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Linux: "It's free like a puppy"
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By
Kenton
Williston
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DSP DesignLine
(04/17/2008 7:00 PM EDT)
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Is Linux really free? "Sure, it's free like a puppy." So says Darrin Shewchuck at QNX. He makes a good point. You can download Linux for free, but getting "generic" Linux to run on your embedded platform takes a lot of work. Device drivers are a big sticking point: Getting these running can be just as hard as developing your application software.
The puppy analogy really hits home for me. My family "inherited" a cat from Grandma when she went into a retirement home. This supposedly "free" cat has cost us upwards of $1500 in the six months we've had her. And that's only part of the joy of ownership—we also get to clean her litter, mop up after her "stomach upsets," and pick cat hair out of everything we own. Still, it's hard not to love the little furball…
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