Archive for the ‘Operating Systems’ Category
Criteria which developers use to select an Embedded Operating System
June 3rd, 2010 | 
Author: Insights from the 2010 EMF Survey of Embedded Developers
Each year EMF conducts a thorough and detailed survey of embedded developers. Using the EMF Dashboard – a web based tool that permits vendors and developers to correlate information between any responses to any question, EMF presents selected insights from its analysis of the 2010 data. The Dashboard enables vendors to look at the responses of their customers (and potential customers) as well as to their competitor’s customers. This provides invaluable insights for strategic and sales planning. Developers can see what their fellow developers are considering in their selection criteria
Product opportunity windows are fleeting and time-to-market issues dominate design considerations. The two factors that invariably make the difference between success and failure are first, the knowledge that comes with an accurate insight into the internal and external forces which drive product markets and second, an insight into the concerns, desires and thought processes of those customers who make the decision to purchase a particular product or deal with a particular vendor.
The following data, taken from the 2010 EMF Embedded Developer Survey, addresses many issues of which embedded vendors and developers should be aware. The data presented here represents embedded industry averages across many application verticals, many vendors, many OSes, etc. Subscribers to the 2010 EMF Market Intelligence Program have access to their custom Executive Dashboard with which they can create unlimited cross tabs to further examine the data presented here.
Criteria Most and Least Important to Developers in Selecting an OS
Developers were asked to indicate which criteria were most important to their decision in selecting an OS. The top (most important) responses and the bottom (least important) responses are presented in the following tables.
There was an interesting reordering of priorities in 2010 with cost remaining the principal factor. Realtime performance fell (no surprise here) and safety certifiable and virtualization remained as a small part of the collective consciousness of embedded developers.
| Criteria most important for selecting an OS: Top 8 Responses |
2010 |
2009 |
|
|
|
|
| Acquisition cost |
44.6% |
36.7% |
| Availability of source code |
33.1% |
26.4% |
| Microprocessor support |
30.4% |
22.9% |
| Real time performance |
29.8% |
34.8% |
| Compatibility with our development tools |
27.6% |
29.0% |
| Includes good development tools |
26.6% |
24.5% |
| Reliability |
25.2% |
31.1% |
| Compatible with Linux |
24.1% |
17.8% |
| Criteria Least important for selecting an OS |
2010 |
2009 |
| Supports virtualization |
4.9% |
5.1% |
| Preferred vendor or on company approved list |
4.3% |
9.1% |
| POSIX or SCA compliant |
4.3% |
4.9% |
| Provides memory protection |
3.9% |
4.0% |
| Security certification (such as Common Criteria or NSA) |
2.6% |
4.2% |
| Must not be based on GPL |
2.6% |
2.1% |
| ARINC 653 compliant |
1.6% |
0.7% |
| Subscription licensing available (annual or fixed term) |
1.4% |
0.9% |
| Response to RFP |
1.4% |
2.8% |
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Forecast 2010: What Is in Store for Embedded Developers
Taking a “dog’s-eye” view of what we might expect in 2010
The year 2010 is just around the corner, and we are doing what we do best — forecasting. After all it’s our name. But we aren’t just guessing — we base our forecasts on historical facts and data. For the past 12 years, we have been tracking what developers are doing, what tools, OSes and processes they are utilizing and what their design experiences have been. We also report on what issues trouble them the most.
Now we are preparing our 2010 detailed and comprehensive EMF Executive Survey of Embedded Developers and Managers. We will be inviting you to take the survey to see how you our “loyal readers” compare with the larger statistically based responses (please contact us at surveys@embeddedforecast.com if you are willing to participate). Respondents who take the survey will receive a complimentary copy of our survey overview (a $399 value).
Is Cavium’s Acquisition of MontaVista Good or Bad for Commercial Linux?
On November 10, 2009, Cavium, a publicly traded provider of highly integrated semiconductor processors that enable intelligent networking, communications, storage and security applications, signed a definitive agreement to acquire MontaVista. Cavium stated that MontaVista would continue to operate separately and their customers would not be restricted to using only Cavium processors.
Immediately, questions arose:
- Who is Cavium and why did they make this acquisition?
- Was Jim Ready clipping Burger King Coupons?
- Was MontaVista motivated by Intel’s acquisition of Wind River?
- Does this mean that commercial Linux is facing financial do-do?
- What is really going on behind the scenes and is this a good or poor marriage?