Somehow this had to be trimmed to squeeze into the on-chip DRAM and flash. The MontaVista team went through code, tossing out pieces that weren't strictly relevant to the embedded world but preserving all the things fundamental to Linux. Ready said it would be possible to continue the shrinking process further, trimming more code to fit into even less space. There are more things we could easily have taken out. The big issue is providing enough space for the file system.
Similar efforts are under way worldwide.
At Linux World, Moreton Bay's Ungerer will describe his efforts to port Linux to the Motorola Coldfire microcontroller, the processor chosen for Moreton's NETtel box. The Coldfire port is part of the larger uClinux project, which began in 1998. Typically for a Linux endeavor, outside developers with contributions to add are being brought into the uClinux fold. Both ports, along with libraries and a complete development tool chain, are being included in the next uClinux CD-ROM, due out in a few weeks, uClinux cofounder D. Jeff Dionne said. Durrant and Dionne found that the biggest adjustment to using a microcontroller for Linux was the lack of a management system, as Linux assumes virtual memory is available for the taking.