Android, Meego, and Embedded Linux in Vertical Markets

android, meego, and embedded linux in vertical markets
vlad buzov, senior software architect John lehmann, services marketing mentor graphics corporation
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W h i t e P a P e r
introduction
Linux-based systems have been dominant in enterprise networking for more than a decade. They have been the basis of consumer electronics devices dating back to the original TiVo DVR in 1999, and wireless handsets beginning with the NEC phones for DoCoMo in 2003. However, many vertical markets are only now seeing new devices built on open source software. The reasons lie both in the nature of these markets and the specialized devices themselves, as well as the emergence of advanced pre-configured software stacks like Android and MeeGo.
how vertical markets are different

Although devices in vertical specialized markets (like medical or transportation) can work side-by-side, share many of the same features, or even compete with consumer products, they usually have more stringent requirements, as well as market-specific functions and features that may be proprietary to the device maker.
By their very nature many of these devices cannot fail. While the failure of a consumer device, like a dropped call on a cell phone can cause annoyance, and occasionally business or personal issues, it is rarely life-critical. However, if a medical device malfunctions, or the infotainment system in a car causes a sudden distraction to the driver, the device has the potential to trigger a life-threatening event. Safety, security, and reliability are therefore paramount. Security and high availability have always been a priority for Linux-based network systems, but safety can be a challenge with some open source software that may not be designed with these requirements in mind. Code that meets these stringent requirements, as well as market-specific applications and unique differentiated features, often are found in similar or previous versions of a device. This software needs to be re-purposed and reused whenever possible on new and next generation products. The open source development philosophy is evolutionary by design and moves on quickly to work on the latest and greatest rather than legacy software no matter how valuable it may be for a particular device.
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All of the above requirements require extra cycles and extensive testing before a device can come to market. Longer development cycles are common, although they grow shorter with every new product, but development will always take longer than consumer devices. This is balanced by typically long product lives, both in the length of time a device is sold, and in the time it is in use and supported by the manufacturer. Open source software change dramatically multiple times during these long life cycles, even during the development phase, and is often beyond the control of the device maker.
Finally, vertical markets adhere to standards and certification that can be several orders of magnitude more complex, costly, and time-consuming than on consumer devices. Certification can differ from country to country, and pose a particular set of challenges for devices to be sold globally. The development process itself is often part of the certification, which can be a problem when building a solution by integrating and testing existing open source software, rather than starting from scratch or using pre-certified commercial components. In fact, the certification process may take longer than the life cycle of a typical electronics product. Likewise, mixing proprietary and open source licensing requires knowledge and skill to design the system correctly, choose the appropriate models and terms, and apply proper management to ensure the proprietary code stays proprietary while respecting open source requirements.
the appeal of android

In just a couple of years, wireless handsets using Googles Android have captured the majority share of the smart-phone market. This market dominance, combined with its royalty-free, open source model and Googles commitment of resources, have made Android an appealing candidate for use in vertical market devices. Companies like Embedded Alley (acquired by Mentor Graphics in 2009) noticed early the potential for Android beyond mobile phones and have been pioneers in helping bring Android to vertical market devices. Chief among Androids appeal is its fairly mature full-stack integration, updated as often as twice a year by Google. This frequent updating is both an advantage and a problem, since vertical market development cycles often overlap one or more of these releases, and unless the device maker is a member of Googles hand-picked Open Handset Alliance (OHA), its hard to know what is coming next. Although Android uses open source licensing, it is controlled and developed by Google, not the open source community, and Google alone decides what features will be added or enhanced and when. In fact, Android is more than an integrated software stack. It is complete development environment with its own ecosystem, including a unique build system, configuration management tools, and a well-defined development process. While these tools are very effective for building an Android-based device, integrating them into a device makers development flow can be difficult.
With the current release of Android, Google has finally made it easier to integrate legacy C/C++ applications, so its important to the reuse model in vertical market devices but other challenges still remain. In spite of its frequent releases and feature updating, Android still retains some hard wired phone assumptions. For example, Android requires real Home and Back buttons, just fine for an Android-based phone, but a real design constraint for in-flight entertainment systems or back-seat in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) consoles where buttons may or may not be needed for other functions, and space is at a premium. Getting support for a non-phone development project can also be a challenge because Google has thus far only shown interest in handsets (and more recently general-purpose tablets and Google TV). Mentor Graphics can provide commercial support on several key non-handset Android platforms: ARM, MIPS, and Power Architectures.
the promise of meego

MeeGo is a much purer open source play. It is developed in the community, building releases by integrating upstream open source projects. Device makers can participate in consensus-driven roadmaps and new releases provide few surprises, which can be a very good thing for product development in vertical markets. MeeGo provides an excellent set of application development tools (QT). The platform development process, however, is less exposed to developers. Well resourced by the Linux Foundation (which includes Intel who contributed Moblin, its open source environment for Atom processors and until very recently Nokia, who contributed Maemo and QT), MeeGo is a true open source model, not controlled by a single company. MeeGo is of particular interest in the automotive IVI market since the GENIVI Alliance, an active group of over a hundred of the top automakers and suppliers in the world, has chosen it as the basis of its open source IVI specifications. Few MeeGo-based devices have yet to come to market. However, if its sponsors and the community as a whole continue to embrace MeeGo, it has some key advantages over Android for vertical market devices.
the versatility of embedded linux

Of course, a device maker could chose to build the entire open source stack themselves. (This had been the only choice before Android and MeeGo appeared, and was an important reason why both were developed.) The unlimited choice and lack of commercial control is a double-edged sword, since the development team must find, evaluate and test the options, then do all the integration and customization themselves, which can add significant time and cost to product development. Further, open source in the wild rarely has a clear roadmap or timetable.
conclusion
While vertical market devices are a good fit for the advantages of open source software in general, their exacting requirements, and long development and product life cycles can gain a significant advantage by using the integrated software stacks of Android or MeeGo. While technical and business challenges may need to be overcome, both can save significant time-to-market and help build better devices more efficiently.
about the authors

Vlad Buzov is a Software Architect at Mentor Embedded Professional Services, Vlad Buzov has more than 7 years experience in Embedded Linux programming which includes porting, customizing and optimizing existent products, and developing new custom solutions based on open source components for Mentor Embedded customers. Prior to Mentor, Vlad served as Senior Engineer at Embedded Alley and MontaVista Software. Originally from Russia, where Vlad received his Master Degree in Computer Science from St. Petersburg State University, he is now based in Silicon Valley. John Lehmann is responsible for Mentor Embedded Professional Services marketing. He brings over 20 years experience in Linux and UNIX system software for enterprise computing, consumer electronics, wireless handsets, and embedded devices.
android is a trademark of google inc. use of this trademark is subject to google permissions. linux is the registered trademark of linus torvalds in the u.s. and other countries.
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