This week Jonathan and Dan chat with Frank Vasquez and Chris Simmonds about Embedded Linux, and the 4th edition of the Mastering Embedded Linux Programming book. How has this space changed in the last 20 years, and what’s the latest in Embedded Linux?
- Mastering Embedded Linux Development on Amazon
- https://2net.co.uk/
- The Linux Plumbers Conference Call For Proposals page
- AOSP and AAOS meetup on Wednesday 17 September
- https://aosp-devs.org/
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If you’d rather read along, here’s the transcript for this week’s episode.
Theme music: “Newer Wave” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
I will have to read it. I can recommend “Linux for Embedded and Real-Time Applications” by the late Doug Abbott. 4th Edition. It grew from his course materials and is wonderfully detailed and logically written and explained. Originally done in conjunction with a FriendlyARM Mini2440 and later the Mini2451 and I think some Mini210S. All Samsung parts. By the 4th edition it was BeagleBone Black and RPi2, at the time more open than FriendlyARM.
The issue of software and tools changing before the book is published is a huge problem that begs the question why write the book? Then the issue is why buy the book? The only SW book I have that is not obsolete is Kernighan’s and Ritchie’s “The C Programming Language”.
When operating systems update weekly, or monthly, and become obsolete in 2 to 4 years, why embed an operating system in your device? Does it mean that your device needs a method of updating and needs to be maintained so that it doesn’t stop working? But if its capable of being updated then isn’t it also capable of being hacked? Updates imply a lifetime of support. Some devices are expected to work longer than 2, 4, 8, or 16 years. How long do you expect products with embedded linux to run?
I suppose if you are building your own kernel that you may reduce the dependencies to a minimum subset and hope that the components chosen never change.
I would have liked to hear a discussion on what features and advantages does an OS provide that would cause one to think about putting linux into our projects?