As Dan from "The Linux Link Tech Show" once said. ["I am tired of Linux embedded devices not being able to run on Linux"] I put the [] in so you know what the point he was trying to get without going into way to much detail. (Considering how much they swear on that podcast. I did this for the younger readers.)

Well, what I am talking about is when you have a mp3 player running Linux on it and it only works with windows to add new Music or something.

Maybe I am being to harsh you reply and tell me.

/* Rep points for the rant */

Its purely about DRM and nothing else. That's why you can't add music from Linux.

I think the point doesn't matter. A usb connected device is a usb device. It is not a linux device even though the device may internally run a highly stripped down linux kernel. Additionally, We run linux kernels with applications that are not part of linux. Are these embeded devices using anything other than the kernel that is generally associated with 'linux' e.g. x, gnu tools, gnome, kde, etc. On that note, android is not 'linux' but it does use it.

Also, I have see a device that shares usb devices over ethernet. If you try scanning the device, it identifies as Minix3... of course that could always be a false positive... Aside from that, should the device be required to function with Minix3? they would have to write a client end to the USB/Http packet interface that functioned on Minix3. But then if the server runs on Minix3, you would think a client end wouldn't be much more. Either way, it's hardly a reasonable or profitable option when the target audience is Windows.

The best solution is to stop buying devices that don't work the way you want them too. Perhaps if everybody started doing that, we wouldn't end up with crap.


Don't bother with the point of WinCE devices work on windows and iPod works on Mac. The receptive products are made by the same company. Devices that use Linux are not made by the team that makes Linux.

Is it not what defines a Linux distro is the Linux kernel?