development-environment.rst 32 KB

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  1. .. SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-SA-2.0-UK
  2. *****************************************
  3. The Yocto Project Development Environment
  4. *****************************************
  5. This chapter takes a look at the Yocto Project development environment.
  6. The chapter provides Yocto Project Development environment concepts that
  7. help you understand how work is accomplished in an open source
  8. environment, which is very different as compared to work accomplished in
  9. a closed, proprietary environment.
  10. Specifically, this chapter addresses open source philosophy, source
  11. repositories, workflows, Git, and licensing.
  12. Open Source Philosophy
  13. ======================
  14. Open source philosophy is characterized by software development directed
  15. by peer production and collaboration through an active community of
  16. developers. Contrast this to the more standard centralized development
  17. models used by commercial software companies where a finite set of
  18. developers produces a product for sale using a defined set of procedures
  19. that ultimately result in an end product whose architecture and source
  20. material are closed to the public.
  21. Open source projects conceptually have differing concurrent agendas,
  22. approaches, and production. These facets of the development process can
  23. come from anyone in the public (community) who has a stake in the
  24. software project. The open source environment contains new copyright,
  25. licensing, domain, and consumer issues that differ from the more
  26. traditional development environment. In an open source environment, the
  27. end product, source material, and documentation are all available to the
  28. public at no cost.
  29. A benchmark example of an open source project is the Linux kernel, which
  30. was initially conceived and created by Finnish computer science student
  31. Linus Torvalds in 1991. Conversely, a good example of a non-open source
  32. project is the Windows family of operating systems developed by
  33. Microsoft Corporation.
  34. Wikipedia has a good :wikipedia:`historical description of the Open Source
  35. Philosophy <Open_source>`. You can also find helpful information on how
  36. to participate in the Linux Community
  37. `here <https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/process/index.html>`__.
  38. The Development Host
  39. ====================
  40. A development host or :term:`Build Host` is key to
  41. using the Yocto Project. Because the goal of the Yocto Project is to
  42. develop images or applications that run on embedded hardware,
  43. development of those images and applications generally takes place on a
  44. system not intended to run the software --- the development host.
  45. You need to set up a development host in order to use it with the Yocto
  46. Project. Most find that it is best to have a native Linux machine
  47. function as the development host. However, it is possible to use a
  48. system that does not run Linux as its operating system as your
  49. development host. When you have a Mac or Windows-based system, you can
  50. set it up as the development host by using
  51. `CROPS <https://github.com/crops/poky-container>`__, which leverages
  52. `Docker Containers <https://www.docker.com/>`__. Once you take the steps
  53. to set up a CROPS machine, you effectively have access to a shell
  54. environment that is similar to what you see when using a Linux-based
  55. development host. For the steps needed to set up a system using CROPS,
  56. see the
  57. ":ref:`dev-manual/start:setting up to use cross platforms (crops)`"
  58. section in
  59. the Yocto Project Development Tasks Manual.
  60. If your development host is going to be a system that runs a Linux
  61. distribution, you must still take steps to prepare the system
  62. for use with the Yocto Project. You need to be sure that the Linux
  63. distribution on the system is one that supports the Yocto Project. You
  64. also need to be sure that the correct set of host packages are installed
  65. that allow development using the Yocto Project. For the steps needed to
  66. set up a development host that runs Linux, see the
  67. ":ref:`dev-manual/start:setting up a native linux host`"
  68. section in the Yocto Project Development Tasks Manual.
  69. Once your development host is set up to use the Yocto Project, there
  70. are several ways of working in the Yocto Project environment:
  71. - *Command Lines, BitBake, and Shells:* Traditional development in the
  72. Yocto Project involves using the :term:`OpenEmbedded Build System`,
  73. which uses
  74. BitBake, in a command-line environment from a shell on your
  75. development host. You can accomplish this from a host that is a
  76. native Linux machine or from a host that has been set up with CROPS.
  77. Either way, you create, modify, and build images and applications all
  78. within a shell-based environment using components and tools available
  79. through your Linux distribution and the Yocto Project.
  80. For a general flow of the build procedures, see the
  81. ":ref:`dev-manual/building:building a simple image`"
  82. section in the Yocto Project Development Tasks Manual.
  83. - *Board Support Package (BSP) Development:* Development of BSPs
  84. involves using the Yocto Project to create and test layers that allow
  85. easy development of images and applications targeted for specific
  86. hardware. To development BSPs, you need to take some additional steps
  87. beyond what was described in setting up a development host.
  88. The :doc:`/bsp-guide/index` provides BSP-related development
  89. information. For specifics on development host preparation, see the
  90. ":ref:`bsp-guide/bsp:preparing your build host to work with bsp layers`"
  91. section in the Yocto Project Board Support Package (BSP) Developer's
  92. Guide.
  93. - *Kernel Development:* If you are going to be developing kernels using
  94. the Yocto Project you likely will be using ``devtool``. A workflow
  95. using ``devtool`` makes kernel development quicker by reducing
  96. iteration cycle times.
  97. The :doc:`/kernel-dev/index` provides kernel-related
  98. development information. For specifics on development host
  99. preparation, see the
  100. ":ref:`kernel-dev/common:preparing the build host to work on the kernel`"
  101. section in the Yocto Project Linux Kernel Development Manual.
  102. - *Using Toaster:* The other Yocto Project development method that
  103. involves an interface that effectively puts the Yocto Project into
  104. the background is Toaster. Toaster provides an interface to the
  105. OpenEmbedded build system. The interface enables you to configure and
  106. run your builds. Information about builds is collected and stored in
  107. a database. You can use Toaster to configure and start builds on
  108. multiple remote build servers.
  109. For steps that show you how to set up your development host to use
  110. Toaster and on how to use Toaster in general, see the
  111. :doc:`/toaster-manual/index`.
  112. - *Using the VSCode Extension:* You can use the `Yocto Project BitBake
  113. <https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=yocto-project.yocto-bitbake>`__
  114. extension for Visual Studio Code to start your BitBake builds through a
  115. graphical user interface.
  116. Learn more about the VSCode Extension on the `extension's marketplace page
  117. <https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=yocto-project.yocto-bitbake>`__.
  118. Yocto Project Source Repositories
  119. =================================
  120. The Yocto Project team maintains complete source repositories for all
  121. Yocto Project files at :yocto_git:`/`. This web-based source
  122. code browser is organized into categories by function such as IDE
  123. Plugins, Matchbox, Poky, Yocto Linux Kernel, and so forth. From the
  124. interface, you can click on any particular item in the "Name" column and
  125. see the URL at the bottom of the page that you need to clone a Git
  126. repository for that particular item. Having a local Git repository of
  127. the :term:`Source Directory`, which
  128. is usually named "poky", allows you to make changes, contribute to the
  129. history, and ultimately enhance the Yocto Project's tools, Board Support
  130. Packages, and so forth.
  131. For any supported release of Yocto Project, you can also go to the
  132. :yocto_home:`Yocto Project Website <>` and select the "DOWNLOADS"
  133. item from the "SOFTWARE" menu and get a released tarball of the ``poky``
  134. repository, any supported BSP tarball, or Yocto Project tools. Unpacking
  135. these tarballs gives you a snapshot of the released files.
  136. .. note::
  137. - The recommended method for setting up the Yocto Project
  138. :term:`Source Directory` and the files
  139. for supported BSPs (e.g., ``meta-intel``) is to use
  140. :ref:`overview-manual/development-environment:git`
  141. to create a local copy of the upstream repositories.
  142. - Be sure to always work in matching branches for both the selected
  143. BSP repository and the Source Directory (i.e. ``poky``)
  144. repository. For example, if you have checked out the "&DISTRO_NAME_NO_CAP;"
  145. branch of ``poky`` and you are going to use ``meta-intel``, be
  146. sure to checkout the "&DISTRO_NAME_NO_CAP;" branch of ``meta-intel``.
  147. In summary, here is where you can get the project files needed for
  148. development:
  149. - :yocto_git:`Source Repositories: <>` This area contains Poky, Yocto
  150. documentation, metadata layers, and Linux kernel. You can create local
  151. copies of Git repositories for each of these areas.
  152. .. image:: figures/source-repos.png
  153. :width: 100%
  154. For steps on how to view and access these upstream Git repositories,
  155. see the ":ref:`dev-manual/start:accessing source repositories`"
  156. Section in the Yocto Project Development Tasks Manual.
  157. - :yocto_dl:`Yocto release archives: </releases/yocto>` This is where you can
  158. download tarballs corresponding to each Yocto Project release. Downloading
  159. and extracting these files does not produce a local copy of a Git repository
  160. but rather a snapshot corresponding to a particular release.
  161. - :yocto_home:`DOWNLOADS page </software-overview/downloads/>`:
  162. The :yocto_home:`Yocto Project website <>` includes a "DOWNLOADS" page accessible
  163. through the "SOFTWARE" menu that allows you to download any Yocto
  164. Project release, tool, and Board Support Package (BSP) in tarball
  165. form. The hyperlinks point to the tarballs under
  166. :yocto_dl:`/releases/yocto/`.
  167. .. image:: figures/yp-download.png
  168. :width: 100%
  169. For steps on how to use the "DOWNLOADS" page, see the
  170. ":ref:`dev-manual/start:using the downloads page`"
  171. section in the Yocto Project Development Tasks Manual.
  172. Git Workflows and the Yocto Project
  173. ===================================
  174. Developing using the Yocto Project likely requires the use of
  175. :ref:`overview-manual/development-environment:git`.
  176. Git is a free, open source distributed version control
  177. system used as part of many collaborative design environments. This
  178. section provides workflow concepts using the Yocto Project and Git. In
  179. particular, the information covers basic practices that describe roles
  180. and actions in a collaborative development environment.
  181. .. note::
  182. If you are familiar with this type of development environment, you
  183. might not want to read this section.
  184. The Yocto Project files are maintained using Git in "branches" whose Git
  185. histories track every change and whose structures provide branches for
  186. all diverging functionality. Although there is no need to use Git, many
  187. open source projects do so.
  188. For the Yocto Project, a key individual called the "maintainer" is
  189. responsible for the integrity of the development branch of a given Git
  190. repository. The development branch is the "upstream" repository from which
  191. final or most recent builds of a project occur. The maintainer is
  192. responsible for accepting changes from other developers and for
  193. organizing the underlying branch structure to reflect release strategies
  194. and so forth.
  195. .. note::
  196. For information on finding out who is responsible for (maintains) a
  197. particular area of code in the Yocto Project, see the
  198. ":doc:`../contributor-guide/identify-component`"
  199. section of the Yocto Project and OpenEmbedded Contributor Guide.
  200. The Yocto Project ``poky`` Git repository also has an upstream
  201. contribution Git repository named ``poky-contrib``. You can see all the
  202. branches in this repository using the web interface of the
  203. :yocto_git:`Source Repositories <>` organized within the "Poky Support"
  204. area. These branches hold changes (commits) to the project that have
  205. been submitted or committed by the Yocto Project development team and by
  206. community members who contribute to the project. The maintainer
  207. determines if the changes are qualified to be moved from the "contrib"
  208. branches into the "master" branch of the Git repository.
  209. Developers (including contributing community members) create and
  210. maintain cloned repositories of upstream branches. The cloned
  211. repositories are local to their development platforms and are used to
  212. develop changes. When a developer is satisfied with a particular feature
  213. or change, they "push" the change to the appropriate "contrib"
  214. repository.
  215. Developers are responsible for keeping their local repository up-to-date
  216. with whatever upstream branch they are working against. They are also
  217. responsible for straightening out any conflicts that might arise within
  218. files that are being worked on simultaneously by more than one person.
  219. All this work is done locally on the development host before anything is
  220. pushed to a "contrib" area and examined at the maintainer's level.
  221. There is a somewhat formal method by which developers commit changes and
  222. push them into the "contrib" area and subsequently request that the
  223. maintainer include them into an upstream branch. This process is called
  224. "submitting a patch" or "submitting a change." For information on
  225. submitting patches and changes, see the
  226. ":doc:`../contributor-guide/submit-changes`" section in the Yocto Project
  227. and OpenEmbedded Contributor Guide.
  228. In summary, there is a single point of entry for changes into the
  229. development branch of the Git repository, which is controlled by the
  230. project's maintainer. A set of developers independently
  231. develop, test, and submit changes to "contrib" areas for the maintainer
  232. to examine. The maintainer then chooses which changes are going to
  233. become a permanent part of the project.
  234. .. image:: svg/git-workflow.*
  235. :width: 100%
  236. While each development environment is unique, there are some best
  237. practices or methods that help development run smoothly. The following
  238. list describes some of these practices. For more information about Git
  239. workflows, see the workflow topics in the `Git Community
  240. Book <https://book.git-scm.com>`__.
  241. - *Make Small Changes:* It is best to keep the changes you commit small
  242. as compared to bundling many disparate changes into a single commit.
  243. This practice not only keeps things manageable but also allows the
  244. maintainer to more easily include or refuse changes.
  245. - *Make Complete Changes:* It is also good practice to leave the
  246. repository in a state that allows you to still successfully build
  247. your project. In other words, do not commit half of a feature, then
  248. add the other half as a separate, later commit. Each commit should
  249. take you from one buildable project state to another buildable state.
  250. - *Use Branches Liberally:* It is very easy to create, use, and delete
  251. local branches in your working Git repository on the development
  252. host. You can name these branches anything you like. It is helpful to
  253. give them names associated with the particular feature or change on
  254. which you are working. Once you are done with a feature or change and
  255. have merged it into your local development branch, simply discard the
  256. temporary branch.
  257. - *Merge Changes:* The ``git merge`` command allows you to take the
  258. changes from one branch and fold them into another branch. This
  259. process is especially helpful when more than a single developer might
  260. be working on different parts of the same feature. Merging changes
  261. also automatically identifies any collisions or "conflicts" that
  262. might happen as a result of the same lines of code being altered by
  263. two different developers.
  264. - *Manage Branches:* Because branches are easy to use, you should use a
  265. system where branches indicate varying levels of code readiness. For
  266. example, you can have a "work" branch to develop in, a "test" branch
  267. where the code or change is tested, a "stage" branch where changes
  268. are ready to be committed, and so forth. As your project develops,
  269. you can merge code across the branches to reflect ever-increasing
  270. stable states of the development.
  271. - *Use Push and Pull:* The push-pull workflow is based on the concept
  272. of developers "pushing" local commits to a remote repository, which
  273. is usually a contribution repository. This workflow is also based on
  274. developers "pulling" known states of the project down into their
  275. local development repositories. The workflow easily allows you to
  276. pull changes submitted by other developers from the upstream
  277. repository into your work area ensuring that you have the most recent
  278. software on which to develop. The Yocto Project has two scripts named
  279. ``create-pull-request`` and ``send-pull-request`` that ship with the
  280. release to facilitate this workflow. You can find these scripts in
  281. the ``scripts`` folder of the :term:`Source Directory`. For information
  282. on how to use these scripts, see the
  283. ":ref:`contributor-guide/submit-changes:using scripts to push a change upstream and request a pull`"
  284. section in the Yocto Project and OpenEmbedded Contributor Guide.
  285. - *Patch Workflow:* This workflow allows you to notify the maintainer
  286. through an email that you have a change (or patch) you would like
  287. considered for the development branch of the Git repository. To send
  288. this type of change, you format the patch and then send the email
  289. using the Git commands ``git format-patch`` and ``git send-email``.
  290. For information on how to use these scripts, see the
  291. ":doc:`../contributor-guide/submit-changes`" section in the Yocto Project
  292. and OpenEmbedded Contributor Guide.
  293. Git
  294. ===
  295. The Yocto Project makes extensive use of Git, which is a free, open
  296. source distributed version control system. Git supports distributed
  297. development, non-linear development, and can handle large projects. It
  298. is best that you have some fundamental understanding of how Git tracks
  299. projects and how to work with Git if you are going to use the Yocto
  300. Project for development. This section provides a quick overview of how
  301. Git works and provides you with a summary of some essential Git
  302. commands.
  303. .. note::
  304. - For more information on Git, see
  305. https://git-scm.com/documentation.
  306. - If you need to download Git, it is recommended that you add Git to
  307. your system through your distribution's "software store" (e.g. for
  308. Ubuntu, use the Ubuntu Software feature). For the Git download
  309. page, see https://git-scm.com/download.
  310. - For information beyond the introductory nature in this section,
  311. see the ":ref:`dev-manual/start:locating yocto project source files`"
  312. section in the Yocto Project Development Tasks Manual.
  313. Repositories, Tags, and Branches
  314. --------------------------------
  315. As mentioned briefly in the previous section and also in the
  316. ":ref:`overview-manual/development-environment:git workflows and the yocto project`"
  317. section, the Yocto Project maintains source repositories at :yocto_git:`/`.
  318. If you look at this web-interface of the repositories, each item is a separate
  319. Git repository.
  320. Git repositories use branching techniques that track content change (not
  321. files) within a project (e.g. a new feature or updated documentation).
  322. Creating a tree-like structure based on project divergence allows for
  323. excellent historical information over the life of a project. This
  324. methodology also allows for an environment from which you can do lots of
  325. local experimentation on projects as you develop changes or new
  326. features.
  327. A Git repository represents all development efforts for a given project.
  328. For example, the Git repository ``poky`` contains all changes and
  329. developments for that repository over the course of its entire life.
  330. That means that all changes that make up all releases are captured. The
  331. repository maintains a complete history of changes.
  332. You can create a local copy of any repository by "cloning" it with the
  333. ``git clone`` command. When you clone a Git repository, you end up with
  334. an identical copy of the repository on your development system. Once you
  335. have a local copy of a repository, you can take steps to develop
  336. locally. For examples on how to clone Git repositories, see the
  337. ":ref:`dev-manual/start:locating yocto project source files`"
  338. section in the Yocto Project Development Tasks Manual.
  339. It is important to understand that Git tracks content change and not
  340. files. Git uses "branches" to organize different development efforts.
  341. For example, the ``poky`` repository has several branches that include
  342. the current "&DISTRO_NAME_NO_CAP;" branch, the "master" branch, and many
  343. branches for past Yocto Project releases. You can see all the branches
  344. by going to :yocto_git:`/poky/` and clicking on the
  345. ``[...]`` link beneath the "Branch" heading.
  346. Each of these branches represents a specific area of development. The
  347. "master" branch represents the current or most recent development. All
  348. other branches represent offshoots of the "master" branch.
  349. When you create a local copy of a Git repository, the copy has the same
  350. set of branches as the original. This means you can use Git to create a
  351. local working area (also called a branch) that tracks a specific
  352. development branch from the upstream source Git repository. In other
  353. words, you can define your local Git environment to work on any
  354. development branch in the repository. To help illustrate, consider the
  355. following example Git commands::
  356. $ cd ~
  357. $ git clone git://git.yoctoproject.org/poky -b &DISTRO_NAME_NO_CAP;
  358. In the previous example
  359. after moving to the home directory, the ``git clone`` command creates a
  360. local copy of the upstream ``poky`` Git repository and checks out a
  361. local branch named "&DISTRO_NAME_NO_CAP;", which tracks the upstream
  362. "origin/&DISTRO_NAME_NO_CAP;" branch. Changes you make while in this
  363. branch would ultimately affect the upstream "&DISTRO_NAME_NO_CAP;" branch
  364. of the ``poky`` repository.
  365. It is important to understand that when you create and checkout a local
  366. working branch based on a branch name, your local environment matches
  367. the "tip" of that particular development branch at the time you created
  368. your local branch, which could be different from the files in the
  369. "master" branch of the upstream repository. In other words, creating and
  370. checking out a local branch based on the "&DISTRO_NAME_NO_CAP;" branch
  371. name is not the same as checking out the "master" branch in the
  372. repository. Keep reading to see how you create a local snapshot of a
  373. Yocto Project Release.
  374. Git uses "tags" to mark specific changes in a repository branch
  375. structure. Typically, a tag is used to mark a special point such as the
  376. final change (or commit) before a project is released. You can see the
  377. tags used with the ``poky`` Git repository by going to :yocto_git:`/poky/`
  378. and clicking on the ``[...]`` link beneath the "Tag" heading.
  379. Some key tags for the ``poky`` repository are ``jethro-14.0.3``,
  380. ``morty-16.0.1``, ``pyro-17.0.0``, and
  381. ``&DISTRO_NAME_NO_CAP;-&DISTRO;``. These tags represent Yocto Project
  382. releases.
  383. When you create a local copy of the Git repository, you also have access
  384. to all the tags in the upstream repository. Similar to branches, you can
  385. create and checkout a local working Git branch based on a tag name. When
  386. you do this, you get a snapshot of the Git repository that reflects the
  387. state of the files when the change was made associated with that tag.
  388. The most common use is to checkout a working branch that matches a
  389. specific Yocto Project release. Here is an example::
  390. $ cd ~
  391. $ git clone git://git.yoctoproject.org/poky
  392. $ cd poky
  393. $ git fetch --tags
  394. $ git checkout tags/rocko-18.0.0 -b my_rocko-18.0.0
  395. In this example, the name
  396. of the top-level directory of your local Yocto Project repository is
  397. ``poky``. After moving to the ``poky`` directory, the ``git fetch``
  398. command makes all the upstream tags available locally in your
  399. repository. Finally, the ``git checkout`` command creates and checks out
  400. a branch named "my-rocko-18.0.0" that is based on the upstream branch
  401. whose "HEAD" matches the commit in the repository associated with the
  402. "rocko-18.0.0" tag. The files in your repository now exactly match that
  403. particular Yocto Project release as it is tagged in the upstream Git
  404. repository. It is important to understand that when you create and
  405. checkout a local working branch based on a tag, your environment matches
  406. a specific point in time and not the entire development branch (i.e.
  407. from the "tip" of the branch backwards).
  408. Basic Commands
  409. --------------
  410. Git has an extensive set of commands that lets you manage changes and
  411. perform collaboration over the life of a project. Conveniently though,
  412. you can manage with a small set of basic operations and workflows once
  413. you understand the basic philosophy behind Git. You do not have to be an
  414. expert in Git to be functional. A good place to look for instruction on
  415. a minimal set of Git commands is
  416. `here <https://git-scm.com/documentation>`__.
  417. The following list of Git commands briefly describes some basic Git
  418. operations as a way to get started. As with any set of commands, this
  419. list (in most cases) simply shows the base command and omits the many
  420. arguments it supports. See the Git documentation for complete
  421. descriptions and strategies on how to use these commands:
  422. - *git init:* Initializes an empty Git repository. You cannot use
  423. Git commands unless you have a ``.git`` repository.
  424. - *git clone:* Creates a local clone of a Git repository that is on
  425. equal footing with a fellow developer's Git repository or an upstream
  426. repository.
  427. - *git add:* Locally stages updated file contents to the index that
  428. Git uses to track changes. You must stage all files that have changed
  429. before you can commit them.
  430. - *git commit:* Creates a local "commit" that documents the changes
  431. you made. Only changes that have been staged can be committed.
  432. Commits are used for historical purposes, for determining if a
  433. maintainer of a project will allow the change, and for ultimately
  434. pushing the change from your local Git repository into the project's
  435. upstream repository.
  436. - *git status:* Reports any modified files that possibly need to be
  437. staged and gives you a status of where you stand regarding local
  438. commits as compared to the upstream repository.
  439. - *git checkout branch-name:* Changes your local working branch and
  440. in this form assumes the local branch already exists. This command is
  441. analogous to "cd".
  442. - *git checkout -b working-branch upstream-branch:* Creates and
  443. checks out a working branch on your local machine. The local branch
  444. tracks the upstream branch. You can use your local branch to isolate
  445. your work. It is a good idea to use local branches when adding
  446. specific features or changes. Using isolated branches facilitates
  447. easy removal of changes if they do not work out.
  448. - *git branch:* Displays the existing local branches associated
  449. with your local repository. The branch that you have currently
  450. checked out is noted with an asterisk character.
  451. - *git branch -D branch-name:* Deletes an existing local branch.
  452. You need to be in a local branch other than the one you are deleting
  453. in order to delete branch-name.
  454. - *git pull \-\-rebase*: Retrieves information from an upstream Git
  455. repository and places it in your local Git repository. You use this
  456. command to make sure you are synchronized with the repository from
  457. which you are basing changes (e.g. the "&DISTRO_NAME_NO_CAP;"
  458. branch). The ``--rebase`` option ensures that any local commits you
  459. have in your branch are preserved at the top of your local branch.
  460. - *git push repo-name local-branch:upstream-branch:* Sends
  461. all your committed local changes to the upstream Git repository that
  462. your local repository is tracking (e.g. a contribution repository).
  463. The maintainer of the project draws from these repositories to merge
  464. changes (commits) into the appropriate branch of project's upstream
  465. repository.
  466. - *git merge:* Combines or adds changes from one local branch of
  467. your repository with another branch. When you create a local Git
  468. repository, the default branch may be named "main". A typical
  469. workflow is to create a temporary branch that is based off "main"
  470. that you would use for isolated work. You would make your changes in
  471. that isolated branch, stage and commit them locally, switch to the
  472. "main" branch, and then use the ``git merge`` command to apply the
  473. changes from your isolated branch into the currently checked out
  474. branch (e.g. "main"). After the merge is complete and if you are
  475. done with working in that isolated branch, you can safely delete the
  476. isolated branch.
  477. - *git cherry-pick commits:* Choose and apply specific commits from
  478. one branch into another branch. There are times when you might not be
  479. able to merge all the changes in one branch with another but need to
  480. pick out certain ones.
  481. - *gitk:* Provides a GUI view of the branches and changes in your
  482. local Git repository. This command is a good way to graphically see
  483. where things have diverged in your local repository.
  484. .. note::
  485. You need to install the
  486. gitk
  487. package on your development system to use this command.
  488. - *git log:* Reports a history of your commits to the repository.
  489. This report lists all commits regardless of whether you have pushed
  490. them upstream or not.
  491. - *git diff:* Displays line-by-line differences between a local
  492. working file and the same file as understood by Git. This command is
  493. useful to see what you have changed in any given file.
  494. Licensing
  495. =========
  496. Because open source projects are open to the public, they have different
  497. licensing structures in place. License evolution for both Open Source
  498. and Free Software has an interesting history. If you are interested in
  499. this history, you can find basic information here:
  500. - :wikipedia:`Open source license history <Open-source_license>`
  501. - :wikipedia:`Free software license history <Free_software_license>`
  502. In general, the Yocto Project is broadly licensed under the
  503. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) License. MIT licensing
  504. permits the reuse of software within proprietary software as long as the
  505. license is distributed with that software. Patches to the Yocto Project
  506. follow the upstream licensing scheme. You can find information on the
  507. MIT license :wikipedia:`here <MIT_License>`.
  508. When you build an image using the Yocto Project, the build process uses
  509. a known list of licenses to ensure compliance. You can find this list in
  510. the :term:`Source Directory` at ``meta/files/common-licenses``. Once the
  511. build completes, the list of all licenses found and used during that build
  512. are kept in the :term:`Build Directory` at ``tmp/deploy/licenses``.
  513. If a module requires a license that is not in the base list, the build
  514. process generates a warning during the build. These tools make it easier
  515. for a developer to be certain of the licenses with which their shipped
  516. products must comply. However, even with these tools it is still up to
  517. the developer to resolve potential licensing issues.
  518. The base list of licenses used by the build process is a combination of
  519. the Software Package Data Exchange (SPDX) list and the Open Source
  520. Initiative (OSI) projects. `SPDX Group <https://spdx.org>`__ is a working
  521. group of the Linux Foundation that maintains a specification for a
  522. standard format for communicating the components, licenses, and
  523. copyrights associated with a software package.
  524. `OSI <https://opensource.org>`__ is a corporation dedicated to the Open
  525. Source Definition and the effort for reviewing and approving licenses
  526. that conform to the Open Source Definition (OSD).
  527. You can find a list of the combined SPDX and OSI licenses that the Yocto
  528. Project uses in the ``meta/files/common-licenses`` directory in your
  529. :term:`Source Directory`.
  530. For information that can help you maintain compliance with various open
  531. source licensing during the lifecycle of a product created using the
  532. Yocto Project, see the
  533. ":ref:`dev-manual/licenses:maintaining open source license compliance during your product's lifecycle`"
  534. section in the Yocto Project Development Tasks Manual.