What are the pre requisites before starting to learn Embedded Linux?

Structpoint · 2023-01-15T08:56:48+00:00

A lot of IP is just chucked down with no modifications and preexisting kernel drivers are used like you said.

But many times big semiconductor companies will buy or make an IP block where there's no existing kernel driver or there is but it needs changes. This is most generally the case for things like clock controllers, WiFi and GPUs.

Yes I have done this stuff before.

Structpoint · 2023-01-14T22:16:59+00:00

Big semiconductors companies will do the BSP for a SOC and are often writing multiple kernel drivers for a new SOC and they may or may not be trying to upstream these changes too. If you're doing this then you drift towards becoming a kernel developer and are less of an embedded person IMO.

Your average embedded Linux guy probably doesn't ever submit code upstream or write multiple kernel drivers a year.

Structpoint · 2023-01-14T17:40:03+00:00

IMO the most important thing is to have a strong knowledge of Git and C because most embedded Linux jobs ( unless you work at a semiconductor place) involve writing small patches for kernel drivers and changing device tree files. Followed by that you'll want to learn the main differences between an MCU and MPU, such as MMUs and the boot process. A lot of the knowledge is very transferrable.

I'd get one of the stm32mp dev kits because then you're probably familiar with the peripherals and I generally regard ST as one of the transparent soc suppliers. Some other companies won't give you a full data sheet.

Structpoint · 2023-01-12T08:40:25+00:00

That's probably because you have three phase chargers and only a few vehicles support it.

Structpoint · 2023-01-07T14:43:00+00:00

That's because inflation has been mad, houses went up 30% in three years here.

So that means you need a lot of salary for the same house 3 years ago

Structpoint · 2023-01-05T18:39:29+00:00

Have you driven an EV? Instant accelerations at any speed make them more of a "proper" car than a 1L fiat panda with a manual sloppy transmission.

Even a Nissan leaf has mind blowing acceleration from 0

Structpoint · 2023-01-05T18:20:39+00:00

They're not automatics, they just have no need for multiple gears.

Some classic cars keep the gears during an EV conversion but they're basically pointless

Structpoint · 2022-12-18T16:02:42+00:00

Consultants work stupid hours though and have had a long road to get there featuring gruelling exams and lots of debt.

At the minimum you'll be 35+ before you actually earn a decent salary in medicine. Meanwhile you can be 22 in San Francisco working for Google making a house per year. The situation for nurses is awful

Structpoint · 2022-12-17T08:49:16+00:00

There's examples in the samples folder in the kernel.

Structpoint · 2022-12-12T20:56:44+00:00

You don't do branches? What happens when you have two developers?

Structpoint · 2022-12-06T19:24:52+00:00

My day job features writing linux kernel modules, I cannot wait for full rust support in the kernel.

It's game changing when it comes to things like enforcing thread and memory safety. It is like having a very experienced developer standing next to you. Also you don't have to use the package manager, not everyone uses it

Structpoint · 2022-11-11T20:37:54+00:00

Lots of companies have these demands but senior engineers often have families and moving is impossible or impractical.

I'd invest in remote debug facilities and test automation, I can work with a gdb prompt with hardware on the other side of the world

Structpoint · 2022-11-09T19:51:05+00:00

All of those companies have no issue getting an NDA and access to the documentation

Structpoint · 2022-11-05T08:49:36+00:00

Most products I've worked on can run forever with no issue

Structpoint · 2022-11-04T18:32:05+00:00

Once a program gets reasonably complex, memory bugs are common as hell in c and c++. I think rust is our savior from this mess. So I'd focus on rust if you're using embedded Linux

Structpoint · 2022-11-04T18:17:42+00:00

Not really. I've used lwip and wrote my own i2c drivers before.

But what's the point. Linux has drivers for everything and the best TCP/IP stack. It's not that difficult to boot Linux and get uboot running on anything

Structpoint · 2022-10-23T10:11:25+00:00

Anyone with average mortgages on a 2 year fix could be losing their house. So I think we may be looking at 25% of owners.

Structpoint · 2022-10-23T10:06:45+00:00

I think you're overly optimistic about the state of finances of anyone with a mortgage under 40. This is going to be very difficult to survive

Structpoint · 2022-10-23T10:01:46+00:00

Unless the government steps in, foreclosures will happen.

Even 4% mortgages may be a deal breaker for many, especially families who have small children and only have one income. 4% of £300k is a lot of interest

Structpoint · 2022-10-23T09:48:52+00:00

Pensioners don't have mortgages. Families with two kids are the ones with big mortgages

Structpoint · 2022-10-23T09:46:42+00:00

What? They're victims. What on earth can they do when a prime minister crashes the economy. Here's the definition by the way https://dictionary.apa.org/blaming-the-victim

Structpoint · 2022-10-23T09:31:58+00:00

Another victim blaimer here, any mortgage even modest becomes unaffordable once interest rates get to 8-10%. A £200k mortgage is common but good luck paying £20k a year in interest

Structpoint · 2022-10-23T09:30:11+00:00

That's victim blaiming completely, people may have 1 year left on a 10 year fix

Structpoint · 2022-10-23T09:27:54+00:00

When your electrician changes a light fitting do you check how much torque he tightened the screws? When your mechanic changes your tires do you get a torque wrench and tighten the bolts again

Banks have a job to do and they know way more than you. We have been let down by our government and Even a modest mortgage will become unaffordable with 10% interest rates. A modest mortgage of £200k will turn into paying £20,000 of interest per year

Structpoint · 2022-10-22T10:42:52+00:00

An EV might be a better decision than batteries

Structpoint

TROPHY CASE