OpenEmbedded provides a build environment for cross-compilation, packaging and creation of images for Linux-based embedded systems. OpenEmbedded supports building a wide variety of software and includes support for various popular programming languages such as C, C++, Perl, Python, Java, C# (Mono), Rust, Go and more. Popular projects that use OpenEmbedded at their core include the Yocto Project, Gumstix, WebOS, Beagleboard/Pandaboard, etc. We also support building images for common single board computers such as the Raspberry Pi.
The OpenEmbedded project allows you to build a fully customised Embedded Linux distribution for a wide variety of target hardware and applications. Each package is cross-compiled from source with many configuration options exposed allowing you to perform any level of fine tuning you desire. As well as producing ready-to-use images which can be copied to SD card, flash memory or other appropriate storage and booted on the target device, with OpenEmbedded you can maintain custom package feeds and other artifacts enabling direct or over-the-air (OTA) update of the software on your device after installation. OpenEmbedded also supports building Docker-compatible container images with license compliance tooling and reproducibility which can't be found when creating images via a Dockerfile.
Our virtual stand this year will showcase some of the third-party hardware which is supported by OpenEmbedded as well as some of the applications you can build and deploy. We'll show you how to get started with the project and where to find our community online. Various developers and users within our community will be hosting the stand at different times so feel free to drop by and say hello!
Since FOSDEM 2020, the OpenEmbedded project has made two major releases on our usual 6-month schedule, "dunfell" in April and "gatesgarth" in November, along with several minor maintenance releases to fix bugs and security issues in upstream projects. Working with Yocto Project, the "dunfell" release is our first Long Term Support (LTS) release which will be maintained for at least 2 years from the initial release date. The "dunfell" release included major improvements to reproducible builds, the hash equivalence server and other key project features. This was also our first release to be entirely free of obsolete Python 2 dependencies within the core metadata (although Python 2 support continues to be available via the meta-python2 layer). Our most recent release includes support for GCC 10, Linux 5.8, glibc 2.32 as well as around 245 other recipe upgrades and represents the work of over 170 contributors to the project. Support for new programming languages such as Rust and new target architectures such as RISCV continues to improve.
The project is currently working towards the next release codenamed "hardknott" which is scheduled for April 2021. Further improvements are expected to the build reproducibility, autobuilder, hash equivalency service and security processes. We're also working on bringing full support for Rust into the core metadata. A new locked sstate feature is being planned which if successfully integrated will allow improvements to the extensible SDK and enable better use of sstate mirrors to accelerate builds. The regular process of upgrading recipes continues as ever, with support for the new Linux 5.10 LTS release expected to land in our master branch before FOSDEM 2021.
Online / 6 & 7 February 2021
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