[ros-users] Lets bring down RoS!

[Daniel Stonier]

*...to the embedded level.*

Greetings all,

Firstly, my apologies - couldn't resist the pun.

This is targeted at anyone who is either working with a fully cross-compiled
ros or simply using it as a convenient build environment to do embedded
programming with toolchains.

Some of you might remember myself sending out an email to the list about
getting together on collaborating for the RoS at the embedded level rather
than having us all flying solo all the time. Since then, I'm happy to say,
Willow has generously offered us space on their server to create a
repository for supporting embedded/cross-compiling development which has now
been kick-started with a relatively small, but convenient framework that
we've been using and testing at Yujin Robot for a while. The lads there have
been excellent guinea pigs, particularly since most of them were very new to
linux and had absolutely no or little experience in cross-compiling.

*Eros*
*
*
A quick summary of what we have there so far:

   - A project server - https://code.ros.org/gf/project/eros/
   - A home page on the RoS wiki - http://www.ros.org/wiki/eros
   - Some python tools to assist in cross-compilation -
   http://www.ros.org/wiki/eros_python_tools
   - Toolchain and platform cmake module libraries -
   http://www.ros.org/wiki/eros_python_tools/rostoolchain
   - Patches until they get merged upstream -
   http://www.ros.org/wiki/eros_python_tools/Patches
   - A toolchain bridge that will convert an existing toolchain into a
   read-to-go ros toolchain - http://www.ros.org/wiki/eros/ToolchainBridge
   - Some build recipes for embedded versions of packages, e.g. opencv.
   - Some tutorials, e.g. instructions for doing a partial
cross<http://www.ros.org/wiki/eros/PartialCross>or a full
   cross <http://www.ros.org/wiki/eros/FullCross> of the ros.
   - ...and various other things


If you want to take the tools for a test run, simply svn eros into your
stacks directory of your ros install. e.g.

> roscd
> cd ../stacks
> svn co https://code.ros.org/svn/eros/trunk ./eros

*Getting Involved*
*
*
But, what would be great at this juncture would be to have other embedded
beards jump on board and get involved.


   - Tutorials on the wiki - platform howtos, system building notes...
   - General discussion on the eros
forums<https://code.ros.org/gf/project/eros/forum/>
   .
   - Feedback on the current set of tools.
   - New ideas.
   - Diagnostic packages.
   - New toolchain/platform modules.
   - Future development


If you'd like to get involved, create an account on the wiki/project server
and send me an email (d.stonier at gmail.com).

*Future Plans*
*
*
The goals <http://www.ros.org/wiki/eros/Goals> page outlines where I've been
thinking of taking eros, but of course this is not fixed and as its early,
very open to new ideas. However, two big components I'd like to address in
the future include:

*Embedded package installer* - a package+dependency chain (aka rosmake)
installer. This is a bit different to Willow's planned stack installer, but
will need to co-exist alongside it and should use as much of its
functionality as possible.
*
*
*Abstracted System Builder as an Os - *hooking in something like
OpenEmbedded as an abstracted OS that can work with rosdeps.

and of course, making the eros wiki alot more replete with embedded
knowledge.

Kind Regards,
Dr. Daniel Stonier.

-- 
Phone : +82-10-5400-3296 (010-5400-3296)
Home: http://snorriheim.dnsdojo.com/
Yujin Robot: http://www.yujinrobot.com/
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