> David Brown wrote: > > >I would think the short answer to that is it can't be done - far too much in > >Linux assumes that you've got at least a 32-bit CPU. Other problems include > >memory (IIRC, the biggest msp430 has about 4K ram - Linux is not happy with > >less than about 4 MB), processor speed, etc. > > > >The long answer is why on earth do you want to run Linux on the msp430? > > > > > It amazes me how many people waffle on about Linux or Embedded XP or > some such OS getting a big slice of the embedded market. Anyone who ever > developed embedded software knows No-OS will be the big winner. No-OS is > compact, it runs on pretty much any CPU, and the licencing conditions > are very favourable to both free and commercial development. :-)
I use No-OS on almost all my embedded systems, so I can vouch for its benifits. > > I don't think Linux demands a 32-bit CPU, though. I think some of the > microcontroller versions run on 16 bit hardware. Remember, Unix is a > 16-bit OS that was only adapted to 32-bit CPUs well into its commercial > life. > If you are thinking of projects like ucLinux, then they are all (to my knowledge - having never used ucLinux, but having looked longingly at it) based on 32-bit CPUs. The most common targets are Coldfire and Arm, both of which are 32-bit. Remember, Linux is not unix - it was originally dedicated to the 32-bit x86 with MMU, and has mostly been adapted up to more powerful architectures, not down to smaller ones. Theoretically, it could be ported to suitably powerful 16-bit CPUs, but I don't think anyone has done so.
