Worth it to use linux?

[GeoffS]

Offhand, I can't think of any large CNC mill/lathe that doesn't have a built in, proprietary controller. 

[ptricks]

Something being overlooked is the electronics benefits. I don't run linux as a full time desktop, but I do have it installed and use it often. The reason is that all the ARM stuff is mostly linux. I worked with broadcom chipsets, those are Mips, and linux is the preferred OS on those too. If you are into electronics and considering doing something besides the 8 and 16bit chips then you really need to learn linux.  Learning to do things like cross compiling is something that takes a while to learn and can really benefit someone who is looking to improve their skills with hardware.  If you don't know how to compile a kernel , how  an MMU works or how to emulate it, how to add something that isn't included,  or how the boot process works, then you really are limiting yourself to the lower end hardware . There are some really great development boards out for ARM that are not expensive, look at the raspberry pi for example, another linux OS device.  Cost isn't an excuse not to learn it, the software is free, there are plenty of tutorials, and something like the raspberry pi is $35 USD.

[free_electron]

Offhand, I can't think of any large CNC mill/lathe that doesn't have a built in, proprietary controller.

Most likely indeed. Or a plc based system to assist some menial tasks. But look at the control screens , ( the old machines had custom processors running dedicated screens , or even led displays ) and they are all windows. Some even show you the 3d drawing of what they are working on and highlight what they are doing etc.

@ptricks : true. Fully agree. If you are going to be running linux on a hefty embedded cpu you may as well use linux to develop for it. And in that case it makes sense to have a linux box around. There is a caveat though, if you look at the commercial devtools ... Those are again almost all windows based. Even the ones that target running linux on the cpu. Pretty weird. Rdvs and american arium have hardware debuggers that let you trace a runnin linux on an arm or mips. It can show you even what process calls what other. The entire ide is windows based though. Makes me wonder why not linux based ? The same goes for the lauterbachs.
Collegues of mine develop the firmware for the settop boxes of the large satellite providers (dish, direct tv). Those boxes run a linux kernel. They all have windows pc's running an ide connected to the jtag probe for code download and the trace port for debugging. They do have a vnc open to a RHEL machine that holds the version control system and the compiler. Code editing is on windows , get saved to a RHEL machine that takes care of version control. Compilation is done on the RHEL , then the compiler script assembles the selected modules , links them and builds the rom image and encrypts it. They drive that command line through the vnc. Its just a terminal session. After that they go back to the windows ide to actually download the new rom image and monitor it while running.

Most likely the reason is that the hardware to do the jtag and traceport only comes with a windows based ide. Even though the ide supports linux trace and debug.

So for code development it makes sense and i know of companies that use linux based systems for that purpose , but that wasn't the issue i have. Its all the other stuff involved in designing a piece of electronics. Schematic , pcb , board making , case making , case design , mechanical cad , driving the machines. Data exchange.. That is heavily windows based.

So i wonder why ? Why has noone made the step yet ?

 There is obviously the aspect , probably wrong, of perception: Our users are going to be scared of using a strange user interface.... The support guys will need training , and the customer now gets dunked in unfamiliar territory.

But, there may be an other problem. A legal one. Almost all commercial systems have secrets. Whether they are the source, the algorithms, the code logic , the fileformat , the data exchange protocol. Porting the app to linux is 'perceived' as dangerous. Disclosing source is a no no. Actually, if using certain linix libraries the licences are dangerous to you in this case. They may force you to disclose more than you want. There are so many licences out there that the company lawyers have a field day. They can't figure out if you got it right and the answer from them is a resounding 'no'. We are not going to build for linux as we open ourselves to lawsuits that may force us to disclose trade secrets. Classic case of buttcoveritis...

So back to the topic question. Worth it to use linux. ( in electronics design )
For certain kinds of embedded firmware design : yes.
For all the rest : no.