Introduction

Analysts expect considerable innovation in the embedded consumer space. Some forecast 25.1 billion connected devices by 2023, generating a $1.1 trillion revenue opportunity by 2025.

Most embedded developers choose Linux as the underlying operating system (OS) on top of which to deploy their applications. Device manufacturers then face two options to reap the benefits of the Internet of Things (IoT). They can either build their own embedded Linux distro via a powerful and flexible community- maintained build system like Yocto, or they can rely on a production-grade distribution like Ubuntu Core, supported by a commercial entity like Canonical over several years.

Yocto is a popular open-source collaboration initiative that helps developers create custom Linux-based systems. As a widely popular and freely available build system, Yocto has greatly helped spearhead the adoption of Linux for embedded devices. By lowering the barrier to entry for developers wishing to build their custom Linux distro from scratch, Yocto benefits from wide support. There are, however, challenges not addressed by community-maintained projects, bound to surface when shipping devices to production. Commercial embedded Linux vendors fill this gap by providing enterprise-grade support and expertise, substantially reducing time to market.

Should developers build their distribution from scratch using Yocto, or rely on a commercially-supported embedded Linux distribution like Ubuntu Core?