2.1. Introducing the Yocto Project

The Yocto Project is an open-source collaboration project focused on embedded Linux development. The project currently provides a build system that is referred to as the OpenEmbedded build system in the Yocto Project documentation. The Yocto Project provides various ancillary tools for the embedded developer and also features the Sato reference User Interface, which is optimized for stylus driven, low-resolution screens.

You can use the OpenEmbedded build system, which uses BitBake, to develop complete Linux images and associated user-space applications for architectures based on ARM, MIPS, PowerPC, x86 and x86-64.

Note

By default, using the Yocto Project creates a Poky distribution. However, you can create your own distribution by providing key Metadata. See the "Creating Your Own Distribution" section for more information.

While the Yocto Project does not provide a strict testing framework, it does provide or generate for you artifacts that let you perform target-level and emulated testing and debugging. Additionally, if you are an Eclipse™ IDE user, you can install an Eclipse Yocto Plug-in to allow you to develop within that familiar environment.