To get the most out of this book

To understand this book better, it is crucial that you have some previous background about some of the topics that are not covered or are just briefly mentioned in the text, such as Git and general knowledge of Linux kernel and its basic compilation process.

To understand the big picture of the Yocto Project before going to the technical concepts detailed in this book, we recommend the open sourced booklet, Heading for the Yocto Project, found in the Git repository at https://git.io/vFUiI; the content of this booklet is intended to help newcomers to gain a better understanding of the goals of the Yocto Project and its potential uses. It provides an overview of the project before diving into the technical details of how things can be done.

A basic understanding of the use of the GNU/Linux environment and embedded Linux is required, as well as the general concepts used in development, such as compilation, debugging, deployment, and installation. In addition, some experience with shell script and Python is a bonus because these programming languages are core technologies used extensively by the Yocto Project’s tools.

However, you may prefer to learn more about those topics. In that case, we recommend the book Mastering Embedded Linux Programming - Third Edition, ISBN-13 978-1789530384, by Chris Simmonds.

You shouldn’t take any missing concepts – of those we enumerated above – as a deterrent but as something you can learn and, at the same time, practice their use with this book.