Because smart meters are probably using some sort of zigbee or other 802.15.4. It makes sense for smart meters to run in a mesh. That way they do not have to have direct connection to the data collection unit. They can use the mesh network to hop over multiple nodes to get the data to where it needs to go.

I will second both points of this. Using buildroot for multiple types of boards/chips. buildroot helps in creating a reproducible toolchain, kernel, apps, and filesystem images. You can add your own application (The main thing to run) as a custom package.
http://buildroot.uclibc.org/

The Atmel at91sam9 series runs fine. Both in graphical and non-graphical environment. I use this for quick proto type testing/dev:
http://www.mini-box.com/pico-SAM9G45-X
(however, I add NAND Flash for os/apps)

As others have stated, Angstrom is also good for building the OS/applications. The build system takes a little bit more care to setup than buildroot.
http://www.angstrom-distribution.org/

Make sure the halon system is not computer controlled.
Kill internet connections to all sites at the same time, so they cant send out an SOS
Then kill the power

mstsc /v:host:port

100GigaBytes.

In Theory...
So if 1 million people manually send an email no more than 100Kbytes in size, that is 100 MBytes.
Seriously? A single email account at a company has less than a 100 MB mailbox (or even free space)?

Of course DSL lines are an un-needed expense. Each solder needs their own array of fiber optic links to each country.

or a C&D by the MPAA/RIAA

@HiThere.

Thanks!

I forgot to mention, if you are in the U.S.A, then is is also quicker chipping wise to go with dorkbotpdx mentioned above. Simply for shipping times alone. Seeedstudio's fusion service only e-tests 50% of the boards by default. Even then, I have still had boars that pass e-test, but where the copper meets the pad, it is too thin. This will break the connection. Yes, plated through holes are a little bit harder to re-wrok, but with a little flux and the heat turned down, it is do-able. I have ordered from Seeedstudio's fusion service over 10 times. Although they are cheaper, I ended up spending more time repairing bad boards. I have switch to dorkbotpdx and have not looked back.

There is also batchpcb, but their prices are higher. Also last time I check batchpcb only had green silkscreen and a minimum of 8 mil traces.

-JC

I have a few of DPs products. The webplatform is cheaper and more useful to me than an arduino/ethernet shield or even the new EthernetPro http://www.sparkfun.com/products/10536

Seeedstudio's fusion service is good price wise, but I will not have PCBs made through them again. Too many bad traces. Pads lift if you try to re-work them.

Slightly more expensive, http://dorkbotpdx.org/wiki/pcb_order , but I have never had a bad board and the quality is much much better.

-JC

and sometime you just need one of these (when they are back in stock): http://www.mini-box.com/pico-SAM9G45-X

Arduino is a great starting point for micro controllers. You can put in raw AVR C++ code into the ide if you want. Personally, Arduino helped me get going quickly. Then if you outgrow it, you can use the same hardware and program without the IDE and all the libraries if you want. From there, it is easy to move to other ATMega/ATTiny chips if you need to.

Arduino is more than make an LED blink. There are libraries for LCDs, Ethernet, read/write SD Cards, and examples for many sensors. (and much much more)

Even in Arduino's bitmath page: http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Code/BitMath They show you the low level AVR C if you want to use it.

I am not a programmer, but with the available libraries, I was able to accomplish many projects quickly. In less than a year of using arduino in spare time, I learned enough to move on to other AVR micros. GCC supports AVR micros. The TI Launchpad is highly restricted to windows.

No comment on PIC. Have not had time to try programming with PIC.

Agreed. I've been using linux since Slackware 96. xorg.conf was a bear to get working. As you get older and get a life, it's nice to have ubuntu. I'm glad for having a slackware background for many years. It taught me all about the internals of linux. It taught me to appreciate a package manager that handles dependencies. (I enjoyed compiling software by hand. I didn't mind having to grab multiple libraries to install software. I remember the summer of 1998 compiling KDE 1.0 took all day with a ton of dependencies.)

It is nice having Ubuntu on a laptop, and all my devices are recognized. That allow me to focus on getting work done. It gives me more time with my family.