Re: [gentoo-embedded] Wind River Linux experience

[wireless]

On 03/23/11 05:46, Kfir Lavi wrote:

> I'm trying to migrate a big company to Gentoo.
> This company have a contract with Wind River for support and use.
> I don't have any experience with Wind River, so I would be happy to
> hear your experience with it, and what it's pros and cons.

> Regards,
> Kfir

All by yourself? That's a LARGE statement.

Wind River is the 600 lb Gorilla in the commercial
RTOS space. Everything from proprietary, to BSDish to embedded
Linux, state machines...... you name it they sell
(and mostly) support it.


Large companies use Wind River, because of many reasons,
but it is a "one stop shop" and Business managers
like that. Wind River can  write (and often do) the
entire code for products or products lines, fast and
efficient. However, their "Achilles  heal"  is
they are EXPENSIVE to partner with; most often retaining
the intellectual property rights to all of the codes they
develop or sell.

Their business model is the "lock-in" and often, after years
of a relationship with a company, the victim (um, I mean customer)
finds out that WR is licensing the code to a competitor.....
Bad ju-ju, but legal and happens all the time.


So you are talking about helping a company take the "long road" to
freedom and profitability, via embedded Linux (Gentoo specifically).

Depending on the complexity of the of their codes, number of products,
etc, etc, you can easily be successful. However, be realistic. Pick
off the "low hanging fruit"; i.e. simple products to re-write the code
or new product offerings. WR will often get companies in a "tangled"
mess by the choices of processors, SOC, video chips etc etc where
NDAs and no published specifications make WR the only choice, or a
complete (hardware and software) redesign.

My advice:
Work smart, build a team (open source) that gradually assimilates
new products and the other easy "knock-off"  and take your time.
Walking into a large company and pitching "kick WR out" is difficult
in many circumstances.  Most of all, remember that in this company their
are managers that drink and eat and "sup" with WR and they have built
a career on a partnership with WR. They'll stab you in the back and
you'll never see it coming.

Also remember companies want to make a profit. So their management will
need "some sort of angle" as to what they have unique about their
product so other cannot just copy the code and sell it. When you
maintain proprietary source code, that is the lock for a company,
combined with patents. When you pitch open source solutions, you
and the company manager, must figure out a "unique" hook so as to
protect that company's investment and profit potential of the product
that is now open sources. YMMV.



Caveat Emptor!

But it is entirely doable depending on the "TEAM" you build as the
leader of this venture.

 GOOD LUCK!
James