generic-poky/documentation/dev-manual/dev-manual-intro.xml

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<chapter id='dev-manual-intro'>

<title>The Yocto Project Development Manual</title>
    <section id='intro'>
        <title>Introduction</title>

        <para>
            Welcome to the Yocto Project Development Manual!
            This manual provides information on how to use the Yocto Project to
            develop embedded Linux images and user-space applications that
            run on targeted devices.
            The manual provides an overview of image, kernel, and
            user-space application development using the Yocto Project.
            Because much of the information in this manual is general, it
            contains many references to other sources where you can find more
            detail.
            For example, you can find detailed information on Git, repositories, 
            and open source in general in many places on the Internet.
            Another example specific to the Yocto Project is how to quickly 
            set up your host development system and build an image, which you 
            find in the 
            <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_QS_URL;'>Yocto Project Quick Start</ulink>.
            <note>
                By default, using the Yocto Project creates a Poky distribution.
                However, you can create your own distribution by providing key
                <link linkend='metadata'>Metadata</link>.
                A good example is Angstrom, which has had a distribution
                based on the Yocto Project since its inception.
                Other examples include  commercial distributions like
                Wind River Linux, Mentor Embedded Linux, and ENEA Linux.
                See the "<link linkend='creating-your-own-distribution'>Creating Your Own Distribution</link>"
                section for more information.
            </note>
        </para>

        <para>
            The Yocto Project Development Manual does, however, provide
            guidance and examples on how to change the kernel source code,
            reconfigure the kernel, and develop an application using the 
            popular <trademark class='trade'>Eclipse</trademark> IDE.
        </para>
    </section>

    <section id='what-this-manual-provides'>
        <title>What this Manual Provides</title>

        <para>
            The following list describes what you can get from this guide:
            <itemizedlist>
                <listitem><para>Information that lets you get set
                    up to develop using the Yocto Project.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para>Information to help developers who are new to the open source environment
                    and to the distributed revision control system Git, which the Yocto Project
                    uses.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para>An understanding of common end-to-end development models and tasks.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para>Development case overviews for both system development and user-space
                    applications.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para>An overview and understanding of the emulation environment used with
                    the Yocto Project - the Quick EMUlator (QEMU).</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para>An understanding of basic kernel architecture and concepts.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para>Many references to other sources of related information.</para></listitem>
            </itemizedlist>
        </para>
    </section>

    <section id='what-this-manual-does-not-provide'>
        <title>What this Manual Does Not Provide</title>

        <para>
            This manual will not give you the following:
            <itemizedlist>
                <listitem><para>Step-by-step instructions if those instructions exist in other Yocto
                    Project documentation.
                    For example, the Yocto Project Application Developer's Guide contains detailed
                    instruction on how to run the
                    <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_ADT_URL;#installing-the-adt'>Installing the ADT and Toolchains</ulink>,
                    which is used to set up a cross-development environment.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para>Reference material.
                    This type of material resides in an appropriate reference manual.
                    For example, system variables are documented in the
                    <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;'>Yocto Project Reference Manual</ulink>.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para>Detailed public information that is not specific to the Yocto Project.
                    For example, exhaustive information on how to use Git is covered better through the
                    Internet than in this manual.</para></listitem>
            </itemizedlist>
        </para>
    </section>

    <section id='other-information'>
        <title>Other Information</title>

        <para>
            Because this manual presents overview information for many different topics, you will
            need to supplement it with other information.
            The following list presents other sources of information you might find helpful:
            <itemizedlist>
                <listitem><para><emphasis>The <ulink url='&YOCTO_HOME_URL;'>Yocto Project Website</ulink>:
                    </emphasis> The home page for the Yocto Project provides lots of information on the project
                    as well as links to software and documentation.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para><emphasis>
                    <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_QS_URL;'>Yocto Project Quick Start</ulink>:</emphasis> This short document lets you get started
                    with the Yocto Project quickly and start building an image.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para><emphasis>
                    <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;'>Yocto Project Reference Manual</ulink>:</emphasis> This manual is a reference
                    guide to the OpenEmbedded build system known as "Poky."
                    The manual also contains a reference chapter on Board Support Package (BSP)
                    layout.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para><emphasis>
                    <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_ADT_URL;'>Yocto Project Application Developer's Guide</ulink>:</emphasis>
                    This guide provides information that lets you get going with the Application
                    Development Toolkit (ADT) and stand-alone cross-development toolchains to
                    develop projects using the Yocto Project.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para><emphasis>
                    <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_BSP_URL;'>Yocto Project Board Support Package (BSP) Developer's Guide</ulink>:</emphasis>
                    This guide defines the structure for BSP components.
                    Having a commonly understood structure encourages standardization.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para><emphasis>
                    <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_KERNEL_DEV_URL;'>Yocto Project Linux Kernel Development Manual</ulink>:</emphasis>
                    This manual describes how to work with Linux Yocto kernels as well as providing a bit
                    of conceptual information on the construction of the Yocto Linux kernel tree.
                    </para></listitem>
                <listitem><para><emphasis>
                    <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_PROF_URL;'>Yocto Project Profiling and Tracing Manual</ulink>:</emphasis>
                    This manual presents a set of common and generally useful tracing and
                    profiling schemes along with their application (as appropriate) to each tool.
                    </para></listitem>
                <listitem><para><emphasis>
                    <ulink url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZlOu-gLsh0'>
                    Eclipse IDE Yocto Plug-in</ulink>:</emphasis> A step-by-step instructional video that
                    demonstrates how an application developer uses Yocto Plug-in features within
                    the Eclipse IDE.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para><emphasis>
                    <ulink url='&YOCTO_WIKI_URL;/wiki/FAQ'>FAQ</ulink>:</emphasis>
                    A list of commonly asked questions and their answers.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para><emphasis>
                    <ulink url='&YOCTO_HOME_URL;/download/yocto/yocto-project-&DISTRO;-release-notes-poky-&POKYVERSION;'>Release Notes</ulink>:</emphasis> Features, updates and known issues for the current
                    release of the Yocto Project.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para><emphasis>
                    <ulink url='&YOCTO_HOME_URL;/tools-resources/projects/hob'>
                    Hob</ulink>:</emphasis> A graphical user interface for BitBake.
                    Hob's primary goal is to enable a user to perform common tasks more easily.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para><emphasis>
                    <ulink url='&YOCTO_HOME_URL;/download/build-appliance-0'>
                    Build Appliance</ulink>:</emphasis> A bootable custom embedded Linux image you can
                    either build using a non-Linux development system (VMware applications) or download
                    from the Yocto Project website.
                    See the <ulink url='&YOCTO_HOME_URL;/documentation/build-appliance-manual'>Build Appliance</ulink>
                    page for more information.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para><emphasis>
                    <ulink url='&YOCTO_BUGZILLA_URL;'>Bugzilla</ulink>:</emphasis>
                    The bug tracking application the Yocto Project uses.
                    If you find problems with the Yocto Project, you should report them using this
                    application.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para><emphasis>
                    Yocto Project Mailing Lists:</emphasis> To subscribe to the Yocto Project mailing
                    lists, click on the following URLs and follow the instructions:
                    <itemizedlist>
                        <listitem><para><ulink url='&YOCTO_LISTS_URL;/listinfo/yocto'></ulink> for a
                            Yocto Project Discussions mailing list.</para></listitem>
                        <listitem><para><ulink url='&YOCTO_LISTS_URL;/listinfo/poky'></ulink> for a
                            Yocto Project Discussions mailing list about the Poky build system.</para></listitem>
                        <listitem><para><ulink url='&YOCTO_LISTS_URL;/listinfo/yocto-announce'></ulink>
                            for a mailing list to receive official Yocto Project announcements for developments and
                            as well as Yocto Project milestones.</para></listitem>
                        <listitem><para><ulink url='&YOCTO_LISTS_URL;/listinfo'></ulink> for a
                            listing of all public mailing lists on <filename>lists.yoctoproject.org</filename>.
                            </para></listitem>
                    </itemizedlist></para></listitem>
                <listitem><para><emphasis>Internet Relay Chat (IRC):</emphasis>
                    Two IRC channels on freenode are available
                    for Yocto Project and Poky discussions: <filename>#yocto</filename> and
                    <filename>#poky</filename>, respectively.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para><emphasis>
                    <ulink url='&OH_HOME_URL;'>OpenedHand</ulink>:</emphasis>
                    The company that initially developed the Poky project, which is the basis
                    for the OpenEmbedded build system used by the Yocto Project.
                    OpenedHand was acquired by Intel Corporation in 2008.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para><emphasis>
                    <ulink url='http://www.intel.com/'>Intel Corporation</ulink>:</emphasis>
                    A multinational semiconductor chip manufacturer company whose Software and
                    Services Group created and supports the Yocto Project.
                    Intel acquired OpenedHand in 2008.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para><emphasis>
                    <ulink url='&OE_HOME_URL;'>OpenEmbedded</ulink>:</emphasis>
                    The build system used by the Yocto Project.
                    This project is the upstream, generic, embedded distribution from which the Yocto
                    Project derives its build system (Poky) from and to which it contributes.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para><emphasis>
                    <ulink url='http://developer.berlios.de/projects/bitbake/'>
                    BitBake</ulink>:</emphasis> The tool used by the OpenEmbedded build system
                    to process project metadata.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para><emphasis>
                    BitBake User Manual:</emphasis>
                    A comprehensive guide to the BitBake tool.
                    If you want information on BitBake, see the user manual inculded in the
                    <filename>bitbake/doc/manual</filename> directory of the
                    <link linkend='source-directory'>Source Directory</link>.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para><emphasis>
                    <ulink url='http://wiki.qemu.org/Index.html'>Quick EMUlator (QEMU)</ulink>:
                    </emphasis> An open-source machine emulator and virtualizer.</para></listitem>
            </itemizedlist>
        </para>
    </section>
</chapter>
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