Linux powers everything from cloud servers to smart lightbulbs and increasingly, it’s finding its way into hardware that was never originally designed for it. If you’re curious about how engineers go from a bare circuit board to a fully booting Linux system, this session will give you the foundation you need to start your own embedded journey.
This talk is built for beginners: no prior embedded experience required. We’ll start from first principles, what makes embedded Linux different from desktop Linux, what hardware is required, and how the boot process actually works under the hood. From there, we’ll explore the essential pieces of an embedded Linux system, including bootloaders (like U-Boot), the kernel, device trees, drivers, and the root filesystem. You’ll learn how these components fit together, how to assemble them using common tooling, and how to choose the right approach for your first project, whether you're hacking on a Raspberry Pi or flashing a custom board. You’ll walk away with a practical mental model of an embedded Linux system, a roadmap of tools and resources, and the confidence to start experimenting with hardware of your own.
By the end of this session, attendees will:
- Understand what "embedded Linux" really means and where it is commonly used
- Learn the core components of a Linux system and how they interact
- Gain insight into the boot process from power-on to shell prompt
- Identify hardware options and development boards for starting out
- Discover practical build tools and workflows (Yocto, Buildroot, etc.)
- Know how to debug, iterate, and avoid common early mistakes
- Leave with a clear path to building and deploying their first embedded Linux system
Whether you dream of putting Linux on a custom board, a consumer gadget or simply somewhere it “doesn’t belong (yet)”, this talk will give you the knowledge and momentum to make it happen.
