January 2009 Archives

Something I am often asked is why can't Linux platforms be built on a Windows host?

This usually comes from engineers who, despite having to develop for Linux, are locked in to a Windows desktop at the office.

Well, in theory it is possible, but there are quite a few hurdles that make it less than ideal.

Linux, once mocked by the majority of the general public for its sandal-wearing lovers, has now found a new, happy, and soon to be accepted home - The Automobile. Lovers of cars, the petrol heads of the world, are now in awe as Linux is slowly being integrated into the infotainment segment of the automotive world. Take for example the ease-of-use problems in certain well-known, German cars. When a decision was made to increase the time-to-market of a new infotainment platform Wind River was perfect fit.

As I mentioned in my first post, more people than ever are getting PCs and Netbooks with Linux pre-installed on them. This is great, but for those who are really lost there is a lot of help out there --- if you know where to look...

When everything is connected, security matters.

Nokia has announced that the Qt library will, from the upcoming 4.5 release, be licensed under the LGPL 2.1 license in addition to the existing GPL and commercial licenses.

Embedded used to mean small, limited functionality and stand alone. These days the embedded world is very different. Could this be what is driving adoption of Linux?

Not to be out-done by my counterpart, Happy New Year 2009!
This is also my first ever blog on the internet, but let it be the first of many.

A new year is upon us and it looks like a year of change. For me the first change is this, a blog. Having not done this before I hope you will bear with me as I learn some new things.

This blog will be about Linux, mostly embedded but not exclusively.

With the current financial situation as it is who knows what challenges and opportunities it will bring. I am sure there will be some tightening of belts and Linux can certainly help cut costs in many areas from embedded up to general desktop use, but change and uncertainty can lead people to cling to what they already know and that may mean not taking a chance on something new.

But I do see that Linux is becoming more main-stream. Over the holiday I took my daughter to a party and got chatting to some of the other parents there. One mentioned they had just given a new laptop to one of their older children for Christmas. It didn't run the OS they were used to, but it seems they were very happy with it so far. Linux for the masses? I hope so but only time will tell.