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Microsoft built its own custom Linux kernel for its new IoT service

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11–20 of 304 posts

Re: Microsoft built its own custom Linux kernel for its new IoT service

#12
post #8

It's like the Zune of Linux Distros!

Not sure if you mean it as a slight, but I always thought the Zune was superior in every way to the iPod. Windows Media player instead of iTunes to start with.

I had a zune. It had a resistive touch screen with terrible accuracy that needed manual calibration every now and then.

Re: Microsoft built its own custom Linux kernel for its new IoT service

#13
The videos seem to show an MT3620 device, seems to be made by MediaTek [1]. Looks like they are targeting a Cortex-A7 + Cortex-M4 chip. First time I've seen an A series core in this type of chip.

It looks like a developer gets to program the A7 and 2xM4F cores whilst the WiFi radio and Microsoft's "secure" Pluton thing run on a Andes N9 and Cortex M4 core respectively. I assume it is those cores which will be auto-updated in an attempt to defend against attack.

[1] https://www.mediatek.com/products/azureSphere/mt3620

Re: Microsoft built its own custom Linux kernel for its new IoT service

#14
post #4

Still cannot understand the IoT mentality. It is actually the CoT Communication of Things. Internet shouldn't be required to turn your lights on or off nor be the device communication backbone in an industrial enviornment. Internet should always be the last resort for communicating because of the distance.

You are correct, particularly in an industrial environment with lots of sensors etc. These are typically on a closed network, which gives us the Network of Things, or NoT.

Re: Microsoft built its own custom Linux kernel for its new IoT service

#15

Someone has been predicting that Microsoft would in the future produce their own Linux Distro on Slashdot for the last 5 years. I remember thinking it sounded impossible for for the first few years. Seems prophetic now.

If you say the same thing long enough one day it’ll be true in some way (little or big).

Re: Microsoft built its own custom Linux kernel for its new IoT service

#16

Microsoft has a lot of great engineers that have no religious bias against Linux. This was strictly a Bill Gates/Steve Ballmer thing. The smartest thing Nadella did was get rid of the Windows religion aspect to their work and let their engineers do the best thing, and not be afraid of Linux.

where is the office suite for Linux then?

Re: Microsoft built its own custom Linux kernel for its new IoT service

#17
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure if you mean it as a slight, but I always thought the Zune was superior in every way to the iPod. Windows Media player instead of iTunes to start with.

I had a zune. It had a resistive touch screen with terrible accuracy that needed manual calibration every now and then.

The ZuneHD was a wonderful upgrade to the Original Zune and Zune Gen 2. Just a tad bit to late to compete.

Re: Microsoft built its own custom Linux kernel for its new IoT service

#18
post #14
post #4

Still cannot understand the IoT mentality. It is actually the CoT Communication of Things. Internet shouldn't be required to turn your lights on or off nor be the device communication backbone in an industrial enviornment. Internet should always be the last resort for communicating because of the distance.

You are correct, particularly in an industrial environment with lots of sensors etc. These are typically on a closed network, which gives us the Network of Things, or NoT.

Or just "network". That there are "things" being networked has always gone without saying.

Re: Microsoft built its own custom Linux kernel for its new IoT service

#19
post #4

Still cannot understand the IoT mentality. It is actually the CoT Communication of Things. Internet shouldn't be required to turn your lights on or off nor be the device communication backbone in an industrial enviornment. Internet should always be the last resort for communicating because of the distance.

I agree, but I'm still finding it very useful for turning off a light I forgot or powering off/on my PC via a smart socket. Not everyone can set up a port-forwarded and secured service to access their stuff away from home.

Re: Microsoft built its own custom Linux kernel for its new IoT service

#20

Am I missing something here? The custom linux kernel part isn't interesting at all - in fact, Microsoft has pretty much admitted they can't scale down Windows. What's interesting to me here is Microsoft is building an IoT solution that allows manufacturers to delegate security to Microsoft instead of having to roll their own.

How has it admitted anything like that in light of Windows Core OS / Polaris?
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