Small Gadgets Use Increasingly Complex Operating Systems

One thing that some people might find somewhat surprising about computerized gadgets is that they need operating systems just like their full sized brethren.  After all, since most gadgets these days are based on computer technology and have software running on them- as opposed to programming hardwired into their circuitry- they have to have operating systems for those programs to run on.

Much like their larger counterparts, many gadgets are powered by Windows operating systems from Microsoft.  There are actually several different types of Windows operating systems for portable gadgets available.  For a while, Windows CE was a popular choice on devices like Blackberries.  More recently, there have been various editions of the Windows XP operating system available specifically for portable gadgets.  For example, Windows XP Tablet PC Edition has been specifically designed for many tablet computers and notebook computers (though the full blown Home and Professional versions are often loaded onto laptops), and  Windows XP Embedded is often included on smaller devices including smart phones like the Blackberry.

Another operating system that’s still found on some smaller gadgets is MS-DOS.  Even though Microsoft hasn’t released a version of DOS since the late nineteen nineties and has stopped supporting it, this is still a good operating system for some of the more simple gadgets.  That’s because it demands so few system resources that it’s extremely easy to fit on small devices.  MS-DOS is more likely to be found on gadgets used in industry- like portable bar code or RF chip scanners- than on consumer gadgets.

Linux is another popular operating system to have running on portable gadgets.  Like DOS, the small size and resource requirements of Linux make it a good choice for portable gadgets.  Linux is actually more likely to end up running on a greater variety of consumer gadgets than DOS though for several different reasons.  Most importantly, it’s free.  Linux is part of the open source software movement which means that its code is available for free as long as any changes to that code are also made available to others for free.  This makes it much more attractive than any operating system that has to be paid for.  Another advantage of Linux is that since its source code is available, it can be altered and customized to be used for specific devices and applications.  This makes it a better choice than DOS in many ways.  First of all, the ability to go in and correct problems and customize the source code makes it much more flexible than DOS.  Second, support for Linux can be found online from other users, while DOS is no longer supported by Microsoft.  The flexibility of Linux has caused it to be included in everything from portable gadgets to Digital Video Recorders- all of which need operating systems.

Another interesting trend in portable gadgets is to have full blown operating systems built into many of them.  For example, many miniature PC’s now run Windows Vista (which is especially impressive given the RAM requirements for this monster of an OS).  Another even more interesting example comes in the new iPhone from Apple.  The iPhone is notable because it’s such a small gadget, but it still runs OS X, which is the same proprietary Unix based operating system that Apple’s full sized computers run on!  No doubt, the iPhone runs a trimmed down version of OS X, but that’s still impressive nonetheless.

What all of this means is that portable gadgets are approaching full sized computers in terms of power and capability.