Yocto Project 1.2 introduces Build Appliance

The Yocto Project, a Linux Foundation workgroup, has released version 1.2 of its embedded distribution builder. First announced in October 2010, the open source collaboration project is aimed at device builders, and provides templates, tools and methods for developers to create Linux-based systems for various embedded systems and processor architectures.

The latest twice-yearly release upgrades the included Linux kernel to version 3.2.11 and introduces the Build Appliance, a new tool that allows users to build and boot a custom embedded image using a non-Linux system. However, its developers advise users not to use the Build Appliance as a "day-to-day production development environment," and instead limit its use to testing. New package history data collection and analysis tools have also been added.

The Hob GUI-based build system's user interface and workflow have been redesigned based on user feedback; the Hob was first introduced in version 1.1. Other changes include improvements to the FLOSS compliance tools that allow for more granularity of licence definitions, better error message handling and fixes for various bugs.

Further information, including a list of known issues and new features, can be found in the release notes and on the Features wiki page. Yocto Project 1.2, also known as Poky 7.0 "Denzil", is available from the project's download page and documentation is provided.

See also:

• Linux Foundation announces Yocto Project Release 1.0, launches Steering Committee, a report from The H.
• Yocto and OpenEmbedded get together, a report from The H.

(crve)