The
Linux Operating system
Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution (distro), whic ...
is prevalent in
embedded system
An embedded system is a specialized computer system—a combination of a computer processor, computer memory, and input/output peripheral devices—that has a dedicated function within a larger mechanical or electronic system. It is e ...
s. As of 2024, developer surveys and industry reports find that Embedded Linux is used in 44%-46% of embedded systems. Due to its
versatility, its large community of developers, as well as its adaptability to devices with size and power constraints, Linux is a popular choice for devices used in
Edge Computing
Edge computing is a distributed computing model that brings computation and data storage closer to the sources of data. More broadly, it refers to any design that pushes computation physically closer to a user, so as to reduce the Latency (engineer ...
and autonomous systems.
History
: additional source for this section
Early Days
Prior to becoming the de-facto standard for microprocessor-based devices, a linux distribution was created for the
Linux Router Project
The Linux Router Project (LRP) is a now defunct networking-centric micro Linux distribution. The released versions of LRP were small enough to fit on a single 1.44MB floppy disk, and made building and maintaining routers, access servers, thin ser ...
, with the intent of transforming PCs to routers.
Introduction of uClinux
Starting in the late 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century, the introduction of
uCLinux enabled ports to a large variety of
microprocessors
A microprocessor is a computer processor for which the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit (IC), or a small number of ICs. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, and control circuitry r ...
. Linux is also used as an alternative to using a