SAN FRANCISCO — Only 17 percent of embedded systems designers are currently using embedded Linux, and 66 percent say they are either not interested in using it or do not expect to be using it anytime soon, according to the results of a survey released here Monday (April 3) at the Embedded Systems Conference Silicon Valley.

The "2006 Embedded Systems Design State of Embedded Survey," conducted by EE Times and sister publication Embedded Systems Design, found that 34 percent of respondents were not interested in using Linux. Thirty-two percent of respondents indicated that they were interested in Linux but not likely to likely to use it soon and 17 percent said they were likely to use it soon.

By contrast, 24 percent of respondents to the 2005 version of the survey indicated that they were currently using embedded Linux.

Seventy one percent of those considering using embedded Linux indicated that low cost was among the reasons for considering it, up two percent from 2005. Sixty one percent indicated that adaptability/extendibility was among the reasons for considering Linux, up from 58 percent in 2005.

Among those not considering using embedded Linux, 60 percent said it was due in part to the incompatibility of Linux with software, applications and drivers, up from 51 percent in 2005. Thirty one percent of those not considering Linux cited performance or real-time capability among the reasons, and 28 percent cited support.

Respondents labeled real-time performance as the most important factor for selecting an operating system, with 54 percent indicating that it was one of the biggest factors.

The results of the survey, conducted through email solicitation from subscribers to EE Times, Embedded Systems Design and Embedded Systems Design Europe, as well as registrants for the Embedded Systems Conference, are based on 1,217 respondents.