchebaggery! Seriously some of his rants are so epic I'm shocked he just doesn't reply with Goatse as that's pretty obviously what he thinks about those that DARE to disagree with him.

But you can see why some like Debian would move away, because they simply don't want to deal with such an epic douchenozzle. i have to wonder how many of the other lesser spotlighted FOSS projects have arrogant little all important shits like him running things. After all they aren't doing it for fame or money and we all know how many love to just be absolute assholes when given a little power. But IMHO it shows how the system is broken when someone like Drepper is still allowed to maintain and important piece as Glibc when he is so obviously a massive prick.

I've seen some dev threads which make me think it's not very fun dealing with the existing priesthood of maintainers, so I could sympathize with any young developer who would just say "f*ck it, I'll work on something where I can determine commit access myself rather than spending weeks trying to convince somebody who thinks they're god on earth that they should accept my humble patch to 'their' project."

While not technically the kernel, I think this might illustrate some of the issues (I like Linux a lot and use it, but Linus himself has been like this at times as well.)