ELCE: The state of embedded Linux

Personally I don't see the problem. If they "back off" using Linux, then that's THEIR loss, not ours. Who cares? This is not the 80's: FOSS is a dominant player virtually everywhere and need make no apologies to anyone.

The companies that do use Linux and the rest of the FOSS environment, and are willing to play by the rules, will have a huge advantage in time to market, etc.. That's what FOSS offers, but freedom AIN'T free-of-charge: you don't have to pay directly but you DO have to pay indirectly. If companies don't want to pay the indirect cost, fine: they can use something else and pay a different way, in up-front licensing, distribution, support, and development costs.

Of course there are always outliers but it's not hard to see how the result will trend over time, so why should we make it easier for them to make OUR lives more difficult--and less free?