Linux has been used in embedded systems for quite some time now. "Embedded" in fact represents a substantial part of Linux's use. Yet, to this day, there's no single definition of what "Embedded Linux" is. For all practical purposes, "Embedded Linux" remains a set of ad-hoc recipes for building embedded systems based on the Linux kernel; each such system requiring a separate API spec and license vetting. Android on the other hand is a shrink-wrapped embedded Linux distro that has a stable, consistent API, a growing developer community and ODM-friendly licensing. Will these benefits make Android the default building block for Linux-based embedded systems? If so, what does that mean for the wider embedded Linux community, and, for that matter, Linux itself?
We will look at the history, architecture and drivers behind each. The goal being to start a conversation on what the future holds.