Re: Representing Embedded Architectures at the Kernel Summit

[Bill Gatliff <bgat@billgatliff.com>]

Russell King wrote:
> The big problem we have is that the only commonality between different
> SoCs is that the CPU executes ARM instructions.  Everything else is
> entirely up to the SoC designer - eg location of memory, spacing of
> memory banks, type of interrupt controller, etc is all highly SoC
> specific.  Nothing outside of the ARM CPU itself is standardized.
>
>   

And that diversity is precisely because of the diversity in ARM-based 
embedded platforms.

Such diversity means that kernel/driver development is a constant 
activity, which suggests that we shouldn't bother the effort to come up 
with a comprehensive solution because none will exist.  Rather, we 
should maintain and improve the ability to rapidly prototype and adapt.  
Things like furthering the deployment of platform_device, 
clocksource/clockdevice, and so on.

ARM diversity is already a LOT easier to deal with than it was under 
2.4, so we're making progress.


b.g.

-- 
Bill Gatliff
bgat@billgatliff.com