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Embedded Linux Tools Market a Myth?

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the coulda-fooled-me dept.

nadamsieee writes "EETimes is running a story that proclaims that the embedded Linux tools market is a myth The author, Dan O'Dowd, sites variety of problems (challenges?) with embedded Linux ranging from poor real-time performance to lack of broad developer support. Dan concludes: "Considering all of the possible support avenues, Linux support ends up being lower quality and more costly than the alternatives of using a homegrown operating system or purchasing a proprietary one." Maybe Dan should check out the success stories at LinuxDevices.com or perhaps try a more traditional embedded OS that also happens to be Free."

14 of 290 comments (clear)

  1. This guy sells his own stuff? by BoldAC · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Founded in 1982, Green Hills Software Inc. is the technology leader for real-time operating systems and software development tools for 32- and 64-bit embedded systems. Our royalty-free INTEGRITY(R) RTOS, compilers, MULTI(R) and AdaMULTI Integrated Development Environments and Green Hills Probe(TM), offer a complete development solution that addresses both deeply embedded and maximum reliability applications.

    http://www.ghs.com/news/230325c.html

    Doesn't this guy sale his own embedded options?

    Wouldn't he push his own product over linux?

    What am I missing?

    AC

  2. Not in asia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    article

  3. No wonder he said this... by PlanetX+00 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    He is from GreenHills software look at all of their OS offerings and you know why he is saying this. Linux is eroding his bottom line.

  4. Where are the Linux devices? by NineNine · · Score: 4, Interesting

    That's great that Taco included the link to Linuxdevices.com, but I went to look, and they were mostly stupid consumer gee-whiz gadgets, or some Net tool (ie: router). What IT people don't seem to understand is that there are many, mayn industries out there that dwarf the IT industry. "Embedded" OS's can be used in all kinds of devices in all kinds of industries. I didn't see a single manufacturing tool using Linux as an embedded OS, for example. So other than the "this is neat, we're using Linux" devices, where are these real world applications?

    1. Re:Where are the Linux devices? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      If you look around on EETimes and other journals; and as anyone familiar with the industry is aware; a lot of new business for RTOS vendors (probably Dan too) come from people switching FROM linux. How amusing.

  5. Re:what's the meaning of this? by Shinobi · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Because, assuming basic competency, if you write it from scratch, it does _exactly_ what you want it to do, it's developed just the way you want it, and with the documentation that you want and need.

    With Open Source, you can easily end up spending more time modifying it to your specific needs than it takes to write it from scratch, especially if the source you're looking at is using a method for doing things that is not suitable for your problems. Especially since lack of or inferior documentation is all too common among many projects.

  6. This is Industrial Flamebait. by torpor · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Move along.

    I work in embedded systems in Germany, and there is -plenty- of linux going on ... lots and lots.

    Linux levels the playing field in grand new ways, even for the embedded folks, even for the snooty ones.

    Dan will eat crow.

    --
    ; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
  7. Re:Reliable unbiased article, not ! by EulerX07 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    From that page : "Microsoft Windows, MacOS, Unix, and Linux often crash, lock up, or go crazy."

    Woah, these guys would have a field day on slashdot fighting all the zealots from all the sides simultaneously.

    One thing that they do not mention in their little glorification, it's that these OS have to support thousands of devices, poorly written drivers, 3d graphic cards in conjonction with directx/opengl, run that recently released game that is really cool, and more.

    I'm pretty sure any of those systems would be rock solid if they stripped EVERYTHING out of them.

  8. Green Hills, eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I remember them.

    Their Pascal compiler is a blatantly bolted-on hack job on top of their C compiler. For example, the Pascal compiler blindly accepts all C operators (!=, ==, >>=, =, etc). There is nothing about this in their manuals. Good luck hoping to find syntax errors with their compiler.

    At least dangerous, home-grown compilers like GCC can parse multiple languages correctly.

  9. The article is about Linux Tools, not Linux by leinhos · · Score: 2, Interesting
    This article seems to be about commercial tools for embedded linux, and how the market is soft for such software products. A few of the posters here seem to think he is putting down Linux, but rather states that, in order to make money in software tools, developers need to go somewhere else.
    From the article:
    Because most embedded Linux users roll-their-own, that leaves less than half of the market to the six-or-so major commercial distributions. Since none of them is dominant, no specific integration is able to address more than 10 percent of the market.
    The author's concern is exactly what kind of market exists for commercial sofware development tools for embedded Linux, not whether Linux is a good OS for embedded applications. He does take a few swipes at Linux, but they are in support of his thesis that, while embedded Linux-based system developers will need support (for a host of reasons the author presents, be them good or bad), but will not want to pay for them:
    The obvious refuge for embedded Linux users is to seek support from a commercial supplier. Unfortunately, most embedded Linux users are not willing to consider commercial vendors.
    The author concludes that, because there will not be a strong market for Linux-embedded support, there will be few vendors able to support Linux-embedded (and still make money) applications/development, and therefore the will be no market for anyone selling Linux-embedded development tools (emphasis mine):
    As manufacturers recognize the real impact of embedded Linux, the tools market will dissipate. Those inclined to buy tools will abandon Linux. Those who stick with embedded Linux will have no interest in tools.
    The author does not, however mention what percentage of developers are those that are "inclined to buy tools".

  10. Can't Imagine by WindBourne · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Why CEO's of competeing companies to Linux keep saying these things. They must be correct, since there are so many studies by learned people.

    LOL ROTL.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  11. Re:Look who the author of the article is by Shinobi · · Score: 3, Interesting

    So? Slashdot links to stuff from pro-Linux biased people all the time, without any such disclaimers either. The really annoying part is that noone whines about biased PoV then....

  12. What Slashdot is saying by Overly+Critical+Guy · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Basically, what Slashdot is saying with this article summary is that articles that are pro-Linux are good and truthful, and articles that aren't pro-Linux and point things out are misguided and false and simply must be uneducated.

    And people accuse Microsoft of bias.

    --
    "Sufferin' succotash."
  13. Yeah right by soccerisgod · · Score: 2, Interesting

    If it's a myth, I have to say it's a pretty profitable one. All the money I've been making last year I've been making writing mythical software for an automotive company... If only there were more myths like this - I'd be filthy rich! :)

    --
    If a train station is a place where a train stops, what's a workstation?