Building Embedded Linux Systems

Embedded Linux: Hardware, Software, and Interfacing

Linux Device Drivers, 3rd Edition

Linux Kernel Development (2nd Edition)

The Linux TCP/IP Stack: Networking for Embedded Systems (Networking Series) (Networking Series)

Applications

Linux for Embedded and Real-Time Applications (Embedded Technology)

Format: Paperback
Author: Doug Abbott
ReleaseDate: September, 2002
Publisher: Newnes
Rating:

Don't waste your money
If you just look at the table of contents, you can get more depth in a couple hours of googling. This book is VERY light on content (it's a pretty small book, 193 pages for the primary material).

It just isn't a very useful book. It has nothing to offer a programmer with any level of experience with Linux or embedded systems, and it doesn't really educate the guy who's new to those subjects. It's more like a collection of superficial magazine articles.

The amount of real-time covered is really minimal. It touches on defining real-time computing, then has a (short and fairly useless) chapter on RTAI that doesn't do anything.

Go with Yaghmour's "Building Embedded Linux Systems", it's a MUCH better book, and is probably cheaper.

Good Introduction to Embedded Linux
The organization of the chapters probably makes more sense once you're done reading it. This book is easy to read, and a good place to *START* for Embedded Linux. It contains an excellent introduction to RTOS, multi-tasking, and relevant Linux programming concepts. The book is not intended as a complete guide to Embedded Linux or Real-Time issues, but rather helps the reader get started with an example using inexpensive hardware to drive a real embedded application. Important Embedded Linux concepts are covered including (remote) debugging, kernel modules, device drivers, and the available extensions to Linux for enabling an embedded and soft/firm real-time environment. Linux is not ready for hard real-time applications, but it's on the radar (which is why WindRiver is starting to support Linux based tools). I think this is a good first book for Embedded Linux in order to avoid getting lost in the wealth of other information available. I think I would like to see more/some real-world architectural based examples added to the book/CD. The book is not filled with useless pages of source code listings. If this book were to try and cover all real-time and Embedded Linux concepts and issues, it would be 1000 pages! A good book to start with!.

No Depth
The table of contents would lead you to believe that this is the case. I bought this book hoping for an in depth look at using Linux for real-time.

Instead I found that it covered this topic only at a very high level. It might be good for an introduction to this topic, but there is very little depth here. For example, the chapter on Linux and Real-time is only 5 pages long! While the description of configuring BlueCat Linux (seems pretty off-topic to me) is 14 pages.

Unless you're a newbie to this topic, don't bother.