Embedded development projects based on Microsoft's "Windows Embedded" operating system platforms (specifically, Windows CE .NET and Windows XP Embedded) are completed 43% faster and at 68% lower cost, on average, compared with similar projects using Embedded Linux, according to a report released today by market research firm Embedded Market Forecasters.
The study, titled Total Cost of Development: A comprehensive cost estimation framework for evaluating embedded development platforms, derives its quantitative conclusions from a cost-based framework for comparing embedded operating system development alternatives that was developed by the report's author, Dr. Jerry Krasner. "The 'Total Cost of Development' framework helps embedded device manufacturers assess and estimate software costs to enhance design results and minimize financial risk," said Krasner.
The report includes data from a survey of 100 manufacturers using 32-bit processors in a range of embedded projects and applications -- 50 using various implementations of embedded Linux, and 50 using Microsoft's Windows Embedded platforms (Windows CE .NET and Windows XP Embedded). The devices and applications included in the source data reportedly covered consumer electronics, handheld computers, industrial controllers, network gateways, point-of-sale kiosks, set-top boxes, thin clients, and others. The report estimates "total cost of development" for each project by multiplying the average embedded design project time-to-market by the software engineering team size and cost.
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