On 05/29/2010 01:54 PM, Joshua Saddler wrote:
D-Link routers, for example, run (or used to run) Gentoo. SRI's solar
probe, RAISE, ran Gentoo. The Misa Digital Guitar, just entering mass
production, runs Gentoo. There are many more places where Gentoo's
been used in various devices and production environments, so the PR,
GMN, and GWN archives are your friends, as well as searching Google
for Gentoo success stories.
When I think about pros/cons for Gentoo vs something else here are a few
thoughts (some of which you may have already had):
Linux in general isn't the only OS used in embedded apps - there are
other options like vxware/etc, which probably should be at least
considered as well. Advantages of linux in general would be familiarity
and a very wide range of features. A more purpose-driven OS might have
the advantage of better realtime support and stability, as well as
better vendor support (embedded is all that they do).
If you're going to run linux, then I'd consider Gentoo well up there -
granted I'd strip out a lot of it before deploying it. Gentoo has most
of the flexibility of linux from scratch, but is FAR more maintainable
if you plan to keep it updated. The fact that you can mix and match
just about any version of any library/etc is a big plus - it gives you
more control over what you put on your device. On the other hand, some
other distros might give you better long-term-support if you're willing
to live with the library versions they pick and how they build
everything. If your device goes on a network then it may need security
patching, and that is generally safer if you have a vendor who will
backport security fixes for 5+ years. Something like RHEL has
certifications/etc and more formal support, so you can hire people who
probably know what they're doing.
Like anything you have to consider all the pros/cons. If I were
building something on my own dime in an embedded space I'd probably
strongly consider Gentoo.
Of course, if you do use Gentoo unless you have a ton of storage you're
going to want to strip out the toolchain, portage, etc. You would use
gentoo to maintain a development image, and then any time you want to
you could copy that and then trim it way down (you could probably script
this).
Just some random thoughts.
Rich
