- Open-source software is permeating embedded systems development. In a recent VDC survey of embedded developers, Linux was the most cited operating system for current projects.
- Vendors of commercial operating systems and development tools are taking note, adapting and learning from Linux and other open-source software. In addition, open-source is becoming a key component within traditional software suppliers' product lines.
- Other widely used open-source OSs include eCos and FreeBSD. Sun released Solaris under the Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL), which is a modified Mozilla open-source license, last January.
- With the release of CDT 3.0, Eclipse's C/C++ development tool, the open-source integrated development environment is even better tuned to the embedded market, where the vast majority of developers uses C and many use C++.
- While not perfect, the Eclipse framework might offer the best environment for higher levels of integration and interoperability with best-in-class technologies.
- The success of databases such as MySQL, Berkeley-DB (a commercial offering from Sleepycat), db4o (db4objects), and others shows the ability of companies to leverage open-source communities and business models to quickly ramp up interest, innovation, and ultimately unit deployments.
- More higher-quality open-source projects offer greater choice but complicate the decision-making process.