5 ms·

These loud footsteps at a distance are from the ESP32 approaching. (yeah, does not run the Linux kernel but it is going to be quite open this time)

by simosx 10y ago

woah 10y ago
What is it
- NTripleOne 10y ago
  Oooohhh I'm sorry, we were looking for "What is google".
pjmlp 10y ago
I think those devices are wasted running a full OS stack for a single purpose, better have a nice baremetal runtime, unikernel style. The problem being that for most use cases, for the price many of these boards cost, the majority will just go with the Linux option and install something like Yocto.
- swah 10y ago
  True... Without Linux, the projects are generally sensors, relays, LEDs. With Linux, "smart" displays, USB webcams, OpenCV.
  - pjmlp 10y ago
    > With Linux, "smart" displays, USB webcams, OpenCV. You can do that without Linux, it is just a matter of having bare metal drivers, the only issue is if it is worth doing so from the ROI point of view.
    - harperlee 10y ago
      Yes but that is quite more work than "apt-get install opencv", and thar is an incredible barrier to to entry for a lot of projects from a lot of people with less expertise and/or time.
- pantalaimon 10y ago
  The main selling point of Linux is portability and by that code reuse across a wide array of use cases. Sure you could build a hardware abstraction layer for different processors and implement drivers on top of that, but you won't get the same traction/networking effect of Linux anytime soon. Same goes for software stacks (TCP/IP, USB, WiFi, file systems, etc) which have been running on billions of devices before if you use linux. The overhead of using Linux is in the range of 1-2MiB [1] so once your application requires external Ram because it doesn't fit the on-chip SRAM, you might as well use Linux. [1] http://www.emcraft.com/stm32f429discovery/what-is-minimal-footprint http://www.emcraft.com/stm32f429discovery/what-is-minimal-fo...
  - pjmlp 10y ago
    Agree, hence why I mentioned that for the price those boards cost, going Linux might be what the majority will do. On the other hand I look at chips like the ESP32, and given that my coding skills started on Z80 computers, 512 KB is more than enough and actually more fun to use. Given the set of high level programming languages I was using in those days, there is plenty of juice to squeeze out of those types of MCUs.
extra88 10y ago
Quantities may be limited but ESP32 boards are "here." Bare modules are a little under $10. https://www.adafruit.com/products/3320 https://www.adafruit.com/products/3320 https://www.adafruit.com/product/3269 https://www.adafruit.com/product/3269 https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13907 https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13907

These loud footsteps at a distance are from the ESP32 approaching. (yeah, does not run the Linux kernel but it is going to be quite open this time)

by simosx 10y ago

These loud footsteps at a distance are from the ESP32 approaching. (yeah, does not run the Linux kernel but it is going to be quite open this time)

woah 10y ago

What is it

NTripleOne 10y ago
Oooohhh I'm sorry, we were looking for "What is google".

pjmlp 10y ago

I think those devices are wasted running a full OS stack for a single purpose, better have a nice baremetal runtime, unikernel style. The problem being that for most use cases, for the price many of these boards cost, the majority will just go with the Linux option and install something like Yocto.

swah 10y ago
True... Without Linux, the projects are generally sensors, relays, LEDs. With Linux, "smart" displays, USB webcams, OpenCV.
- pjmlp 10y ago
  > With Linux, "smart" displays, USB webcams, OpenCV. You can do that without Linux, it is just a matter of having bare metal drivers, the only issue is if it is worth doing so from the ROI point of view.
  - harperlee 10y ago
    Yes but that is quite more work than "apt-get install opencv", and thar is an incredible barrier to to entry for a lot of projects from a lot of people with less expertise and/or time.
pantalaimon 10y ago
The main selling point of Linux is portability and by that code reuse across a wide array of use cases. Sure you could build a hardware abstraction layer for different processors and implement drivers on top of that, but you won't get the same traction/networking effect of Linux anytime soon. Same goes for software stacks (TCP/IP, USB, WiFi, file systems, etc) which have been running on billions of devices before if you use linux. The overhead of using Linux is in the range of 1-2MiB [1] so once your application requires external Ram because it doesn't fit the on-chip SRAM, you might as well use Linux. [1] http://www.emcraft.com/stm32f429discovery/what-is-minimal-footprint http://www.emcraft.com/stm32f429discovery/what-is-minimal-fo...
- pjmlp 10y ago
  Agree, hence why I mentioned that for the price those boards cost, going Linux might be what the majority will do. On the other hand I look at chips like the ESP32, and given that my coding skills started on Z80 computers, 512 KB is more than enough and actually more fun to use. Given the set of high level programming languages I was using in those days, there is plenty of juice to squeeze out of those types of MCUs.

extra88 10y ago

Quantities may be limited but ESP32 boards are "here." Bare modules are a little under $10. https://www.adafruit.com/products/3320 https://www.adafruit.com/products/3320 https://www.adafruit.com/product/3269 https://www.adafruit.com/product/3269 https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13907 https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13907