PC/104

[Christopher Browne]

On 7/16/07, Zbigniew Koziol <softquake-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> My boss (he is very good in hardware but learns Linux from me rather)
> directed me to PC/104.
>
> I had some reading on the subject. But I do not still quite know how to
> approach it.
>
> Would it be difficult to assamble something with Linux running on it?
>
> This seems to be a big industry, perhaps well standardized
> (http://www.pc104.org).
>
> Is it worth to invest time to learning these things? How that is related to
> embedded Linux in cell phones? Is there a job market for that kind of
> computer art?

It's not related meaningfully to "Linux in cell phones;" the PC104
standard is a motherboard standard for motherboards that are about
3.6"x3.8" in size, which won't fit into most cell phones.

PC104 gets used quite a lot for embedded and industrial computers that
need to be "small but not tiny"; it is unlike the cell phone
environment in that it is not *nearly* as constrained:

- You've got a motherboard with ISA or PCI bus, and can often attach
additional peripheral cards.  Not at all an option with a cell phone
sitting sealed in a case...

- You've got a LOT more volume than is available in a cell phone, and
so potentially can have a lot more RAM and disk.

- You're probably running off an AC power supply, so that battery life
is a non-issue.  You probably have a LOT more CPU power than is
available on a cell phone.
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