| > Why isn't OpenBSD more widely used? For many of the scenarios you listed, it really boils down to peer pressure. People who make decisions know that Linux is Good (TM). Convincing them that there is a better alternative for <this particular project> requires them to grasp technical concepts that they simply don't grasp. And then you have a lot of programmers who know that <this operating they used> is Good (TM). Convincing them that there is a better alternative for <this particular project> requires them to have some broader, often theoretical understanding understanding of things, so that they can compare approaches and judge which one is better for a particular task. A lot of them don't have it; it goes against their belief that there is an operating system that is Good (TM). In fact, they'll go to incredible lengths to ensure that any operating system is like their Good (TM) operating system. As far as IoT goes, though, hardware and software compatibility is always a problem. Most of them are built on tightly-closed SoCs. You're stuck with whatever the manufacturer wants to support, and that's usually Linux. I guess that partly boils down to the fact that, back when manufacturers started looking into this free operating systems niche, fitting Linux in 4 MB was a lot easier than fitting any BSD. But at the moment, why they'd jump (often imperfectly) through GPL's hooks is beyond me. > It's hard to believe it's all politics or personality conflicts. You poor soul :-). |
Aren't most IoT products custom built and therefore the designer chooses the specs? I know that choice is limited to realistic availability, but some hardware that runs Linux also can run OpenBSD - I would guess that applies to IoT too, but maybe not ...