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Linksys WRT54G drops Linux

Posted by CowboyNeal on

avorobiev writes "WiFi Planet is running a story on all the advantages of Linux-based firmware for the Linksys WRT54G router. Little do they know that as of v.5 of the router Linksys dropped Linux and switched to VxWorks. And yes, they crippled the hardware (halved the RAM) so that third-party firmware can not be installed anymore."

3 of 72 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Understandable by Eivind · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Depends -- Linksys could have gone the other direction and started delivering the more feature-rich OS-firmware by default (or as an option). This would allow them to sell what you call "a $600 router" for $60.

    They are not the only router-manufacturer. It is offcourse true that Linksys would rather you buy an expensive router from then than a cheap one. But on the other hand it's also true they would rather you buy a cheap router from then than an expensive one from their competition.

  2. Re:Understandable by benjamindees · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Of course Linux was a win for Linksys. It's just that they were bought out by Cisco.

    Linksys was in the hardware business, so Open Source was good for them. Cisco is in the "enterprise pixie dust" business, so Open Source is bad for them.

    Overall, though, Open Source is good for users, which is all that really matters.

    --
    "I assumed blithely that there were no elves out there in the darkness"
  3. Crippled? by Urkki · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "And yes, they crippled the hardware (halved the RAM) so that third-party firmware can not be installed anymore."

    Uh... Saving on components after replacing the OS with something that doesn't need as much memory is hardly "crippling". Hinting that they should have more RAM than they need is a bit... detached from harsh business reality.