Just installed a gas boiler that only has a 7 segment LCD to display the water temperature. Yet it runs Linux. And it takes 30 seconds to boot up.

WTF I can't believe they put linux in there. Must be much fancier than a MCU-driven display.

I got a slight feeling that most equipment runs on windows. Could also be wrong.

From what I know in the industry, Windows for the UI and some real time OS for control like VxWorks.

But things are changing and linux is getting some traction.

The healthcare industry is very slow moving (as it should be).

All this stuff is constantly moving, but I bet things in the future will be RT Linux plus some RTOS-drive microcontrollers for specific hardware and safety stuff. That's where everyone is heading to.

Windows is common from what I've seen. When I did a brief interview with Abbott Medical Devices in the 2010s, Windows experience was mentioned.

sadly there's also a lot of QNX :(

Ah QNX, one of the few remaining vestiges of the microkernel.

I know it's not foss, and I'm aware of mach, but QNX still holds a place in my heart.