Desirable Application Stacks (Add-On Library Collections)

[groups at chichak.ca]

> On 2017-January-03, at 13:38, Christian Mauderer <Christian.Mauderer at embedded-brains.de> wrote:
> 
> ----- Ursprüngliche Mail -----
>> Von: "Joel Sherrill" <joel at rtems.org>
>> An: "RTEMS Devel" <devel at rtems.org>
>> Gesendet: Dienstag, 3. Januar 2017 19:41:14
>> Betreff: Desirable Application Stacks (Add-On Library Collections)
> 
>> Hi
>> 
>> Chris has put a lot of effort into the RSB and one of its
>> under-utilized capabilities is building add-on libraries.
>> Chris and I have long had a vision of add-on stacks which
>> provide a robust foundation for applications.
>> 
>> With this in mind, what third party open source packages
>> do people use with RTEMS?
>> 
>> To get the discussion started, what would make a good
>> collection of IoT and mathematical packages?
>> 
>> Suggestions, thoughts for application stack categories
>> or individual packages?
>> 
>> --joel
>> 
> 
> Hello Joel,
> 
> some time back I had a discussion on the mailing list regarding the civetweb web server (MIT licensed mongoose successor). The discussion stopped somewhere when we couldn't agree on a method on how to handle the test for this packet and I don't really want to start the discussion again. But I think that civetweb would be interesting for IoT applications. Especially if it is accompanied by libressl (which works quite well too).
> 
> Just think of a RTEMS light bulb with it's own https server. You could switch your light on or off without anyone listening. (To be honest: There might be some better applications for it but you know what I mean.)

Recently, I needed to, approximately, do this. Though the lightbulb was actually the controller for a variable pitch radiator fan on a piece of farm equipment.

I needed to put in a web server to provide a method to help the end customer set a few configuration parameters. I ended up using an ESP8266 as a WiFi station. You associate with it, fire up your web browser, and you get a configuration page and a status page.

If I had used some sort of BTLE device, I would have had to write a Windows app, a Mac app, an iPhone app, 16 versions of Android apps, and when WWDC happens, start all over again. WiFi and HTML just made so much more sense, let the browser companies to the client side.

At one point I figured that there must be a way to use the httpd server that comes with LwIP, but it is pretty ingrained with the IP and ethernet stack and there wasn’t a clean interface that could be exposed quickly.

I ended up writing my own web page server. It sucks, I wish there was a better way, and I’m certain that it’s going to bite me really soon now.


Andrei