5 ms·

Microsoft Gives Up on ThreadX/Azure RTOS and Releases It as Open Source

17 points by joezydeco 3y ago

gjsman-1000 3y ago
This is a potentially big deal because the GPU blob in the Raspberry Pi is proprietary, in part, because it runs on ThreadX. Open-sourcing ThreadX is one major roadblock gone from open sourcing the blob.
- cocus 3y ago
  not only that, but also the Qualcomm modems (like the ones used on Quectel's and Simcom's)
vardump 3y ago
Great to have some open source competition to FreeRTOS.
cocus 3y ago
Wasn't ThreadX already open source? I saw it on Microsoft's github at least 1 year ago.
- lproven 3y ago
  AIUI -- not looked into this deeply yet -- no. Source access, so you could see it, possibly -- but not take it and use it: you weren't allowed to modify it or distribute modifications or anything.
tester756 3y ago
Why "gives up" in the title?
emb-dev 3y ago
Why do you think MS is giving up? Because they are letting the Eclipse Foundation steward the open source project? I think a free SIL 4, ASIL D, and Medical Class C certified RTOS is a pretty big deal. Especially, for smaller companies and startups.
- joezydeco 3y ago
  I'll steal a comment from another website: "Microsoft bought ThreadX to compete with Amazon buying FreeRTOS. Microsoft didn’t realize they had an immensely better RTOS until they basically lost to AWS in the IoT front because of straight up dumb reasons. Meanwhile Bill Lamie left and founded a new firm with a new rtos (PX5) and lo and behold everyone working for Microsoft’s Azure RTOS in San Diego left. And that’s how a commercial RTOS gets handed over to eclipse. Good for us - probably pretty shitty for whoever managed the purchase at Azure - talk about negative return." Microsoft is putting all their bets on AI and IoT, backend or node, is out. Never been a good fit anyway. And that's all. IoT at the FAANGs will never be big enough. ThreadX is pretty awesome and this is actually really good news...as long as the project gets the proper stewardship going forward. The ecosystem that MS is letting go looks WAY more attractive than FreeRTOS is or Zephyr will ever be. I plan to play with it over the holiday break. Sure, my title is a bit bait-y but whatever. Nobody is paying much attention to this stuff anyway.

17 points by joezydeco 3y ago

This is a potentially big deal because the GPU blob in the Raspberry Pi is proprietary, in part, because it runs on ThreadX. Open-sourcing ThreadX is one major roadblock gone from open sourcing the blob.

cocus 3y ago
not only that, but also the Qualcomm modems (like the ones used on Quectel's and Simcom's)

vardump 3y ago

Great to have some open source competition to FreeRTOS.

cocus 3y ago

Wasn't ThreadX already open source? I saw it on Microsoft's github at least 1 year ago.

lproven 3y ago
AIUI -- not looked into this deeply yet -- no. Source access, so you could see it, possibly -- but not take it and use it: you weren't allowed to modify it or distribute modifications or anything.

tester756 3y ago

Why "gives up" in the title?

emb-dev 3y ago

Why do you think MS is giving up? Because they are letting the Eclipse Foundation steward the open source project? I think a free SIL 4, ASIL D, and Medical Class C certified RTOS is a pretty big deal. Especially, for smaller companies and startups.

joezydeco 3y ago
I'll steal a comment from another website: "Microsoft bought ThreadX to compete with Amazon buying FreeRTOS. Microsoft didn’t realize they had an immensely better RTOS until they basically lost to AWS in the IoT front because of straight up dumb reasons. Meanwhile Bill Lamie left and founded a new firm with a new rtos (PX5) and lo and behold everyone working for Microsoft’s Azure RTOS in San Diego left. And that’s how a commercial RTOS gets handed over to eclipse. Good for us - probably pretty shitty for whoever managed the purchase at Azure - talk about negative return." Microsoft is putting all their bets on AI and IoT, backend or node, is out. Never been a good fit anyway. And that's all. IoT at the FAANGs will never be big enough. ThreadX is pretty awesome and this is actually really good news...as long as the project gets the proper stewardship going forward. The ecosystem that MS is letting go looks WAY more attractive than FreeRTOS is or Zephyr will ever be. I plan to play with it over the holiday break. Sure, my title is a bit bait-y but whatever. Nobody is paying much attention to this stuff anyway.