[tinkerdol]

What would be a real-time OS? I'd be interested in hooking up a bunch of independent boards that could interact with each other, and have as quick as a response to sensors as possible... Do you have any advice as to where to start with this type of project?

[phamilton]

Sensor latency will be measured in milliseconds in Linux. A real time OS is more necessary when you have feedback loops, inverted pendelum problems, bitbanging protocols, etc. Not being a real time OS just means that when you say "ping me in X time" it might ping you in X +- Y. Y tends to be too big for critical applications, but generally small enough that it won't matter.