Re: Reason not to use Linux?

>> What are real alternatives to Linux these days? I'm aware of ecos and
>> FreeRTOS on the lower end and, of course, there's the commercial vendors
>> like WindRiver, etc And then there's WinCE. What would be some reasons
>> not
>> to choose Linux? I'm trying to make sure I don't just pick Linux because
>> it's been working ok for me.



> WinCE might be a good option due to:
> - Quality of development tools
> - GUI based interfaces for embedded systems
> - Driver support
>

> Another option in the Windows world would be Windows XP Embedded.

I did not know that Windows XP Embedded ran on ARM, MIPS, PowerPC...

If you work with Linux you limit yourself to chips which has an MMU.
If you work with ucLinux you can work with smaller devices without MMU.

If you require an MMU (Linux/WinCE) you also could lose some possibilities
for integration
The AT76C902 has ARM946 (without MMU) and an integrated WLAN MAC
(implemented using an ARM7).

If you just want USB & Bluetooth, you could use an AT91SAM7S256.
This has 256 kB Flash + 64 kB SRAM in a 64 pin package which should be
plenty in this application.
Since it does not have an external bus, It does not support Linux or
uCLinux.

For growth, you can (pretty soon) use the AT91SAM7SE which
has both internal flash and external bus (with Compactflash support)
or move up to an AT91RM9200 which has most conceivable peripherals.

Choosing Linux would cut off the lower end of the price range.
I think that if you use a small foot print RTOS you will have a much cheaper
device
for the low end jobs and can use a larger device in the same family

You could also decide that Linux and ucLinux are to be considered to be one
operating system
and use Linux when possible and otherwise uCLinux.

Feel free to contact me directly if you want more info on the AT91 series.

>
> WindRiver has been used in the embedded world for a long time. It can
> be configured to work with a tiny footprint.
>



--
Best Regards,
Ulf Samuelsson
This is intended to be my personal opinion which may,
or may bot be shared by my employer Atmel Nordic AB


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