News - Microsoft and Ford bringing SYNC to Europe

[HEXUS]

At CeBIT 2011, the Ford CEO will announce the global roll-out of its embedded car technology.

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[aidanjt]

Windows Embedded is a bit like aerodynamic breezeblock. I just hope Ford has the good sense to code their own ECU.

[finlay666]

Windows Embedded is a bit like aerodynamic breezeblock. I just hope Ford has the good sense to code their own ECU.

I used to work with a developer who worked on the system, it's one of the many places where Windows is in use but not visibly promoted, it's actually very popular in the USA and Kia are putting it in their cars stateside also

[TheAnimus]

Windows Embedded is a bit like aerodynamic breezeblock. I just hope Ford has the good sense to code their own ECU.

I'm not sure what your getting at, but my understanding is this is more for the ICE and UI side of things, nothing to do with the actualy ECU (which is normally a dedicated collection of MCUs often some on single die package all talking on CAN bus).

Windows Embedded is one of the best for letting you quickly cobble together a good UI. It also has some rather nice features for remote debugging + code n contunie and other such cool stuff out of the box.

You might be upset to know that those students who choose linux often had much dumber AIs on the robots we used to use this on, due to so much wasted time. It is delightfully piss easy to code a device driver on embedded XP.

But I suppose you've got extensive experiance to back up the hate claims.

[aidanjt]

I'm not sure what your getting at, but my understanding is this is more for the ICE and UI side of things, nothing to do with the actualy ECU

I never said it did. I'm saying I hope they have the good sense to not use Windows Embedded in their ECU's, ever.

Windows Embedded is one of the best for letting you quickly cobble together a good UI. It also has some rather nice features for remote debugging + code n contunie and other such cool stuff out of the box.

So does Linux. The only real difference is your ability to think for yourself isn't completely eliminated.

You might be upset to know that those students who choose linux often had much dumber AIs on the robots we used to use this on, due to so much wasted time.

Then, they were doing it wrong.

It is delightfully piss easy to code a device driver on embedded XP.

It's also delightfully piss easy to not to have to programme a craptonne of drivers because hundreds of thousands of drivers for countless millions of devices are already in the kernel sources, which you actually have unfettered access to, without having to jump through a bazillion legal hoops. Also, Linux driver development is easier than easy. So much so, that even mere hobbyists can write for it, with no formal training, and they do. Oh, and they'll run on any architecture, with little to no porting work, too, depending on how 'clever' you tried to be, of course. And if a new architecture is released, you don't have to wait around for your vendor company to support it before you can use it. Those things are kinda important in embedded.

But I suppose you've got extensive experiance to back up the hate claims.

Not a hate claim. A mere fact. Linux dominates embedded for a good reason. It consumes less resources, meaning smaller, cheaper, less power hungry chips for the same work effort. Has numerous ways to skin the cat. And access to all the sourcecode means unparalleled flexibility. Also kinda important in embedded.

The analogy stands. You can use a breezeblock as a fuselage for a model aircraft, and you'll be able to cobble it together quickly, but it's just crap engineering.

[finlay666]

So does Linux. The only real difference is your ability to think for yourself isn't completely eliminated.

I never realised Ford employed so many computer programmers to work on their ICE solutions, oh wait. They don't. It's contracted out to other companies...


just


like


now.

[Funkstar]

I wish JVC would use something like Windows Embedded for their head units, they might not be quite as.... how to avoid the swear filter.... mind blowingly terrible!