>> According to you, what are the advantages of the use of free softwares >> and Linux in the embedded systems ? Is it existing applications in the >> embedded domain where free softwares are especially efficacious (more >> performant than closed source softwares) ? Advantages are: - full control of the project if bugs are present and need urgent repair - open architecture, allowing all changes that are required without limitations by the vendor (e.g. contrast with the Sun embedded Java model or the WinCE models that are very strict in its implementation/licensing rules) - no per device license fees - more easy to adapt to new electronics - a lot of device drivers available - powerfull application model and a lot of middleware (libraries, basic server applications) available >> - Have you the same tools (or equivalent) in the free softwares for >> embedded applications and in the closed source softwares ? There are quite some free and proprietary tools for developing Free SW on embedded systems (e.g. GNU, KDevelop, Eclipse, but also proprietary tools from MetroWorks, MontaVista, TimeSys, Sysgo, ...) >> - According to you, how will the market of free softwares for embedded >> evolve in the next years ? For our side of the business, customization and tool chains are most important. Even more devices will be built on Free SW Operating Systems and middlewares, so the development companies can focus all investment on the specific application and the specific hardware that needs to be developed. The market of wireless/mobile devices will further explode and be based largely on Linux due to excellent networking, security, flexibility, low-costm, ... Dr. ir. Peter Vandenabeele CEO Mind NV (http://mind.be)