Easily! Without X running and a bare install it should use around 7MB. Running Debian inside a container is even lighter. I’ve seen Debian OpenVZ VM’s and LXC containers using under 10MB RAM with a web server running.
Here’s a handkerchief; wipe that froth off your mouth. ;-)
With an ARM9 and 512MB RAM, this is in a class above the microcontrollers I’ve seen that you’d use an RTOS with. (Probably in power draw, too.) Heck, you’ve got a full MMU in there, which you don’t find on your Cortex Ms or ESP32s.
Maybe Linux isn’t your ideal OS for this, but there are probably ARM builds of some of the microkernel based OSs that would work…
Edit: rt-thread is supported although the spi flash versions of these boards ship with Linux.
Software and development environment
Support 3.10 BSP linux,
Support 4.19 mainline linux,
Support xboot bare metal development >environment
Support RT-Thread
Whole deal is, to me, reminiscent of some laptops shipping with FreeDOS.
It’s better than shipping them without an OS, but the expectation is that, once aware that the hardware works, the user will install a system fitting whatever purpose the user has in mind.
Yet of course, unsurprisingly, there’s going to be a few odd people that will actually use FreeDOS on these laptops.
Oops, I was looking at a bunch of other tiny computers and got the RAM mixed up. But even 32MB is luxurious compared to most embedded devices! Plus, with an MMU you can use virtual memory.
Thanks for sharing my post :)
Saw it in the rss feed and liked it! I wonder if I could get a stock regular pc debian install to use <32 mb ram…
Easily! Without X running and a bare install it should use around 7MB. Running Debian inside a container is even lighter. I’ve seen Debian OpenVZ VM’s and LXC containers using under 10MB RAM with a web server running.
How is the board powered when the micro-USB is used for ethernet?
Just over the 5v gpio pin
Does this do usb gadget? This looks like it might fit in a keyboard.
It does! Some guy used the same SOC to make a Linux powered business card running usb gadget.
Probably, but it’d be silly.
These are designed for tasks where it does make sense to run a RTOS, not some unreliable, laggy, bloated Linux.
Here’s a handkerchief; wipe that froth off your mouth. ;-)
With an ARM9 and 512MB RAM, this is in a class above the microcontrollers I’ve seen that you’d use an RTOS with. (Probably in power draw, too.) Heck, you’ve got a full MMU in there, which you don’t find on your Cortex Ms or ESP32s.
Maybe Linux isn’t your ideal OS for this, but there are probably ARM builds of some of the microkernel based OSs that would work…
I swear I held back.
32MB RAM and 16MB storage.
Correct.
That’s indeed reasonable.
Keep in mind that these were specifically designed to run Linux and ship with a Linux image on the onboard flash.
They are not however designed to run a full fledged Linux Disto like Debian although it runs fine.
Seriously?
Let’s say I’m willing to accept that, somehow, the board designers only put 32MB RAM on a recent board destined to run Linux.
But then, why is there a RT-Thread logo on the board?
Good question on the logo, presumably it is supported but trust me when I say this was designed to run Linux, it really was.
https://www.seeedstudio.com/Sipeed-Lichee-Nano-Linux-Development-Board-16M-Flash-WiFi-Version-p-2893.html
Edit: rt-thread is supported although the spi flash versions of these boards ship with Linux.
Whole deal is, to me, reminiscent of some laptops shipping with FreeDOS.
It’s better than shipping them without an OS, but the expectation is that, once aware that the hardware works, the user will install a system fitting whatever purpose the user has in mind.
Yet of course, unsurprisingly, there’s going to be a few odd people that will actually use FreeDOS on these laptops.
Oops, I was looking at a bunch of other tiny computers and got the RAM mixed up. But even 32MB is luxurious compared to most embedded devices! Plus, with an MMU you can use virtual memory.
If by virtual memory you mean swap, do note that using swap does automatically make the system non-deterministic.
But then again, you could argue Linux is non-deterministic to begin with.
You say “non-deterministic” like it’s an insult. You’re aware that the computer you typed that comment on is non-deterministic, right?
If you want a deterministic device, there are plenty of dinky MCUs to choose from. This isn’t one of them. Doesn’t make it bad.
As in every process gets it’s own virtual memory space.
It runs Debian just fine, yes its a little bloated but using 7MB RAM at idle its not too bad.
With “running X on Y” blog posts, silly is usually the point. NetBSD on toaster, DOOM on printer, etc :)