The Future of ARM LinuxDavid A Rusling, CTO

May 2012

For more information: connect.linaro.org Contact: david.rusling@linaro.org

What do I Want?

● My phone is my primary device, I don't want it hacked● Always available, portable, connected● Take out of my pocket / bag and just use (no delays, no waiting)● 10 hours of battery life whatever the load (video / games)● All my devices and information syncronised with the cloud● ARM based systems already deliver this, just not everywhere (yet)...

The Future

● Mobile● iOS versus Android – it's all about the user experience

● Post PC● Desktop fades (think workstation)● Laptop / tablet – it's all about battery life and keyboard versus touch

● Enterprise● It's all about cooling and power● Ready for innovation

...So where does Linux and Linaro fit into this future?

Linux

● Android has driven ARM Linux into mobile● Tension with 'classic' Linux (fork-ing)● Not (yet) successful on tablets, but will be● Fragmentation diluting efforts

● Linux is amazingly successful in enterprise● Not the desktop (5%, maybe)● Kernel engineering is largely driven by this conservative (x86) market● How does the ARM community influence this conservative community?

How do we make ARM one of two key Linux architectures?

Taking ARM Linux Beyond Mobile

● Linaro was invented to solve the whole problem, not just mobile● We are a team that we can engineer complex, collaborative, open source solutions

● Finish consolidating mobile● Generalize Android support across many platforms● Merge Android kernel and 'classic' kernel

● Flexible platform infrastructure support in the kernel ● Embrace diversity

● Kernel accelleration● Graphics and audio buffer handling● Networking● RAID, Crypto ...

Standards

● Enterprise relies on standards● So does Windows 8● We need to pay attention to standards, supporting and promoting them● UEFI, ACPI etc● Boot architecture

● The pirates won't like it...

Avoiding Disasters

● Linaro continues to work on resolving engineering problems ● Kernel consolidation● UMM● Device Tree

● We need to prevent fragmentation before it happens● Cortex-A15● ARMv8 kernel● UEFI

Products and Technology

Our job is to enable the product makers:● Create stable, reliable, tested technology that can be integrated into platforms and be able to be tuned and proved

● big.LITTLE a good example of this