Open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's sources. Some consider it as a philosophy, and others consider it as a pragmatic methodology. Before open source became widely adopted, developers and producers used a variety of phrases to describe the concept; the term open source gained popularity with the rise of the Internet and its enabling of diverse production models, communication paths, and interactive communities.The complexity of such communication relates to Brooks' law, and it is also described by Eric S. Raymond, "Brooks predicts that as your number of programmers N rises, work performed scales as N but complexity and vulnerability to bugs rises as N-squared. N-squared tracks the number of communications paths (and potential code interfaces) between developers' code bases." -- "The Revenge of the Hackers". 2000. Subsequently, open source software became the most prominent face of open source.
The open source model can allow for the concurrent use of different agendas and approaches in production, in contrast with more centralized models of development such as those typically used in commercial software companies.Raymond, Eric S. The Cathedral and the Bazaar. ed 3.0. 2000.
Open Source :: Operating Systems

COM Research - Makes RadiOS, Radiant Operating System; realtime, multitasking, multiuser, for i386+, written in all assembly in NASM. Goal: create OS that combines all advantages of OS/2 and Unix; ftp downloads. [Public Domain]
CarbonKernel - Open Source RTOS simulator based on event-driven simulation methods with concurrent target debugging abilities, mimics OS behavior, to implement and test embedded software on workstations. Descriptions, downloads, documents. [Savannah, Open Source, GPL]
Meta Description: [ Savannah is a central point for development, distribution and maintainance of Free Software. It allows contributors to easily join existing Free Software projects. ]
E.R.I.K.A. - Microkernel RTOSs and set of integrated tools to develop embedded realtime applications, made to support all architectures used in power train controllers in automotive industry. Kernels have 2 main layers: Kernel Layer, Hardware Abstraction Layer, HAL. [Open Source, GPL]
EE Times: Open source code smooths RTOS design - Benefits of open source compared to other RTOS licensing models.
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FreeRTOS - Portable, mini realtime scheduler (RTOS kernel); how to make full embedded solutions on Windows host with quality open source tools, low cost hardware; supports ARM7, PIC18, 8051, Atmel(Mega)AVR, RDC8822 (AMD AM186 clone), PC with DOS. [Open Source, GPL]
Meta Description: [ FreeRTOS is a portable, open source, mini Real Time kernel. A free RTOS for small embedded real time systems ]
Katix - Home page real-time operating system (Katix RTOS) and Katix Embedded Linux (Black Cat Linux). [Open source]
Meta Description: [ home page of Open Source Projects, Katix real time operating system and Katix Embedded Linux (for Motorola PPC family) ]
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Katix RTOS - Free, tiny.
Linux Journal: Open Source Software for Real-Time Solutions - Compares 2 open source OSs for embedded uses: RTLinux, eCOS by Cygnus.
MenuetOS - Graphical realtime OS written in all 32-bit assembly, for x86 i386+, fits on one floppy, protected memory, 44 kHz sound soon, GUI, DOS loader download; advancing well. [Open Source, GPL]
NicheTask - A multitasking embedded operating system with a proven track record, expressly designed for embedded devices with limited resources.
Meta Description: [ NicheTask Open Source Embedded Operating System ]
Nilsen Elektronikk AS - Makes 2 very small, open source realtime OSs for embedded systems, written in C: proc Real-Time Kernel, preemptive, mature; nesos Finite State Machine Operating System (FSMOS), modular, use concurrent programming methods in little time and space. Also: nemon Boot and Debug Monitor; Embedded Web Servers.
Roadrunner - One-user, general purpose OS built on a protected memory, POSIX threads RT kernel; full kernel, device drivers, file systems, and network protocols runs in about 200 K RAM; now runs on x86 CPUs but designed for easy portability. [GPL]
Meta Description: [ Cornfed Systems, LLC, home of Cornfed SIP VOIP, the SIP Softphone for Linux and Embedded Systems. ]
rtmk - Realtime microkernel: preemptive, fully re-entrant, multithreaded, SMP, continuations, full locking primitives; shares many ideas with Mach, developed by CMU in late 1980's, early 1990's, stopped in 1994. [GPL]
RTMX, Inc. - Makes RTMX O/S: IEEE POSIX realtime extensions to OpenBSD, with vendor specific ports for embedded, dedicated systems, application specific Internet/intranet servers. Many fine features. North Carolina, USA.
Meta Description: [ RTMX O/S Home Page ]
S.Ha.R.K. - Dynamic configurable kernel architecture to support hard/soft/non realtime use with interchangeable scheduling algorithms: fully modular in scheduling policies, aperiodic servers, concurrency control protocols; all not modular in most traditional OSs. Derived from HARTIK: HArd Real TIme Kernel. [GPL]
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