First Embedded Release Of 2.6-Series Kernel

An anonymous reader writes "LynuxWork's BlueCat Linux 5.0, based on a 2.6-series Linux kernel, is now available for public beta testing, with a projected final release date set for November. LynuxWorks claims this to be the first public availability of embedded Linux based on the new kernel. Key new features include: improved kernel preemption; 0(1) scheduler; improved POSIX threading support; Interested participants in BlueCat 5.0 beta program may apply at www.lynuxworks.com."

Comments

Why bother?

[Anonymous Coward]

Microsoft sells its CE embedded operating system with .NET support for $3 per license. At this point it's almost no price competition with Linux - anyone looking at selling 1,000 devices can afford spending 3 grands on corporate licenses.

And guess what, when something doesn't work as Microsoft advertised in CE.NET, they fix it. You call them up and get the program manager on the phone, not a dumb secretary, and you explain the problem, then they prepare the patch. Can Linux development provide the same level of support? Hardly. The competition on price is over, choosing between two virtually free embedded operating system it's safer to choose the one that consumers would be pleased with.

Re:Why bother?

[Anonymous Coward]

Do you know the difference between customer support and enterprise support? Do you know the level of involvement Microsoft provides for anyone licensing WinCE on a corporate level for the new products? Microsoft would send developers and consultants over to the campus, provide free training seminars and a bunch of other free software that you would have to pay otherwise.

Shut up with your "Any Key" and "My Windows won't print my AOL e-mail" complaints, that stuff used to be outsourced before (Software Spectrum, Moses Lake, WA, go check it out yourself, and as of recently was moved to India) and it is outsourced now.

Once you get hired with someone with a yearly software budget more than $5 from mommy's salary, you will learn the difference and how far Microsoft is willing to go even for measly 20K (their whole Mobile/Embedded division pulls in 300M, which is pittance for such a huge company).

Troll.

Re:NO - Legitimately Curious

[hubie]

Have you looked at ecos and RTLinux? I think there were one or two others but they don't come immediately to mind.

I can't say much about LabView and CE.NET, but I do work with VxWorks and it is easy to develop for and has a reliable performance. On the other hand, you pay alot for the licenses. We're doing R&D stuff and we just can't keep VxWorks in our budget (we just want to upgrade our processor board and it would run us something like $7k-$10k). We're considering other OS options and I would be interested in any other observations you have. If I am correct, one of the things that is appealing about QNX is that for our R&D work the license would essentially be very cheap or free (I think you don't pay until you want to use it commercially, if I recall correctly).