ELC Releases Embedded Linux Standard v1.0

An anonymous reader writes "The Embedded Linux Consortium (ELC) formally announced its release of the ELC Platform Specification (ELCPS) version 1.0 this week. This LinuxDevices.com Special Report includes the full text of the ELC's announcement, a whitepaper about the ELCPS standard, a newly updated "frequently asked questions" document, a roundup of news coverage, a poll, a discussion thread, and the spec itself."

*cough*, incorrect

It's a GNU/Embedded Linux Standard v1.0 ;-)

embedded Linux of limited usefulness

Embedded Linux vendors are making the same mistake that Sun made with embedded Java: many embedded devices are either very inexpensive or have to meet hard real time deadlines. Both of those factors make embedded Linux impractical.

Really cheap devices go for small, older, cheaper processors and memories that can't support the relatively high processing capabilities required for Linux systems. For a hundred dollar VCR, Linux is great, but not for a twenty dollar mixmaster.

Many industrial facilities use great numbers of embedded devices. Linux just can not meet the hard real time deadlines required. Even with the low latency and kernel preemtibility patches, Linux doesn't have the granularity necessary to ensure that hard deadlines are met. There are a couple of kludges around that allow Linux to be used on such devices, such as running virtual machines with Linux and a true real time OS and making them communicate via sockets. Sadly proprietary solutions currently fare much better. Mobile telephones also fit in this category; although expensive ones may eventually run Linux and something else, they won't run only Linux.

With all the difficulties facing them, I can't help but wonder why the embedded Linux people bother. They would be better off writing a new OS that had lighter requirements and a design to allow it to meet hard real time deadlines. That would be a big step forward for putting the GPL in embedded platforms.

Re:embedded Linux of limited usefulness

While you have some very good points, one must keep in mind the still staggering rate of performance increases in lightweight and embedded processors. No, you probably won't be able to build a $20 device that can run Embedded Linux on it effectively today, but what about next year? Or the year after that? Wouldn't it be better to have an established standard when such devices start becoming ubiquitous?

Re:embedded Linux of limited usefulness

You seem to be making the mistake of thinking that there's just one sort of embedded application.

Sure there are embedded applications and devices for which linux is probably inappropriate, but so what? Linux won't get used there. However, the word `embedded' covers a lot of ground, and there are many embedded applications and devices for which linux is a perfectly fine solution -- and that's where linux will be (and is) used.

[Morever, as another post pointed out, the hardware used for embedded devices is continually getting more powerful, for any given application, making linux more and more practical.]

A chance to compete in an emerging market

Although I have some doubts about the suitability of Linux for certain types of embedded applications (where real-time OSes would probably be more appropriate), I think this is a good thing. Anything the Linux community can do to push Linux into new markets not already dominated by one company's product alone can only be beneficial. Unlike the PC market, there is no pre-existing "applications barrier to entry" into the embedded application market. The more Linux and other open software is used in any market, IMO the more it will be used in every market. Anything the community can do to foster the adoption of Linux on as many platforms as we can think of is beneficial.

This spec is a good thing!

The ELC did good work here. They have
produced a simple range of embedded subsets of the
LSB, and carefully avoided inventing anything
of their own beyond a way to query for what
features are available. As a developer of
embedded Linux systems, I think the ELC's
standard is very good work -- suprisingly,
this is an example of a vendor consortium
that did exactly the right thing, engineering-wise.
- Dan Kegel
www.kegel.com

Wow

Links to everything you would want to read, in just one post!

But I am just wondering, has anyone said they are going to use this specification or are they releasing it hoping someone will use?

Ahh...

This is nice. While Linux just isn't ideal for applications requiring stringent realtime control, it's great to have some order brought to the chaos.

A large amount of new silicon is hitting the market; the line between microcontrollers and computers keeps blurring. Some of these chips (mostly intended for the cell phone industry) run over 350MHz, include large amounts of memory, flash, and peripherals. Linux is an excellent way to manage all of that power, and ease the transfer of applications into embedded devices.

You will have that communicator/computer you want: has all the power you need, projects onto your eye or a wall, responds to speech input, has excessive bandwidth, captures video, etc. It's within my lifetime. And with the help of some standards like these, perhaps it will run some variant of Linux. You never know.

The importance of Embedded linux

Here [linuxdevices.com] is a chart of what vendors think is important when choosing an embedded OS.
Linux already satisfies the four most popular criteria: Real Time capabilities, royalty free licensing, it runs on a variety of CPUs and it provides access to source code.

No wonder Motorola choose [thestreet.com] for the linux solution.

Is the specification available in a free format?

The web site offers the specification as a PDF file, but states that it is covered by the GNU Free Documentation License. That license, reproduced in Section 9, states that the document may be redistributed provided it is editable using free tools, or is accompanied by such a version, or such a version is offered on the Web. If the consortuim offers the document only as a PDF they deny the freedom they claim to offer.
John Sauter ([e-mail])

Re:I want Linux to run on my...

Not *quite* what you're looking for, but

this toaster [sun.com]

burns the weather into your toast - done by java, maybe linux is in there somewhere though

Re:Hrm

Probably not. How many (non-geek) people know what OS their VCR runs? Their cellphone? Their DVD player?