Re: Representing Embedded Architectures at the Kernel Summit

[Grant Likely <grant.likely@secretlab.ca>]

On Tue, Jun 2, 2009 at 3:16 PM, Bill Gatliff <bgat@billgatliff.com> wrote:
> 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.

No, not comprehensive; just common.  It makes sense to spend the
effort on the patterns and devices which are common.  It may not cover
everything, but it doesn't have to to be valuable.

g.

-- 
Grant Likely, B.Sc., P.Eng.
Secret Lab Technologies Ltd.