Graphical User Interface Using Flutter in Embedded Systems [pdf]

#1

Post by timsneath » Wed, Oct 28, 2020, 4:49 PM UTC

Graphical User Interface Using Flutter in Embedded Systems [pdf]
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Re: Graphical User Interface Using Flutter in Embedded Systems [pdf]

#2

Post by zachruss92 » Wed, Oct 28, 2020, 5:43 PM UTC

I think as Flutter matures it will change the game for native development. I'm building an app now for a well known startup and are converting their native codebases to Flutter. What is interesting is that I was able to compile the app to web with no extra work and now use that as an easy way to demo things to my client. From a cross-platform perspective that changes the game for me along with being able to build desktop apps easily and relatively efficiently (compared to Electron).

Re: Graphical User Interface Using Flutter in Embedded Systems [pdf]

#3

Post by ZeroCool2u » Wed, Oct 28, 2020, 5:45 PM UTC

Great presentation. Also, really not surprising at all. Anyone that has tried getting a sample Flutter app running on a desktop will quickly find that it's shockingly easy and on almost all platforms will "just work" despite being in Alpha. The development experience in Flutter is great too. Anything that can help with that when developing for embedded systems is likely very tempting.

I am curious why they went with Weston as their Wayland compositor as opposed to Mutter, if only because it seems to be the most popular due to Gnome. I'm not familiar enough with the trade-offs between the two. Anyone care to theorize why?

Re: Graphical User Interface Using Flutter in Embedded Systems [pdf]

#4

Post by phendrenad2 » Wed, Oct 28, 2020, 5:53 PM UTC

I love this - Flutter seems like the ideal (for embedded UIs, like automobiles and household appliances). The rich UI capability of a web-based platform without running an actual browser. As far as I can tell, the only major dependency is Dart.

Re: Graphical User Interface Using Flutter in Embedded Systems [pdf]

#5

Post by offtop5 » Wed, Oct 28, 2020, 5:57 PM UTC

Dart is easily my favorite programing language.

It's the best parts of C# plus real dynamics. The Flutter ecosystem is already above and ahead of React Native , a big part of it is it doesn't have the baggage of npm, Babel and JavaScript.

For a friend's side project I've been using Flutter Web and I couldn't be happier with it

Re: Graphical User Interface Using Flutter in Embedded Systems [pdf]

#6

Post by sho_hn » Wed, Oct 28, 2020, 5:58 PM UTC

ZeroCool2u wrote: post #3

Great presentation. Also, really not surprising at all. Anyone that has tried getting a sample Flutter app running on a desktop will quickly find that it's shockingly easy and on almost all platforms will "just work" despite being in Alpha. The development experience in Flutter is great too. Anything that can help with that when developing for embedded systems is likely very tempting. I am curious why they went with…

Weston has better support for some things embedded developers care about, e.g. fallback codepaths for multi-plane buffer formats doing the blend in a shader, support for certain deprecated protocols (e.g. ivi-shell) and partial support for using hardware overlay planes for power-conscious compositing. It also doesn't have any of the Gnome dependencies. These are blanket statements; the devil is very often deep in the details.

Depending on the OEM you work for and how vertically integrated your organization is, you may also have a large and complex supply chain catering towards your products, with complicated RASIC matrices for who supplies you want and vendors held to KPIs for their BSP and their hardware. Due to various factors Weston may be what they already have patches in hand for, e.g. for proprietary buffer integration, etc.

(I work on KDE Plasma, including its Wayland support, and am a system architect for a large automotive OEM making Wayland-based infotainment systems, neither of which use Weston however.)

Re: Graphical User Interface Using Flutter in Embedded Systems [pdf]

#7

Post by moralsupply » Wed, Oct 28, 2020, 6:01 PM UTC

Sony knows that XORG is dead...

Re: Graphical User Interface Using Flutter in Embedded Systems [pdf]

#8

Post by shmerl » Wed, Oct 28, 2020, 6:01 PM UTC

Too bad Android diverged too far from the rest of the Linux world and isn't using Wayland.

Re: Graphical User Interface Using Flutter in Embedded Systems [pdf]

#9

Post by manuelaljibes » Wed, Oct 28, 2020, 6:05 PM UTC

offtop5 wrote: post #5

Dart is easily my favorite programing language. It's the best parts of C# plus real dynamics. The Flutter ecosystem is already above and ahead of React Native , a big part of it is it doesn't have the baggage of npm, Babel and JavaScript. For a friend's side project I've been using Flutter Web and I couldn't be happier with it

Not to mention that it's actually cross-platform, you don't have to deal with random quirks as shadow*/elevation in RN

Re: Graphical User Interface Using Flutter in Embedded Systems [pdf]

#10

Post by sho_hn » Wed, Oct 28, 2020, 6:07 PM UTC

shmerl wrote: post #8

Too bad Android diverged too far from the rest of the Linux world and isn't using Wayland.

Interestingly, Wayland is used to some extent in Chrome OS, including for bringing Android apps into the windowing system.

See e.g. https://qiangbo-workspace.oss-cn-shanghai.aliyuncs.com/2019-...

The implementation includes some interesting projects like Sommelier, a Wayland protocol proxy used as part of a setup to virtualize host resources safely: https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromiumos/platform2/+/HEA...