Why Ubuntu Linux?
Ubuntu's Role in this Project
The easiest way to compile uClinux for a target platform or device is to use the appropriate compiler on a Linux operating system. Originally, this feat was attempted with Cygwin, a Linux emulator for Windows distributed by Redhat. Having great complications with Cygwin and cross compilers, it was evident that a new method should be investigated.
In the meantime, another student of the Bradley University Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Sam Price, had proven the ability of Ubuntu to compile uClinux with ease. The difference between the two methods most likely lies in the difference between an emulator (Cygwin) and an actual operating system (Ubuntu). Redhat Linux as an operating system would probably work equally as well as Ubuntu or any other Linux operating system, but since Ubuntu had already been proven to work, Ubuntu was the new method of choice. The decision had nothing to do with the relation between Redhat and Cygwin.
That being said, many of the instructions in the tutorials are very specific, telling the user where to click on the OS GUI to make certain things happen (to access a terminal window, for example). These instructions are written from experience with Ubuntu and may be inaccurate when using other Linux distributions. In other words, the tutorials assume the use of Ubuntu Desktop as the Linux operating system.
The version of Ubuntu used in this project was Ubuntu 6.10 (Desktop). Some of the notable features of Ubuntu include:
- Free to download
- Easy to install
- Elegant GUI
- Easy to install new packages
- Works on Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 (tested on Windows XP SP2)