Embedded Linux and GUI

[AtomSoft]

Hey guys I'm back again. I don't really have a project in mind but wanted to know if anyone had info on devices or the process of setting up linux with a custom gui..

Like for example... an atm might use linux and just show the gui to the user.

Basically is like to know if it's possible to have linux as a base and only have 1 main program to run on it. If the system reboots it loads that one thing. There is nothing else to load.

Would i simply have to set that linux run that program on startup but then I'd have to load an entire desktop system under it right?

BTW this is for embedded stuff like the A10 processor. Or similar

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Well I can't say that I'm at all confident or competent with Linux, but going way back to the Commodore Amiga days (which was a variant of UNIX), and to the Raspberry PI today, the desktop system is an entirely separate system of programs that you specifically run in order to use it.

Windows used to be like that as well (and may well still be?, hidden under the Win10 umbrella).

So basically you simply run a DOS system, instead of a GUI one - resulting in much greater speed, available resources, and faster boot-up times.

If you want a GUI type interface, you simply load the GUI and auto-run the program you need - presumably it's just a matter of editting text files that control most things on a PI.

Back to the Commodore Amiga, it was used in a range of commercial arcade games, where it booted directly in to a user 'GUI', which allowed the player to select from a number of different games.

 

[AtomSoft]

Thanks Nigel, i had a feeling thats how it was done... only because of windows 95 lol Also ive seen that some linux distros have options for a DESKTOP like GNOME and KDE... there are some ive seen that allows users to switch... Its weird.

I would love to get a linux system running on a SOC like the A10 or A13 and just run 1 GUI app. So i can get the full benefits of the OS while not killing the CPU

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Thanks Nigel, i had a feeling thats how it was done... only because of windows 95 lol Also ive seen that some linux distros have options for a DESKTOP like GNOME and KDE... there are some ive seen that allows users to switch... Its weird.

I would love to get a linux system running on a SOC like the A10 or A13 and just run 1 GUI app. So i can get the full benefits of the OS while not killing the CPU

Well there's lot's of LINUX distros about, for all kinds of processors - but you might try playing for a PI for a start, as there's such a lot of info out there for them, not that I really know very much about PI's, I've never really got on with them very well (I think I have four).

 

[KeepItSimpleStupid]

Many Linux based routers and TV set top boxes are based on BusyBox. I have both. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BusyBox In both cases there is no GUI, but you can telnet into both.

 

[AtomSoft]

Well there's lot's of LINUX distros about, for all kinds of processors - but you might try playing for a PI for a start, as there's such a lot of info out there for them, not that I really know very much about PI's, I've never really got on with them very well (I think I have four).

Nigel I actually have 4 Pi's as well that i dont use. 2 Pi Zero Wireless and 2 Pi Zero (Non wireless). Im actually designing a Little pcb for one for my Wife as a gift to my mother in-law. But beyond that not much touching them...

The ONLY issue i hate! with ALL PI's is the BROADCOM stuff is confidential. I mean i could always get datasheets the BAD way but no real support that route.

I love the Allwinner stuff. Cheap and OPEN!

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Olimex-Ltd/A13-SOM-256?qs=LJVcMnrsQhf5WH0jEb0KKA%3D%3D&gclid=Cj0KCQiAtOjyBRC0ARIsAIpJyGPsltR49DSivr0fWkDaQ_crN5mYGUo9NYXSKpc-frGsWNqrPItXXT4aAsEzEALw_wcB

or this is nice:

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Olimex-Ltd/iMX233-OLINUXINO-MICRO?qs=sGAEpiMZZMtw0nEwywcFgCWhhm7VSK%252B9czpjA0qv%252Bc0%3D

Either way i think a single GUI would run nice on these.

 

[AtomSoft]

Might get this and see what I can do.. even if it's just a simple blinky thing.. like user press a button and changes the blink rate.. gotta start somewhere lol

**broken link removed**

 

[be80be]

The A10 has tons of linux support but it's be on me how to get one to boot
I got a brand new SBC with the A10 on it booted one time and some how killed the boot files
I was reading that it was a problem with the way it was booting off a flash chip if the power dies before booting is done
it can write back over the boot block which it did. LOL
I give up on it till I have more time I made a boot.img for SD witch the A10 can boot from but as now I not made it happen.
Read up over here https://raymii.org/s/articles/Olimex_OlinuXino _10 Lime_uBoot_Kernel.html

 

[be80be]

I have a Rubix A10 it's a nice board but the thing has no support you can find stuff yes but all the links are dead
to like the recover .img

 

[AtomSoft]

I have a Rubix A10 it's a nice board but the thing has no support you can find stuff yes but all the links are dead
to like the recover .img
View attachment 123424

That is a beautiful beast

 

[be80be]

I got it for like nothing at a hobby store it had been returned the uBoot.img is what it's called is messed up I had a very limited liunx setup on it that let's you program arduino it has the same pinout but I built 3 uboot.imgs couldn't get it to boot I maybe play with it some more now i have more time.

Let me add I did boot it one time LOL then the uboot messed up I read where if you kill the power you mess the uboot up
my guess thats why I got it for nothing to begin with It's come's on and just wait's to boot

 

[AtomSoft]

A10 Boot process and an UPDATED Uboot for the A10

Second link downloads ok

Also this may work...

GitHub - linux-sunxi/u-boot-sunxi: Allwinner A1x native u-boot support

Allwinner A1x native u-boot support. Contribute to linux-sunxi/u-boot-sunxi development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

Has a reference to Rubix A10

 

[Ian Rogers]

Many Linux based routers and TV set top boxes are based on BusyBox. I have both. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BusyBox In both cases there is no GUI, but you can telnet into both.

most routers are accessed via html.... It's still classed as a GUI.. A lot of them look really good.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

most routers are accessed via html.... It's still classed as a GUI.. A lot of them look really good.

I've never seen a router that wasn't HTML, but you can't normally access set top boxes via HTML (not any I've seen in the UK) and I can't say I was aware that you could telnet to them, although it makes sense to allow service access and setup changes (not for the customer though, and probably factory only).

 

[AtomSoft]

The issue is you'd still need a seperate device to access that html. I'm talking about a stand alone device with an lcd.. but that is a good idea.. maybe a cellphone to access the html as it would cut cost of physical parts as well.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

The issue is you'd still need a seperate device to access that html. I'm talking about a stand alone device with an lcd.. but that is a good idea.. maybe a cellphone to access the html as it would cut cost of physical parts as well.

I've used a Bluetooth module to connect a cellphone (running a terminal program) to a serial port, both for setting up a device (two way) and for displaying simple debugging information (one way). I was initially planning building a simple LCD terminal with a TFT screen and a processor, then realised a cellphone would do just as well by using a cheap Bluetooth module.

 

[KeepItSimpleStupid]

I forgot, my ASUS router you can access via ssh, telnet and html; The set top box, telnet (factory only) and html and I think my DSL modem telnet and html.

 

[rjenkinsgb]

Basically is like to know if it's possible to have linux as a base and only have 1 main program to run on it. If the system reboots it loads that one thing. There is nothing else to load.

Would i simply have to set that linux run that program on startup but then I'd have to load an entire desktop system under it right?

You can change the startup mode from graphical to multi-user
That then does not start the X server at all, you just have a command line or SSH interface.

And, create a script file
/etc/rc.d/rc.local

then put any commands you want to run on startup in that (at least, on Fedora 31, which is what I'm presently running on some Pi boards).

You can use that to start your dedicated program, with no xwindows overhead.


To disable xwindows at start on that distro, you run this from a terminal:
systemctl set-default multi-user.target

At the next start you will just get a text login prompt on each terminal.

Other distros may well need different commands.


I'm using a Pi board configured like that for dedicated Quake II deathmatch server.. The game itself and serverconfigmod addons were compiled on the same board, with gcc etc. installed.

Fedora for the Pi, if you want to try it:

Architectures/ARM/Raspberry Pi - Fedora Project Wiki

fedoraproject.org