I'd like to use an embedded linux (commercial or free) instead of Nucelus. My target is ARM or x86 and my board has networking and is a USB device.
One of my targets has no MMU so the obvious candidate is uClinux, but I think that would be too big. Are there other smaller Linux distros?
For rough comparison with Nucleus, how small can I get uClinux + IP stack?
Thanks.
How much memory do you have? You can do a uclinux with 16MB ram and 2MB flash pretty easily. The size mostly depends on what you want to do with it, e.g. how big your root file system needs to be.
Probably your bigger hit will be speed versus nucleus.
May be easier to just go buy one of the many SBCs that have linux already and see if you can run your app on them.
-Clark
Thanks for the response.
I have 2MB flash and 4MB of RAM. Sounds like it might be too little to use uClinux.
Now I'm thinking about eCos.
I'll answer my own question now.
The answer is eCos.
eCos is NOT Linux, but it is open source and is closely tied to Linux in much of its software and toolchain. For someone looking for an open-source embedded OS that is smaller then any of the Linux distros, I think that eCos is the answer.
BTW, you could look at FreeRTOS as well, but eCos seems much more popular and better supported.
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