Harddisk based systems

Obviously the last mentioned method is only acceptable for systems that don't have low power requirements and can tolerate rotating devices, that is, are not to operate under too rough conditions. In these cases, the advantage of linux supporting commodity PC components may be a relevant cost-factor, as especially for prototype devices and those built in very low numbers, these components simplify system integration substantially (no special drivers, no non-standards system setups required). Aside from these spcialized systems, harddisc based systems are also interesting for development platforms, as they elliminate the storage constraints that are imposed on most embedded systems. And, with there ability to use swap-partitions on such a setup offer an almost arbitrary amount of virtual-RAM (although slow) for test and developement purposes.