LPC: Coping with hardware diversity [LWN.net]

LPC: Coping with hardware diversity

Posted Sep 15, 2011 14:45 UTC (Thu) by btraynor (subscriber, #26672)
Parent article: LPC: Coping with hardware diversity

Why does Mr. Rusling believe that it all wasn't just Linux before? Even though development triggers vary, such as bringing the next great cellphone to market, building a great netbook, or ensuring the antilock brakes function properly in your car. All of the development effort eventually filters upstream when the OSS principles are adhered to. In the end, a kernel fix, or a UI enhancement all come from the same place.

But why bother to "stop having separate conferences for embedded developers"? Should the desktop conferences stop too? Should there be 1 super conference again (LinuxWorld)?

Classification or specialization in an ecosystem as big as Linux seems to me to benefit the broader community in that it allows for smaller, lower cost conferences to be hosted in various locales that would otherwise not be able to accommodate a giant conference.

Besides, if there were one super conference, it would result in a million and one Birds of a Feather (BoFs) sessions consisting of developers with specific interests, i.e. Embedded Linux.

But what's in a name anyway? Call it what you will, but communities form around commonalities regardless, such as hardware (ex. BeagleBoard), or software (ex. Debian).

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LPC: Coping with hardware diversity

Posted Sep 15, 2011 17:51 UTC (Thu) by PaulMcKenney (subscriber, #9624) [Link]

I believe that Mr. Rusling is making a distinction between embedded vendors working with a snapshot of the Linux kernel (which is their traditional approach) on the one hand, and staying close to mainline (and contributing changes/fixes to mainline) on the other.

One motivation for getting embedded developers to come to mainstream Linux events is to get them comfortable with contributing changes/fixes.

So one difference between embedded and desktop is that from what I can see, desktop developers are comfortable contributing upstream. This is becoming increasingly true for embedded developers, but more progress is needed.

Does it all make sense now?

LPC: Coping with hardware diversity

Posted Sep 15, 2011 18:56 UTC (Thu) by btraynor (subscriber, #26672) [Link]

That explanation does make sense, thanks. I guess I get a little antsy when people call for broad, sweeping changes like (in this case) eliminating Embedded Linux conferences.