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p In recent years it appears that embedded Linux operating systems are all the rage. You can find Linux OSs in cameras , mobile phones, set top boxes, PDAs, networking equipment and in many industrial automation systems. According to a recent Venture Development Surveynbsp; Embedded Linux was found in around 18% of consumer electronics devices./p
p This embedded OS is designed for equipment with limited resources. Size constraints limit these devices to flash memory and lower amounts of RAM. These devices have very specific purposes so they need less resources in general. The end consequence is a device with amazing but very specialized functionality often in a pint sized package./p
pTime clock manufacturers are starting to adopt the embedded Linux approach and we are now seeing a number of offerings on the market incorporation the operating system. The default interface for a a title=Linux Time Clock href=http://timeandattendanceconsultant.com/linux_time_clock.html target=_blankLinux time clock/a is a web interface which makes the device suitable for the Apple computer.. an almost completely un touched market. This web interface can include some reasonable award interpretation capabilities unheard of in conventional electronic time clocks courtesy of an application specific OS./p
pA a title=Web enabled Time clock href=http://timeandattendanceconsultant.com/web_time_and%20_attendance.html target=_blankweb enabled time clock/a provides many extra benefits including a general reduction in costs both in the overall cost of ownership and the initial cost when compared with the traditional electronic time clock and associated windows based software. Additionally, the reporting functions are usually quite flexible allowing you to export into third party applications such as Excel./p
p What are the disadvantages of this technology? The answer to this question often lies in what the device was developed to do and how good a match that is to your application . Some of these devices have their origins in access control and because of this their time and attendance functionality is limited . If you arenbsp; evaluating these products take a close look at the specific time and attendance performance and make sure it is a good fit for your business } . I have seen a number of these web enabled products fall short in some fundamental areas making them quite unsuitable for many industries./p
pFrom a reliability perspective embedded Linux time clocks have been criticised for not being robust enough for industrial applications. There is truth in this criticism but frequently this is because these devices are not offered the surge protection they require. Fault here lies with the product distributors and resellers who often have a difficult task in ahead ofnbsp; them offering a product priced at double the price of conventional electronic time clocks. Competition is strong and in spite of the seemly obvious benefits a large number of a title=bundy clock href=http://timeandattendanceconsultant.com/bundy_clock.html target=_blankbundy card/a style time clocks are still sold. In the face of this competition there is an understandable reluctance to mention that ideally these Linux based time clocks should be connected to a surge protected outlet or better still a uninterruptible power supply./p
pThe embedded Linux time clock is here to stay . They have a much to offer and improvements in features and performance are occurring every day. The time clocks of the future will almost certainly take this form. Interestingly they may be more often seen with less on board functionality handing this over the SAAS application./p
pJames Bell/p
pThe Time and Attendance Consultant/p
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