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eCos (embedded Configurable operating system) is an open source, royalty-free, real-time operating system intended for embedded systems and applications which need only one process with multiple threads. The OS is configurable, and can be customised to precise application requirements, with hundreds of options, delivering the best possible run-time performance and minimized hardware needs. A thriving net community has grown up around eCos ensuring ongoing technical innovation and wide platform support.
eCos was designed for devices with memory size in the tens to hundreds of kilobytes, or with real-time requirements. It can be used on hardware that doesn't have enough RAM to support embedded Linux, which currently requires a minimum of about 2 MB of RAM, not including application and service requirements.
eCos runs on a wide variety of hardware platforms, including ARM, CalmRISC, FR-V, Hitachi H8, IA-32, Motorola 68000, Matsushita AM3x, MIPS, NEC V8xx, PowerPC, SPARC, SuperH and Nios II.
Included with the eCos distribution is RedBoot, an open source application that uses the eCos Hardware Abstraction Layer to provide bootstrap firmware for embedded systems.
Commercial Distribution
eCosPro is a commercial distribution of eCos and RedBoot provided by eCosCentric
History
eCos was initially developed by Cygnus Solutions which was later bought by Red Hat. In early 2002, Red Hat ceased development of eCos and laid off the staff that were working on the project who then formed their own company, eCosCentric, in order to continue development and provide commercial support for eCos. In January 2004, at the request of the eCos developers, Red Hat agreed to transfer its eCos copyrights to the Free Software Foundation. The transfer was finally executed in October 2005.
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