Embedded linux status
Here is an outline for a presentation on the status of embedded Linux:
This is essentially User:Tim Bird's private collection of interesting notes about the status of embedded Linux. It tends to get updated right before a Linux conference.
NEWS: Tim Bird's Status of Embedded Linux BOF (PDF) (September 2010) presentation from LinuxCon Japan 2010 is now available.
Contents
- 1 Process for adding information
- 2 Uncategorized info
- 3 April 2011
- 4 Kernel
- 5 Bootup Time
- 6 Memory Management
- 7 System Size
- 8 Security
- 9 File Systems
- 10 Legal Issues (licensing and patents)
- 11 Graphics
- 12 Audio
- 13 Multimedia
- 14 Embedded-specific features
- 15 Middleware
- 16 Tools
- 17 Distributions
- 18 Industry organizations or projects
- 19 Embedded Linux usage
- 20 Resources
Process for adding information
Anyone can add information to this page. I used to maintain the information at the Technology Watch List, but the table format there is a bit constrictive. (It would be nice if MediaWiki had a table editor!!)
Since I have to form this stuff into a "State of Embedded Linux" presentation several times a year, keeping the information in wiki outline format is convenient for me. It's easier to put directly into a presentation.
Please place information in bullet form, with a link to a supporting article, in the appropriate sub-section below.
Page History
I'll let MediaWiki store historical versions of this page. If you want to see what the hot issues were from a last year or a few years ago, please see look at the page history. (Although, updates of this page have historically been a bit spotty).
Presentation History
Here's my presentation history:
- LinuxCon Japan 2010 Status of Embedded Linux BOF (PDF) (September 2010)
- ELC 2010 Status of Embedded Linux talk (PDF) (April 2010)
- Japan Linux Symposium 2009 Status of Embedded Linux talk (PDF) (October 2009)
- OLS 2009 Embedded Linux Status talk (PDF) (July 2009)
- OLS 2008 Embedded Linux BOF slides (PPT) (July 2008)
- ELC 2008 Status of Embedded Linux talk (PPT) (April 2008)
- ELC Europe 2007 - Status of Embedded Linux BOF slides (PDF) (October 2007)
- OLS 2007 Embedded Linux BOF slides (PDF) (July 2007)
- OLS 2006 Embedded Linux BOF slides (PPT) (July 2005)
- OLS 2005 Status of Embedded Linux BOF [need presentation]
Uncategorized info
This is where I put stuff I haven't had time to analyze or sort into the appropriate category:
April 2011
- http://www.linuxfordevices.com/c/a/News/OIN-announces-new-members/?kc=LNXDEVNL042011 - OIN grows 28%
- Intel working on supporting Android 3.0, according to Paul Ottellini
- Android in focus at Intel - http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-20055868-64.html
- Mobile patent lawsuit cheatsheet - http://technologizer.com/2011/04/19/mobile-lawsuits/
- Linus fed up with ARM sub-architecture chaos
- Linaro organizing group to help resolve issues (possibly hire sub-arch coordinator)
Other
- CONFIG_PM being eliminated - improved PM configuration
- ftrace using -mfentry (feb 9, 2011 lkml, steve rostedt)
April 2010
- HP buys Palm - now owns Webos
- Japanese companies (with LIMO) announce new mobile stack - http://www.linuxfordevices.com/c/a/News/Consortium-from-NTT-DoCoMo-Renesas-Fujitsu-NEC-Panasonic-and-Sharp/?kc=LNXDEVNL042810
Previous to April 2010
- SystemTap 1.0 now includes support for cross-compilation.
- Patches for dynamic printks
- writing to /dev/kmsg to generate a printk (not new, but I just discovered it)
- LZO kernel compression is in 2.6.33
- Arjan van de Ven's timer-slack code - http://lwn.net/Articles/369361/
Kernel
Kernel Versions
Bootup Time
- pre-linking
- XIP
- (see filesystem work)
- KFT
- embedded bootchart
Memory Management
System Size
Security
File Systems
- YAFFS2
- Mainline effort by Charles Manning
- LogFS
- Joern disappeared again
- Squashfs
- Now supports LZMA2 in mainline
- CELF funding SquashFS on MTD work
- Arnd Bergmann's work on optimizing Linux FS for cheap flash media
- See ELC presentation and Linaro page
- Tim Bird's treadahead work
- See ABS presentation
Legal Issues (licensing and patents)
Graphics
- OpenGL ES
- whither fbdev?
- 2D - Android doesn't have a native 2D API (or it's changing?)
- Need to research this
Audio
Multimedia
- GStreamer - held first ever GStreamer conference in October (co-located with ELC Europe)
- Khronos is working on their stuff
Embedded-specific features
infrared remote control support
- LIRC kernel drivers were mainlined as of 2.6.26
- IR: add lirc support to ir-core LWN.net LKML reference
- LIRC web site: http://www.lirc.org/
- LIRC FAQ: http://www.lirc.org/faq.html
Middleware
- ???
Tools
Tracing
Toolchains
- Linaro publishing toolchains - one directly for Android use
Distributions
- OpenEmbedded
- Embedded Debian
- PokyLinux
- Ubuntu Mobile
Distribution tools
Meego
- Meego - what's up now that Nokia bailed?
Android
- Android 3.0 (Honeycomb)
- Android 3.0 SDK released (???)
- Tablets?
- phone activations? (350,000 per day, as of April 8, 2011)
- GoogleTV?
- Dalvik ported to Meego - myriad Group AG announced Myriad Alien Dalvik, for running Android apps on other Linux platforms
- IcedRobot implementation of Android (using OpenJDK)
Industry organizations or projects
- LiMo - anything happening?
- CELF => CEWG under Linux Foundation
- CELF projects
- Linux Foundation
- Lots of stuff going on in embedded:
- Yocto
- Meego
- CE Working Group
- Lots of stuff going on in embedded:
- Linaro - 1 year in
- see David Rusling's presentation from ELC
Embedded Linux usage
- Maybe as high as 32% market share in MIDs