| Windows, Linux grapple in Great Gadget Smack-Down! |
(Updated Feb. 15, 2005 -- Round 2)
 Impassioned battles between Linux and Windows partisans are no longer confined to the desktop and server arenas. With the growing ubiquity of smart devices, the device arena offers action every bit as intense, justifying massive vendor technology investments, high-dollar PR campaigns, and generous helpings of technical hyperbole from both corners, which contribute to a pugilistic aura not unlike that found at a WWF wrestling championship.
What really matters for the spectators, though, are the actual devices produced by the respective competitors.
We therefore have decided to hold the first-ever "Great Gadget Smack-Down," pitting OS vs. OS. Not on paper, according to oft-conflicting market share estimates, feature and architecture claims, or purported time-to-market benefits -- but instead, where it really counts: based on which OS powers the best gadgets.
The obligatory pre-game commentary
The total overall embedded software market is generally valued at upwards of a billion dollars and growing, so clearly much is at stake. This mega-match pits the two leading contenders for the device OS world championship against each other in a fight to the finish.
 In one corner, we have Microsoft, a company that seems destined to conquer almost any arena it focuses on thanks to its virtually limitless corporate resources. For example, in the last quarter alone Microsoft raked in upwards of $11 billion dollars in revenue, according to its latest quarterly report. Of that amount, the Redmond giant derived $85 million from its Mobile and Embedded Devices segment, up 46 percent from the corresponding quarter in 2003. Microsoft says its "Windows Embedded" operating systems were ranked first among embedded OSes by market analyst firms Gartner and VDC for 2003, and led the pack in revenue from 2001 through 2003 based on data from IDC and VDC (related story). Additionally, Gartner recently reported that Windows CE was the leading OS in 2004 worldwide PDA shipments.
 In the opposite corner, we have open source Linux, which market analyst EDC found to be the number one choice of embedded developers in a 2003 survey, and which topped VDC's 2004 developer survey as the OS used more than any other in recent embedded projects, besting Windows Embedded (Windows CE + Windows XP Embedded) by 4.5 percentage points. Then there was a Canalys market report that concluded that Linux is the fastest growing OS in the mobile device market.
From the geographic perspective, Gartner concluded that in 2003, Linux became the number one embedded OS in Asia, the galactic capital of consumer electronic devices. There, wariness of vendor lock-in or per-unit cost considerations may motivate consumer electronic (CE) device makers to use Linux, as may the efforts of the Consumer Electronic Linux Foundation (CELF) to standardize and improve Linux for CE devices. However, the popularity and power of the Windows brand may help Microsoft win in geographic markets where its desktop and server operating systems are popular, and Microsoft has aggressively reduced its OS royalties and made its source code available to counter competition from linux.
It also seems likely that one OS or the other will rule the roost in specific vertical segments of the embedded market. Witness a 2003 report from VDC comparing Linux and Windows embedded development, which ponders the possibility that Microsoft's Windows Embedded OSes -- with preconfigured versions targeting specific device types such as smartphones, mobile handsets, portable media players, set-top boxes, tablet PCs, and more -- may beat out Linux in certain types of projects and products, whereas Linux, with its near-limitless flexibility, may win in others.
Finally, don't overlook the study published last year by Embedded Market Forecasters which suggests that the use of Microsoft's Windows Embedded OSes and tools results in faster and less expensive development cycles for projects based on Windows Embedded, in comparison with those based on embedded Linux.
On paper, then, this match may be too close to call. But enough of this paper analysis and theoretical conjecture! Without further ado, let's let the devices speak for themselves!
Ladies and gentlemen . . .
The table below summarizes specific, finished-product devices featured at LinuxDevices.com and WindowsForDevices.com, two sister sites that maintain and frequently update "Quick Reference Guides" to embedded device design wins.
Keep in mind that these Guides represent only the tip of the iceberg, since there's no way we could cover every one of the thousands of embedded devices out there. However, if you notice a device missing that you think we should cover, please let us know about it, and we'll do our best, provided the company is willing to share some details of their implementation.
Ding, ding . . . !
Here's the latest tally, as of the end of Round 2, on February 15, 2005:
(*) NOTE: this site covers this device category elsewhere.
The previous version ("Round 1") of the above table is available here.
And the winner is . . . ?
Which OS do you think wins from the real-world devices perspective? Which OS do you think will ultimately prevail, and in what market segments? Let us know, and share your thoughts with our readers! The LinuxDevices.com talkback thread for this discussion is located here.
Before you comment, be sure to visit each side's "Cool Devices" guide:
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