Linaro seeks to simplify ARM Linux landscape

“The ARM processor family is a complicated one, with many
different variations, leading to large numbers of separate
sub-architectures in the Linux kernel. A quick glance at the ARM
directory in a recent kernel tree shows nearly 70 different
sub-architectures, each corresponding to a different CPU or
system-on-chip (SoC). That complexity has made it harder to develop
new products for new or existing ARM devices. A new organization
that was formed by six silicon vendors, Linaro, seeks to simplify
that landscape, and allow easier—faster—development of
ARM-Linux-based products.

“Linaro was announced on June 3 as a non-profit company founded
by ARM, Freescale, IBM, Samsung, ST-Ericsson, and Texas Instruments
that intends to “provide a stable and optimized base for
distributions and developers by creating new releases of optimized
tools, kernel and middleware software validated for a wide range of
SoCs, every six months.” That six-month schedule aligns with
Ubuntu’s—the first release is due in November, one month
after Ubuntu 10.10—and Canonical will be heavily involved in
the effort. Linaro already has a project in Launchpad, Canonical’s
software collaboration platform, and it will seemingly take the
place of Ubuntu-ARM.”

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