Linux fat/bloated

[Colin McGregor]

--- Scott Allen <scotta-cpI+UMyWUv9BDgjK7y7TUQ at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> On Fri Apr 07,2006 02:21:06 PM Colin McGregor wrote:
> > This was followed by the 80186 chip (that for
> several
> > reasons tanked in the market)
> 
> The 80186 only "tanked" in the consumer market. The
> various versions 
> of it were very popular in embedded systems. Intel,
> AMD (and others?) 
> made it part of there embedded line of components.
> It is still being 
> made today. I would bet that far more '186 based
> chips have been 
> produced than '286 and '486 combined. (There are
> numerous CPU's based 
> on the '386 still being produced for the embedded
> market, so it's in 
> the same boat as the '186.)

I am not sure as to numbers, as I have seen '286 and
'486 based dedicated controllers.

Still, yes, we do tend to forget the 100s of millions
of CPU chips that get buried inside things like alarm
systems, industrial machines, children's toys,
automobiles (often arguably toys for very big
children) and even jewellery (don't believe the last
one, then see here:
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/digital-jewelry3.htm).

One of the most successful lines of CPU chips, at
least in terms of numbers, that almost nobody has
heard of is the Microchip PIC family of CPU chips.
Depending on the CPU, quantity ordered, etc., they can
be had for as little as $0.43 (U.S.). Now, 43 cents
doesn't get much of a CPU, but for some jobs
(toasters?) this is just fine, and Microchip has made
billions of these low end CPU chips...

Colin McGregor
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