I really don't want to get involved in the specifics of this 'polite'
exchange, but network capable embedded systems are very, very common.
Numerically speaking, there will always be more <dumb> microwave ovens
than network-aware appliances, however network routers, telecom switches
(from frame-relay to ISDN and DSL) are network-aware embedded systems.
I can just about guarantee that the systems carrying your voice phone
service are provisioned and monitored via a network interface.
Recent test equipment, dataloggers, industrial equipment, and just
about every non-trivial embedded system talks to the outside world via
IP, which is rapidly replacing RS232 and GPIB as the preferred I/O
interface. Many copying machines accept remote print requests via IP
(and some, by the way run Linux ;) ).
How would you rather administer a mountaintop telephone cell site?
Climb the mountain, trudge through hip-deep snow just to connect your
RS232 cable to the system controller so you can perform FCC mandated
monitoring of the transmitter, =or= open a telnet or SNMP session from
your nice warm office in the valley. Or better yet, have the cell-site
email or page you when one of the final amplifiers starts to drift
off-frequency.... This is how things work now, not just in the
future...
Most people are not aware of how many networked embedded systems are
actually deployed today, and Linux is playing an ever-increasing role in
this field.
anyway, i think this thread is just about played-out....
peace-
ron
Embedded Telecom Systems Developer.
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