Although the term "Embedded Linux" is only a couple of years old, Embedded Linux has already established itself as one of the most important technologies to enter the embedded computing market. The power, reliability, flexibility, and scalability of Linux, combined with its support for a multitude of microprocessor architectures, hardware devices, graphics support, and communications protocols have established Linux as an increasingly popular software platform for a vast array of projects and products. Use of Linux spans the full spectrum of computing applications, from IBM's tiny Linux wrist watch to hand-held devices. and consumer entertainment systems, to Internet appliances, thin clients, firewalls, equipment, . . . and even to cluster-based supercomputers.
If you could travel back in time to the Embedded Systems Conference of September 1999, you would find that the "Embedded Linux Market" simply did not exist, one short year ago. Sure, a growing number of developers and a handful of companies were starting to embed Linux. But as a market that anyone tracked, or paid attention to, Embedded Linux simply hadn't made it onto the radar screens.One year ago, embedding Linux was a relatively rare phenomenon and was mostly the result of developer innovation -- not the fruits of marketing plans and promotional strategies.
"Embedded Linux" has now become a disruptive force in the market.The open availability of source, coupled with today's unheralded ease and speed of collaboration and communication, turned out to be compelling factors that enabled developers to quickly and efficiently adapt to the challenges of rapidly changing landscape. So Linux began to spread like wildfire in the embedded market.
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