Section 1.1. Why Linux?

1.1. Why Linux? Because of the numerous economic and technical benefits, we are seeing strong growth in the adoption of Linux for embedded devices. This trend has crossed virtually all markets and technologies. Linux has been adopted for embedded products in the worldwide public switched telephone network, global data networks, wireless cellular handsets, and the equipment that operates these networks. Linux has enjoyed success in automobile applications, consumer products such as games and PDAs, printers, enterprise switches and routers, and many other products. The adoption rate of embedded Linux continues to grow, with no end in sight. Some of the reasons for the growth of embedded Linux are as follows: Linux has emerged as a mature, high-performance, stable alternative to traditional proprietary embedded operating systems. Linux supports a huge variety of applications and networking protocols. Linux is scalable, from small consumer-oriented devices to large, heavy-iron, carrier-class switches and routers. Linux can be deployed without the royalties required by traditional proprietary embedded operating systems. Linux has attracted a huge number of active developers, enabling rapid support of new hardware architectures, platforms, and devices. An increasing number of hardware and software vendors, including virtually all the top-tier manufacturers and ISVs, now support Linux. For these and other reasons, we are seeing an accelerated adoption rate of Linux in many common household items, ranging from high-definition television sets to cellular handsets.