Well-known Linux vendor and IT shop Wind River knows the "Internet of Things" is just around the corner, and is
positioning its interesting VxWorks Real Time Operating System (RTOS) to be there when it happens. VxWorks is already in use on embedded systems around the world, and it might be coming to a
refrigerato
aster near you soon.
If you have not heard of VxWorks, Wikipedia has more info about the Intel-owned company that is quietly putting its 'Intel Inside' mark on over 1.5 billion devices, including NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars.Wind River redesigned VxWorks so it features two kernels, one for large processors and the other, a micro-kernel, for smaller processors, like the kind that would power edge devices with low compute capacity. The micro-kernel is only 20KB, and can run on 32-bit processors (though not 8-bit or 16-bit processors).
How much longer before our refrigerators flash 'insert coin'?