Re: What exactly does "Embedded" means?

On Tue, Jun 12 '01 at 10:55, Wong Yee Peng wrote:
> This question is not specific to Familiar but to general embedded linux.
> Everybody is talking about embedded linux. Does anyone have a clear and
> accurate definition of the word "embedded". What are the differences
> between embedded linux and desktop linux? Is embedded linux simply a
> stipped-down version of the desktop linux with no significant restructuring?
Embedded means, that you have a limited range of supported hardware.
Take for example the iPaq, all iPaqs shre the following:

- same CPU
- two kinds of displays (color for the 36xx, b/w for 31xx)
- one sound device
- one digitiser
- one usb slave port
- either 16, 32 or 64 MB of RAM
- either 16 or 32 MB of flash ROM
- three wait of extension: CF sleave, single or double PCMCIA sleave

This gives you two base models (not counting the unproblematic RAM and
ROM differences) and 3 expanstion posibilities (for a total of 6
veriations)

If you compare this to how many different combinations there are of
desktops ...

So the difference between embedded and not is the limited diversity of
the hardware. (iPaq, LART, XboX are embedded devices, desktop PC are
not)

    Goetz.