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What Is The Most Popular OS in the World?
Roland Piquepaille writes "If your answer is Windows, you're plain wrong. It's ITRON, a Japanese real-time OS kernel that can be customized for any small-scale embedded systems. According to LinuxInsider.com, it is used by more than 3 billion microprocessors found in mobile phones, digital cameras, CD players and many other electronic devices including even satellites. The article looks at the competition in this market, notably RTLinux, the real-time version of Linux, and T-Linux, an environment for running middleware. This last effort could lead to the eTRON chip, an encryption device that offers secure data transfer across wireless networks and the Internet. One thing is sure for this market: the future is definitively open-source. This overview contains more details and external references."
Here and here.
Change the rules to suit the propaganda. When people are talking about OS', 99.44% of the time they're referring to PCs. Is it so hard to admit that Windows has huge marketshare simply because it's what has been put in front of the end user?
Pretty soon everything you buy that needs to be plugged in will have one of these things in it (running Linux of course) and every Slashdot nerd's dream will have finally come true - Linux running on EVERYTHING.
-- Dr. Eldarion --
Is something 'most popular' when people don't even know it exists? Or if there even is a choice?
It's like saying water is the 'most popular soft-drink' in the world..
for great justice
Does it believe in the USER?
And now there is eTRON is coming... Looks like he has been incorporated in the MCP!
...because the users are ignorant of the underlying OS, thus tron is not the most popular OS but the most widely deployed OS. With that said, this is a duplicate article from the past, and I am sick of slashdot insulting our intelligence with stupid sensational headlines.
------ Curiosity killed the cat. {satisfaction brought it back | it didn't die ignorant | lack of it is killing mankind
> This last effort could lead to the eTRON chip
etron in French means shit.
reading the article is more funny now, isn't it ?
Votez ecolo : Chiez dans l'urne !
How many times do we have to beat the Itron horse?
Ya..its the most common.. ya.. its opensource.. ya he got screwd my microsoft... bla bla bla
But we have heard this before, many times...
---- Booth was a patriot ----
Did anyone read the part about RTLinux limitations:
"RTLinux switches tasks in milliseconds, while ITRON switches tasks in microseconds," he said. "RTLinux' footprint is measured in megabytes; ITRON is measured in kilobytes."
Funny to see someone call a Linux version bloated and slow...
This may be OT, but I guess it all boils down to how you define popular. If you consider popular as "regarded with great favor, approval, or affection especially by the general public", then this rather obscure OS is not the answer, but neither is Windoze, 'cause most people don't usually make this choice, it just comes with their computers, by default. If, however, you take Webster's 6th definition ("Prevailing among the people; epidemic; as, a popular disease. [Obs.] --Johnson."), then... :)
"One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that ones work is terribly important." -BRussell
Have you ever tried dying of cancer?
Just because something is installed on a device, then mass manufactured does not equate to the status of most popular. Most installed, most used, etc... yes. Most Popular, no.
Just trying to keep it clear.
Until, of course, nearly every electronic device that you own that uses computer logic (CD player, car, TV, possibly even your internet connection) stops working.
You've probably never heard of every amino acid you need either while picking up that two litre bottle of Mountain Dew.
You'd still regret their absence.
KFG
..not when the engineer choose it for them.
If Google really cared they would fix Android Chrome to reflow text, instead of discriminating
TRON is obviously the most populous in terms of all electronic devices there are. In terms of PCs, which is what OS typically refers to, Windows would be the most populous, but in terms of popularity that could go two ways. If you are defining popularity as "suited to the means of the majority" or "frequently encountered or widely accepted" that would obviously be Windows. But, if you define popularity as "commonly liked or approved" that would be Linux for the simple reason that the Linux community is much more vociferous about their passion for the OS than Windows users are. Most Windows users use the OS by default and no because they prefer it to other systems.
sig.
Yeah, I'd much rather be without Windows than without my SB4200 and router firmwares.
Sorry, my karma just ran over your dogma.
According to the ITRON page linked, it is an operating system specification, not an operating system.
That would make it a competitor of Posix, instead of Linux.
No, that wasn't me. I can't prove it, but there you go.
No, I haven't, Dumbrat, but these people have.
Go on and give yourself a big pat on the back.
Is this truly the only Earth I can live on?
Perhaps it's time for us to Boycott this iTron and deem it the evil OS of the mobile world. Guess it doens't matter... if Microsoft has its way, iTron will go the way of Netscape, Word Perfect, and my favorite, OS/2.
More importantly, this isn't a popularity contest. Anyone who thinks open source will win out hasn't be put to task by our corporate overlords and their flying monkey politicians.
The TOPPERS/JSP kernel (in Japanese) is open source and is an implementation of the iTRON kernel. But iTRON will not be free or open source.
"It's not your information. It's information about you" - John Ford, Vice President, Equifax
Popular is something that's widely favoured, based on choice. While you could argue ITRON is popular amongst developers and vendors as an embedded OS, it certainly isn't the OS of choice for consumers who aren't all going out in droves demanding ITRON-powered phones.
So, ITRON, the OS with the biggest market share (based on device numbers not revenue) in the world.
Linux and TRON don't really play in the same space. You can embed Linux only so far...
It'd be much more interesting if they'd brought in a comparison with eCos which is the natural alternative to TRON at a deeply embedded level.
http://sources.redhat.com/ecos/
Interestingly enough eCos has a TRON API implementation too.
Doesn't it also turn out that some sort of ARM chip is the most widely used CPU... by like several scale factors?
Of course I think this is all moot. It isn't like anyone is going to stick ITRON on their x86 and word process.
What is music when you despise all sound?
Yep, MS has there hand extended to embrace TRON.....
And I believe I read a slashdot posted article where the US suppressed the evolution of TRON...... I'm sure MS is very grateful....
Pretty much any Japanese electronic musical instrument maker has used TRON. Yamaha keyboards run it, or derivatives of it, I've been told. That will change now though, with Yamaha's recent announcement that they'll be using Linux.
I've followed TRON since I was a kid hacker in the early 80's, and have watched its use in the industry with eager anticipation of the day it becomes more widely known about in the tech sector.
When Linux came into existence (I've been a Linux user since *day one* of its existence), I decided I need not stay current with TRON, which is a shame because I think a lot of the goals of TRON (E-TRON, actually, its supposed to be called) are achievable right now with Linux in the embedded world.
If ever there was proof needed of just how destructive Microsoft has been for the computer industry, it is the fact that hardly anyone in the Western Tech sector (sillicon valley) knows about TRON and what this project was supposed to achieve... and, actually, still is capable of achieving... The project is based around shared source, completely open amongst competing hardware manufacturers.
Embedded kernels running in every electronic device known to man, capable of talking to each other discretely and without human interaction, to create a sort of 'Boewulf cluster' of embedded systems capable of sharing loads and processing power.
TRON was a kick ass project. And everything we've wanted to do with TRON, we can now do with Linux.
[ Parent ]
the byproduct of years of oppression by the white man
fix the post title, man...
most used os, perhaps, popular, no.
popular denotes that the end user might have some choice in the matter, as far as deciding the OS to be used. prolific because a manufacturer predetermined for the end user.
windows might be a pretty popular, but that's mostly because OEM's don't always have a choice of which operating system they can bundle... 90% of the worlds computers are using some redmond derivative operating system, but once again, probably not always by end user choice...
mac os might be a popular choice, but it requires specific hardware... so using/purchasing the os is a much steeper entry point, however, to claim a user base(world wide) of 3-5% might be seen as being pretty popular...
linux, bsd, and other un*x derivative might also be considered much more popular than itron... why? because the end user(s) chose to install it amongst other choices.
three can keep a secret, if two are dead - benjamin franklin
Yeah, but just think of all of the Windows users who don't know what OS they are using, even though its name is shown on the screen every time the turn on their computers.
popular ( P ) Pronunciation Key (ppy-lr)
adj.
1. Widely liked or appreciated: a popular resort.
2. Liked by acquaintances; sought after for company: "Beware of over-great pleasure in being popular or even beloved" (Margaret Fuller).
3. Of, representing, or carried on by the people at large: the popular vote.
4. Fit for, adapted to, or reflecting the taste of the people at large: popular entertainment; popular science.
5. Accepted by or prevalent among the people in general: a popular misunderstanding of the issue.
6. Suited to or within the means of ordinary people: popular prices.
7. Originating among the people: popular legend.
I don't think any of these definitions of 'popular' fit ITRON at all.
Nice try. Grow up and come back later.
1. It's iTRON not eTRON. Read the Japanese version (and if you're really familiar with iTRON, I'm sure you'll be able to)
./ these days?
2. iTRON is not free or open source. It's derivative JSP/TOPPERS Kernel is.
Dear oh dear. Is it really this easy to get mod points on
"It's not your information. It's information about you" - John Ford, Vice President, Equifax
Where's the facts? Gimme Links, troll!
But why would communists dirty their hands funding anyone? All good commies do it solely for the glorious revolution. They don't believe in the capitalist system!
Now we have the filthy capitalist swine making an imoral profit from Free Stuff!
Just look at Redhat, making a profit. Look at Suse, look at Mandrake... ok Scratch Mandrake they may have to learn what a the profit model looks like.
I guess you think that we should have the filthy capitalist swine making an imoral profit from only Proprietary Stuff! What is the difference?
Yes, I own stock in Redhat!
That having been said, it's also not really fair to call (GNU/)Linux 'an OS' - it's really a toolkit for building OSes. There is a huge variety of systems that are called Linux but can't run each other's programs without porting effort.
And the same can be said for Windows - 9x, NT, Me, 2K, XP, CE (and server variants, including 2003) have annoying incompatibilities between them that preclude considering them the same OS.
[100% ISO 646 Compliant]
SVM, ERGO MONSTRO.
3 billion? So what? Linux as an embedded OS has only gained popularity in the last few years. What about all the other embedded RTOS's and OS's that have been around for years? They undoubtedly hold much more share.
I don't see any screenshots on that website... *looks around*
/sarcasm>
Insert witty Slashdot sig here.
Timothy writes "If your answer is Unique Stories, you're plain wrong. It's DUPES, a Canadian method of post generation that can be customized for any large-scale media systems. According to a popular geek news site, it is used by more than 300 story submissions each year. The article looks at the competition in this market, notably Michael, known for not even reading submissions before posting to the homepage. This last effort could lead to the eDUPE method, an encryption method that offers secure post submission across wireless networks and the Internet. One thing is sure for this market: the future is definitively open-source. This overview contains more details and external references.
Somebody get that guy an ambulance!
The Free competitors to iTRON are not RTLinux (and RTNetBSD) as the article (half fails to) point out. The competitors are eCos and RTEMS. The latter is clearly the more mature, but the former is arguably more modern in design. ECos hasn't the penetration that iTRON has achieved, but RTEMS is everywhere, and is equally invisible.
If an open-source implementation of ITRON did exist, someone would have pulled the openly available sources off a Japanese server and we'd be playing with them right now.
At best, there is an open specification of ITRON whereas all implementations are proprietary. Furthermore, even that "open" specification appears to be tied in with privileged access if you want to see anything resembling actual code APIs or architectural details at a finer level than boxes, lines and clouds. I guess that that stems from all implementations being closed.
The possibility always remains that we simply don't see all the detailed material because of the language barrier, but there are more than enough cross-linguists in open-source ranks to have disabused us of that misapprehension by now.
ITRON just doesn't actually appear to exist at all, in an open-source sense. The billions of instances burned into microcontroller chips are definitely not open.
"The question of whether machines can think is no more interesting than [] whether submarines can swim" - Dijkstra
or its close cousin while(1) are far more common in embedded systems than itron. The infinite loop can't be beat for its simplicity and is therefore the most common scheduler on the planet.
Oh well, what the hell...
No, I didn't hear about ITRON before this, and I'm sure that the vast majority of other posters here haven't, either. That's beside the point. My point is that you can't trust a lot of what you read here because of all the political/religious/etc. BS (figuratively speaking, of course) that involves anything Microsoft.
In Soviet Russia, Chuck Norris will still kick your ass.
What about wrist watches? Most all Casio digital watches are probably derived from the same base "OS" (term used as loosely as in article). If so I'm sure there are billions of that "OS" in consumer devices as well.
Dan East
Better known as 318230.
If someone really didn't know who pays his salary now, it's OSDL, a group of sponsors including IBM, Dell, HP, etc.
What does it have to do if it is from Japan. All we need is technology rite? who cares who makes it!!!
I mean, lots of people know who hitler is, but that dosn't make him "popular" :P
:P
Lots of people use windows and hate it. From memories of constant crashes in the 3.11/98 days to the constant security holes today windows users have lots of reasons to lothe the OS.
I use windows because I'm a lazy bastard. I Recently switched to Mozilla when some Spyware got installed on my machine during a normal web-surfing session. I don't know if I accidentally clicked "yes" on something I should have, but who knows. AdAware didn't even find the file, and I had to look for references to new files in the registry to get rid of the shit (they called it win32.dll...)
At some point, probably when win2k becomes obsolete I'll switch to Linux. But in the interim I'll use windows and bitch
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
So your point is .....that if you haven't heard of it you can stay without it?
I tend to laugh now..........my gosh............!!! sometimes i read jokes in slashdot!!! ya we need someone like this to keep us smiling.....
So your point is .....that if you haven't heard of it you can stay without it? I tend to laugh now..........my gosh............!!! sometimes i read jokes in slashdot!!! ya we need someone like this to keep us smiling.....
I don't even own a mobile, why would I want it?
I have over 70 freaks, do you?
It may have been used in 3 billion devices like phones, CD players, etc. but how many of those devices are still in service? I've been through probably 6 cell phones over the last decade; all but one are in a landfill someplace.
Even factoring that in, however, it's probably true that there are more instances of some embedded OS in operation than any single desktop or server OS, but that's an apples-to-oranges comparasion, IMO.
Sure, trust all your embedded devices to eTRON, but when the eMCP takes over, then you will be sorry.
Change the question slightly and you're guaranteed a unanimous answer!
1. the question should say "What Is The Most Popular Real Time OS in the World?" for the answer to be "ITRON". then i will not answer Windows and you wont have to tell me "If your answer is Windows, you're plain wrong."
2. Windows is not a RTOS. so cant compare it with ITRON in the RTOS area.
3. You have a choice as to what u want as ur OS on ur PC. but do u really have a choice when it comes to "mobile phones, digital cameras, CD players and many other electronic devices including even satellites." ???
4. This article is one of many that just want to bash Windows just because everyone else is. If u want to bash Windows there are many valid points for that... dont make one up with a false headline.
5. hey... i'm not here to carry the flag for Windows or for Linux. But there is no need to bash Windows on a false headline. So if you ask "What Is The Most Popular OS in the World?" and mean "popular" as in "chosen by users" then the answer is certainly Windows.
So often I get asked "...and what sort of Windows do you use?"
Really, the word is being used as a synonym for OS, much like Xerox is used as a synonym for photocopier (and photocopying, if you're into verbing as much as the USA is), or Biro a synonym for ball-point pen (typically consistent for English, nobody says "biroing" to indicate writing with a ball-point pen).
You have to ask given this how many really mean "Windows" and how many mean "OS" or even "software" in general.
Imagine roads where 95% of all vehicles were Ladas. Think about how many people would refer to loading up the Lada for a holiday, or getting the Lada serviced, even if the were one of the few who drove a Peugeot.
Got time? Spend some of it coding or testing
..on my web site the most popular OS is one called "Unknown" which is used by 55.24% of visitors!
:)
http://www.muttsnutts.com/html/stats.php
I'd be using it myself, but I'm waiting for Unknown 2 which has working USB support
Chris Rock put it best:
Will I retire or break 10K?
Message for the OSS afficiondos out there:
Got time? Spend some of it coding or testing
I've tried very hard to locate actual sourcecode of TRON, be it ITRON, BTRON or whatever "tron".
Despite being publicly termed "open-sourced", the sourcecode of TRON is actually very hard to find.
Can anyone here please point out to us where we can get the source code of TRON, so at least we can see how they achieve their "small footprint" and their "real" RTOS position, versus somebody's claim that RTLinux isn't a "real" RTOS.
Thank you !
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
You keep using that word -- I do not think it means, what you think it means.
There are no trolls. There are no trees out here.
Not everyone has a zipper, though pretty much everyone has a light globe.
Karma: It's all a bunch of tree-huggin' hippy crap!
By far the most popular OS choice is "none", beating out all other OS choices more than 10 to 1.
.sig
Sure there are a lot of phones, but there are a lot more VCRs, microwave ovens, toasters, printers, fax machines, street lights...
The majority of the worlds electronic equipment runs on an embedded PC and has custom designed software written in the worlds most popular computer language - assembly.
-- this is not a
you know, there's nothing wrong with _having_ a monopoly, it's how you behave once you have one that's the issue
Advanced users are users too!