Jeff Law wrote:
> The first camp sees FOSS toolkits as a means to help them sell more
> widgets, typically processors & embedded development kits. Their belief
> is that a FOSS toolkit helps build a developer eco-system around their
> widget, which in turn spurs development of consumable devices which
> drive processor & embedded kit sales. The key for these guys is free,
> as in beer, widely available tools. The fact that the compiler &
> assorted utilities are open-source is largely irrelevant.
That depends! The fact that the toolchain is open-source means we can
maintain and bugfix our releases and provide feature enhancements to better
support our customers. If we bought in a proprietary closed compiler we'd be
critically dependent on the quality of the supplier's support in order to
ensure the growth of that eco-system, an externality we might well want to
avoid predicating our success upon.
cheers,
DaveK
