03.03.14

Embedded Linux News Roundup

Posted in GNU/Linux at 6:52 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Summary: News about Linux devices and embedded Linux, categorised for easier digestion

Raspberry Pi

Raspberry Pi marks 2nd birthday with plan for open source graphics driver

That “blob” is the closed source driver code that the Pi requires today. “In common with every other mobile graphics core, using the VideoCore IV 3D graphics core on the Pi requires a block of closed-source binary driver code (a ‘blob’) which talks to the hardware,” Upton wrote. “Our existing open-source graphics drivers are a thin shim running on the ARM11, which talks to that blob via a communication driver in the Linux kernel. The lack of true open-source graphics drivers and documentation is widely acknowledged to be a significant problem for Linux on ARM, as it prevents users from fixing driver bugs, adding features and generally understanding what their hardware is doing.”
A birthday present from Broadcom
Get Quake III running on Raspberry Pi using Broadcom’s open-source GPU drivers, earn $10K

Broadcom has released open-source drivers and documentation for the graphics processor that’s used in the Raspberry Pi microcomputer, among other devices.

“To date, there’s been a dearth of documentation and vendor-developed open source drivers for the graphics subsystems of mobile systems-on-a-chip (SoC),” Eben Upton, a Broadcom technical director and Raspberry Pi Foundation cofounder, wrote in a blog post. “Binary drivers prevent users from fixing bugs or otherwise improving the graphics stack, and complicate the task of porting new operating systems to a device without vendor assistance.”
Broadcom Open-Sources VideoCore IV 3D Graphics Stack

In celebrating two years that Raspberry Pi has been around, Eben Upton has announced today that they are open-sourcing their OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0 graphics stack for the Broadcom VideoCore IV 3D graphics subsystem and it will help the Raspberry Pi with having a truly free graphics stack.
Android for All: Broadcom Gives Developers Keys to the VideoCore® Kingdom

The community of open source mobile developers around the world are a vocal bunch – and here at Broadcom we’ve heard their call.

To date, there’s been a dearth of documentation and vendor-developed open source drivers for the graphics subsystems of mobile systems-on-a-chip (SoC). Binary drivers prevent users from fixing bugs or otherwise improving the graphics stack, and complicate the task of porting new operating systems to a device without vendor assistance.

But that’s changing, and Broadcom is taking up the cause.
A Nicely-Built 40-Core Raspberry Pi Cluster

Raspberry Pi super-computing clusters have been attempted before, but usually they don’t turn out as nice as this new one that’s comprised of 40 Raspberry Pi boards inside of an acrylic chassis.
Teachers panicking over new computing curriculum

Raspberry Pi director of Educational Development Clive Beale questioned whether the DfE is doing enough. He said, “I’m really worried it hasn’t been taken seriously enough.”
Raspberry Pi: giant hacks for a tiny board

Usually there are two ways to look forward to buy a Raspberry Pi: first, think about a strange thing to make, and then go to the website; or second, buy the Raspberry Pi board having no idea of what you are going to do with it. Usually, I buy things and only after that I go through the Internet in search of inspiration and creative use cases for my new toys. That was the case with my first Raspberry Pi board: everyone seems to be able to put together his tiny PC with some parts (monitor, mouse and so on), a CPU and a lightweight Linux distribution, but what can we do that is totally crazy, mind-blowing and problem-solving?

Legato

Linux-based platform aims to speed M2M development

Called Legato, the embedded platform runs Wind River Linux and comes with pre-integrated and validated components that provide connectivity to any cloud, any network and any peripheral.
Sierra Wireless Introduces Legato – A Powerful Linux-Based Platform For Embedded Application Development

Sierra Wireless recently introduced the Legato platform, an open source embedded platform built on Linux and designed to simplify the development of machine-to-machine (M2M) applications from the device to the cloud.
Sierra Wireless Launches Legato Linux-Based Platform
Sierra Wireless customizes Linux platform for machine-to-machine apps
Sierra Wireless creates Legato Linux for the Internet of Things

THE INTERNET OF THINGS got a shot in the arm today as Sierra Wireless announced Legato, a Linux distribution designed for Machine to Machine (M2M) communications.
First Linux-based 3D printers hit the market

Brooklyn based 3D printer manufacturer MakerBot has launched pre-sales for the second of three Replicator models that appear to be the world’s first commercial 3D printer based on embedded Linux. Almost all 3D printers are compatible with Linux desktops, just as they are with Windows and the Mac, and many, if not most, offer open source hardware and software designs. However, aside from some Raspberry Pi and BeagleBone hacks, the MakerBot Replicator Mini Compact appears to be the first to run embedded Linux.
Sierra Wireless Legato For Embedded Linux

Rikomagic

Rikomagic MK902 LE Picuntu Linux Mini PC Now Available For £95
ARM-based Rikomagic MK902 LE runs Linux
Rikomagic MK902 LE is an ARM-based Linux PC

The folks at UK-based Cloudsto have added a new device to their range of small, ARM-based Linux computers.

The Rikomagic MK902 LE is a small box with a Rockchip quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and up to 16GB of storage. It ships with Ubuntu Linux, and it’s available from the Cloudsto shop for £94.99 and up, or about $159.

PicoScope

Embedded World: PicoScope gets Linux software

Pico Technology has released a beta version of the PicoScope 6 oscilloscope software for Linux.

This is intended to support the use of Linux in the scientific and educational fields.

The PicoScope 6 application runs on a PC to create oscilloscope, FFT spectrum analyser and measuring device functions.
Pico scopes now run Linux

Users can save captures for offline analysis, share them with other PicoScope for Windows and PicoScope for Linux users, or export them in text, CSV and Mathworks MATLAB 4 formats. The only additional hardware needed is a USB oscilloscope.
A USB scope for Linux fans

USB oscilloscopes are popular – only that the marketable supply is focused almost exclusively to Windows platforms. Pico Technology now redeems the growing flock of Linux users by offering such a software that runs under their preferred operating system.

Cortex

$105 mini-PC runs Android on quad Cortex-A9
Arduino-compatible open SBC taps Cortex-A5 SoC

Newark Element14′s $79, Linux-ready “SAMA5D3 Xplained” SBC showcases Atmel’s SAMA5D3 processor, with features like dual LAN ports and Arduino compatibility.
Embedded World: Silica dev boards run Linux

The first is the Hachiko development board for the Renesas RZ/A microcontroller, which is an ARM Cortex-A9-based MCU. This is positioned as a low end design board for applications such as door entry phones, barcode scanners and data communication modules.

Linaro/Yocto/Enea

Linaro tackles Android and Linux security

Linaro is a not-for-profit company, owned by ARM and some of its top Cortex-A licensees, yet it acts much like an open source project. In addition to its core role of developing standardized Linux and Android toolchain for ARM-based devices, the 200-engineer organization sponsors a variety of Engineering Groups (see farther below).
Enea AB: Open Enea Linux – the next step proving Enea’s open source commitment
Free, Open Enea Linux taps Yocto and Linaro code

Enea launched a free, community-backed Open Enea Linux platform, with Yocto and Linaro contributions, and plans to target various community-backed SBCs.

Misc.