“Tracing the Evolution”Open Source & Embedded Systems

Jayakumar Balasubramanian

Director, Emertxe Information Technologies

b.jayakumar@emertxe.com

Presented at Lounge47.in

8th March 2014

Copyright @ Mr. Jayakumar

Balasubramanian, Emertxe

Some motivation..

Personal experience:

Install, Crash, re-install, Crash – “Dorm-room” experiences!

“Migration to Linux” – Lingering over a decade now

Its everywhere – Device, Pipe and Cloud services

Viewpoint:

Open Source & Embedded products – Builder’s view

Lab prototype v/s mass production – How different or same they are?

Managing open source with open source – Recursion?

Tracing the evolution - Open Source

How it all started?

With GNU (GNU is not UNIX)

Richard Stallman made the initial announcement in 1983, Free Software

Foundation (FSF) got formed during 1984

Volunteer driven GNU started developing multiple projects, but making it as

an operating system was always a challenge

During 1991 a Finnish Engineer Linus Torvalds developed core OS

functionality, called it as “Linux Kernel”

Linux Kernel got licensed under GPL, which laid strong platform for the

success of Open Source

Rest is history!

How it evolved?

Kernel

Applications

Customization

Multiple Linux distributions started emerging around the Kernel

Some applications became platform independent

Community driven software development started picking up

Initially seen as a “geek-phenomenon”, eventually turned out to be an

engineering marvel

Centered around Internet

Building a business around open source started becoming viable

Redhat set the initial trend in the OS business

Where it stands now?

OS Databases Server/Cloud Enterprise

Consumer Education CMS eCommerce

Business models

Consulting & Support

• Charge for specific consulting service offering

• Technical installation, customization and support

Dual License

• Distribution under two sets of terms and conditions

• Community and Commercial editions

Partner program

• Developer/Partner ecosystem

• Hosted as a platform

Donations

• Address a non-commercial need

• Create a donation system and raise funds

Licensing blues..

Copyright and Copy left

GNU General Public License (GPL)

Freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve

(“Free” = “Freedom”) != “Free Beer”

Commercial distribution

Reciprocation

Derived work

Inflection Point – Linux Kernel

Kernel history

Embedded + Kernel

Non x86 architectures in Embedded Systems

Secure and portable monolithic architecture

Supports multiple instructions (ARM, MIPS, PPC etc…) – ideal for Embedded

Quality and reliability of code

Communication protocols and software standards

Cost and Time-to-market advantages

Vendor independence

Engineering marvel

* Source: Linux foundation report, 2013

Why so?

Product features into Kernel, wider adaption

Higher interest from semiconductor companies

Global development model, leveraging talent

Influencing ability

Organizational brand

Bottom line: It no longer a geek phenomenon. Can’t afford to miss this any more

Embedded products using Open Source

Three aspects

Build

Qualify

Manage & Release

What do I want to build? How am I

doing to build?

How to I test and qualify the

product?

How to I manage the product and

release to my customers?

• Building ‘lab prototype’ is different from ‘mass manufacturing’

• Application product building doesn’t suite Embedded

Step-1 : Build

Choice Points

• Which version of Kernel?

• Which development environment?

• Tool chain

• Drivers and binaries

• Support and training

Key actions:

• Download Kernel: http://www.kernel.org

• Develop BSP (if required)

• Build the image (Use Build-root or Yocto)

• Add custom functionality

• Development & Coding

Step-2 : Qualify

Code & Build Code quality TestSecure & Scale

Automate Diagnostics

Step-3 : Manage

Project Mgmt Bug tracking Collaboration

Right from setting initial code base, open source tools are available for develop,

Qualify and release the final product. There are very useful product/project

management tools available to easily manage it.

Closing notes..

Its no longer a “geek phenomenon”!

For new product ideas all of us (engineers, enthusiasts and entrepreneurs)

can rely on Open Source and its associated ecosystem

Excellent product/project management tools are available to monitor,

track and launch commercial Embedded products

Qualification is a very mature area in Open Source, which MUST be

leveraged

Obvious benefits in terms of – Cost, Time-to-market, Support and a sense

of contribution

Tux Rocks!