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Embedded Linux Journal Ceases Print Publication
Anonymous Coward writes "SSC Publications (the publisher of Linux Journal) today announced that the May/June 2002 issue will be the final stand-alone print edition of Embedded Linux Journal (ELJ). Future ELJ content will now be "embedded" into Linux Journal, as a monthly feature section. ELJ's website, ELJonline, will continue to regularly feature new embedded Linux articles, reviews, news, and contests."
Former roommate Don Marti (also the former Editor for ELJ) told me that "Desktop Linux has learned a lot from Embedded Linux and Vice-Versa, you can expect Linux Journal to pick up where ELJ left off, and continue pushing linux on embedded platforms. Picking Linux as your embedded OS means you don't have to compromise in functionality, tools or community support, which means Linux on embedded will always be your best choice. If you are doing any embedded development at all, read linux journal and rejoice! as the pain of developing on proprietary embedded OSes has passed."
It was a really good journal, and you couldn't beat the price (my company got in for the free issues).
We knew it was going away some time ago, so I've been braced, and while Linux Journal is a fairly good journal, it was nice to pick up something that was made by those in the same field as me and have an entire journal that talked about things that were very relevant to what i was professionally doing. Every month they had something that was interesting, up to date, and explained alot of what was going on in the Embedded Linux world.
We'll miss you!
Embedded Linux not only makes great headless devices (like the ones you encountered) but also great user-land devices.
Kiosks running custom shells in X
Handheld computers (Zaurus, LiPaq)
Digital cameras
The list of possibilities is endless. The size of the companies who are doing this type of thing is small, though. Reason being that a device maker like Sony does not want to have to be required to offer up the source to every Tim, Mike, and Taco who comes along and reminds them of their GPL responsibilities. That's why larger companies may flirt with Linux, but they choose either a home-grown OS, VxWorks, or WinCE in the final tally.
I have been pwned because my
I was reading an article last week in EE Times about an apparent attitude shift in the embedded linux area. The article claimed that enthusiasm is dying.
EE Times interviewed Lineo's CEO who said: "We assumed in 1999 that the market would pay for embedded Linux the same way it pays for VxWorks. But we've learned that a model built on extracting revenue from nothing more than Linux is doomed to failure," Harris told EE Times."
I know there are people out there still using/planing to use embedded Linux but I can't help but wonder what the future really holds. Most Linux development is after all in the desktop/server markets.
Another interesting quote:
At the recent Embedded Systems Conference, Wind River chairman of the board and co-founder Jerry Fiddler told EE Times that the company no longer considers Linux to be a strong presence in the embedded market. "Linux is a phantasm," he said. "Software isn't free, and companies are beginning to realize that."
If anyone knows the embedded arena, it's Wind River.
Humm. You seem to be doing things wrong. Development time using Linux has so far shown to be faster, and easier for us (Avaya). Uptime/stability for Linux compares ~= to the likes of VxWorks/Qnx. Windows is not even in the same class - so far it appears to be a standard MS type OS: high priced, unstable (Blue screams of death), and slow for everything.
It is doubtful that MS will make it on more than the 2 products that currently run it. These 2 products have shown to have more than double the manufactuering and support cost for us. I have heard that Adgalant (embedded spin-off of HP) is having similar issues.