Re: [Open2x-devel] suggestion to use OpenEmbedded for Open2x

[Jay V. <ja...@sy...>]

Subject: Re: [Open2x-devel] suggestion to use OpenEmbedded for Open2x
> Due to the fact that I will start working with OE and that my hobby is
> developing / porting Games for GP2x, this sounds like a MUST for me.

OpenEmbedded is a huge, ported tree, of linux applications wrapped up  
in a highly sophisticated build system which requires the maintenance  
of files using new and interesting tools to keep it all working and  
together.. the build system is tailored to smaller configurations of  
course, but factually targets many devices.

It is not a light build kit, however; you gotta learn new tools that  
do things 'better' than the tools you probably already know how to  
use, well enough.  This can be a huge distraction for someone who  
wants to get stuff done.

But fortunately, if you write your app for Linux, and obey a few  
simple rules about your library usage using the autotools, you can be  
sure your package will compile and run under OpenEmbedded fairly  
well.  It is nice to have so many libs available, and the package  
maintenance system which lets the user choose how much to ignore  
library/system dependencies is valuable, if a bit sketchy at the  
moment.  There is a security risk, also, with the issue of open and  
public feeds. As always with Linux of course.

It is quite simple to make a 'recipe' for OE, if your app is well- 
behaved linux-wise anyway.  Whether it looks good when it runs on the  
device is up to you (and your code) and your own tests too, of  
course, but there is little independence and lots of dependence in  
bundling along with such a large, built base, of linux OS.

GP2X support would be trivial.

Running OE the GP2X becomes a 'small linux workstation', with all  
those bells and whistles.

At least, with the gta-02 device due in december (where i'm running a  
fork of OE called OpenMoko) there is also talk of having normal 'X'  
services, as well as compiz/beryl/etc. running, already.  so you just  
bump your PDA and the window flips its box, etc.  lovely stuff.

but beware: as such, OE is rather full of cruft, and can be very  
frustrating to maintain if you don't learn a larger toolset.  bitbake  
is not your daddies make!

All that considered, I still think the value of open2x being a  
completely easy and simple makefile-oriented system to tune things  
really to the GP2X, and not so much 'keep up with the distro- 
joneses', should not be overlooked.  The GP2X coders I know, anyway,  
would well benefit from just having their own, bootable, Linux distro  
straight on the SD card, with the bare libs required to do the GP2x  
magic, and their app too, of course.  Remember: the GP2X has an  
application-mode of 'single use/single app', also, and this mode *is*  
supported by the hardware.  {SD boots..}

;


;
--
Jay Vaughan