Improving Yocto Build Time

Yocto is an excellent distribution builder, however building any Linux distribution from scratch is resource intensive and may take a frustrating long time. This blog posts examines some of the most common techniques that can be used to reduce build times (and resource use). Downloads During a build, bitbake fetches source code from the internet …

2 Second Linux Boot on i.MX8

Earlier this year we we wrote a blog post that looked at the steps required to enable hardware accelerated image classification on an i.MX8 based Coral Dev Board. We created a Linux ‘Tux mascot detector’ that was able to detect if an object placed in front of a camera was the Tux mascot or something …

Reducing Boot Time with systemd

It’s no surprise that systemd has become the init system of choice for both embedded and desktop Linux distributions – it’s modern, packed full of features and is able to replace an ever increasing number of ancient utilities and daemons. When compared to it’s predecessor (SysVinit) – it also provides a much greater scope for …

Keeping Track of Time with Systemd

Nearly all smart devices obtain and keep track of time – it’s something that ‘just works’ and something which we often take for granted. Yet under-the-hood there is a surprising amount of complexity – software needs to obtain an accurate external source of time (e.g. NTP), it needs to handle drift and gradual synchronisation between …

Xmas Charity Fundraiser 2021

This Xmas the Good Penguin is raising money for The Forever Friends Appeal – the official NHS charity for the Royal United Hospital (RUH) in Bath. The money we raise will go to the newborn intensive care unit (NICU) to provide state-of-the-art treatment, diagnostic equipment, and to support families at one of the most vulnerable …