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<!DOCTYPE chapter PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.2//EN"
"http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.2/docbookx.dtd"
[<!ENTITY % poky SYSTEM "../poky.ent"> %poky; ] >

<chapter id='dev-manual-intro'>

<title>The Yocto Project Development Manual</title>
    <section id='dev-intro'>
        <title>Introduction</title>

        <para>
            Welcome to the Yocto Project Development Manual!
            This manual provides information on how to use the Yocto Project to
            develop embedded Linux images and user-space applications that
            run on targeted devices.
            The manual provides an overview of image, kernel, and
            user-space application development using the Yocto Project.
            Because much of the information in this manual is general, it
            contains many references to other sources where you can find more
            detail.
            For example, you can find detailed information on Git, repositories,
            and open source in general in many places on the Internet.
            Another example specific to the Yocto Project is how to quickly
            set up your host development system and build an image, which you
            find in the
            <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_QS_URL;'>Yocto Project Quick Start</ulink>.
        </para>

        <para>
            The Yocto Project Development Manual does, however, provide
            guidance and examples on how to change the kernel source code,
            reconfigure the kernel, and develop an application using
            <filename>devtool</filename>.
        </para>

        <note>
            By default, using the Yocto Project creates a Poky distribution.
            However, you can create your own distribution by providing key
            <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#metadata'>Metadata</ulink>.
            A good example is Angstrom, which has had a distribution
            based on the Yocto Project since its inception.
            Other examples include commercial distributions like
            <ulink url='https://www.yoctoproject.org/organization/wind-river-systems'>Wind River Linux</ulink>,
            <ulink url='https://www.yoctoproject.org/organization/mentor-graphics'>Mentor Embedded Linux</ulink>,
            <ulink url='https://www.yoctoproject.org/organization/enea-ab'>ENEA Linux</ulink>
            and <ulink url='https://www.yoctoproject.org/ecosystem/member-organizations'>others</ulink>.
            See the "<link linkend='creating-your-own-distribution'>Creating Your Own Distribution</link>"
            section for more information.
        </note>
    </section>

    <section id='what-this-manual-provides'>
        <title>What This Manual Provides</title>

        <para>
            The following list describes what you can get from this manual:
            <itemizedlist>
                <listitem><para>Information that lets you get set
                    up to develop using the Yocto Project.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para>Information to help developers who are new to
                    the open source environment and to the distributed revision
                    control system Git, which the Yocto Project uses.
                    </para></listitem>
                <listitem><para>An understanding of common end-to-end
                    development models and tasks.</para></listitem>
                <listitem><para>Information about common development tasks
                    generally used during image development for
                    embedded devices.
                    </para></listitem>
                <listitem><para>Information on using the Yocto Project
                    integration of the QuickEMUlator (QEMU), which lets you
                    simulate running on hardware an image you have built using
                    the OpenEmbedded build system.
                    </para></listitem>
                <listitem><para>Many references to other sources of related
                    information.</para></listitem>
            </itemizedlist>
        </para>
    </section>

    <section id='what-this-manual-does-not-provide'>
        <title>What this Manual Does Not Provide</title>

        <para>
            This manual will not give you the following:
            <itemizedlist>
                <listitem><para><emphasis>Step-by-step instructions when those instructions exist in other Yocto
                    Project documentation:</emphasis>
                    For example, the
                    <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_SDK_URL;'>Yocto Project Software Development Kit (SDK) Developer's Guide</ulink>
                    manual contains detailed instructions on how to install an
                    SDK, which is used to develop applications for target
                    hardware.
                    </para></listitem>
                <listitem><para><emphasis>Reference material:</emphasis>
                    This type of material resides in an appropriate reference manual.
                    For example, system variables are documented in the
                    <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;'>Yocto Project Reference Manual</ulink>.
                    </para></listitem>
                <listitem><para><emphasis>Detailed public information that is not specific to the Yocto Project:</emphasis>
                    For example, exhaustive information on how to use Git is covered better through the
                    Internet than in this manual.
                    </para></listitem>
            </itemizedlist>
        </para>
    </section>

    <section id='other-information'>
        <title>Other Information</title>

        <para>
            Because this manual presents information for many different
            topics, supplemental information is recommended for full
            comprehension.
            See the
            "<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#resources-links-and-related-documentation'>Links and Related Documentation</ulink>"
            section in the Yocto Project Reference Manual for helpful
            sources.
        </para>
    </section>
</chapter>
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