PCWorld has a quick writeup of a project called Automotive Grade Linux, run by the Linux Foundation.
The goal is straightforward enough — to create a Linux flavor that meets the needs of the automotive industry.
They’re starting with a focus on infotainment consoles, which are the big screens in the center of many modern cars that offer navigation, music, Bluetooth integration, and more.
But the eventual goal is to be the operating system for the entire car.
This is an interesting idea, and analogous to the hardware world. Automotive grade hardware is often a modified version of off-the-shelf hardware, with housing designed for the rough conditions and longer lifetimes required by a car.
One concern I have is whether there will be enough of an ecosystem around AGL. Ubuntu isn’t a perfect solution for cars, but one nice thing about it is that so many people use Ubuntu that the bugs are driven out quickly.
David Silver 