Bringing Linux to precise measurement tools

Apertis adoption by Bosch Power Tools

The Apertis project provides a Debian derivative distribution initially created as a platform for automotive infotainment. Apertis has been generalised to be suitable for use in other use cases and provides an environment free of GNU General Public License version 3 (GPLv3) licensed code.

Within Bosch, the Measurement Tools team selected Apertis as the foundation for their newest device. Collabora have provided multi-faceted services to enable the team with Apertis. Collabora enabled their device in the Apertis ecosystem, enhanced the Apertis distribution to support their specific needs and provided guidance with their GNU/Linux development journey.

Hardware Enablement

As with any operating system (OS) adoption, it is necessary that bespoke hardware be enabled. Collabora ported Apertis to both the customer’s reference development platform and first early prototype, incorporating changes into Apertis where possible to minimise the maintenance burden. Collabora has undertaken, in line with its raison d'être, to upstream all suitable hardware enablement, further minimising the ongoing cost to support for this project and any future adopters of this hardware.

Training

Coming from a real-time operating system (RTOS), the GNU/Linux ecosystem can seem daunting and potentially full of risks and pitfalls. Collabora provided the Bosch Measurement Tools team with hands-on training, tailored to their device and taking their existing working environment and processes into account to maximise the effectiveness of the training and to equip them with the tools needed to confidently use Apertis for their product.

Tailoring Apertis

The Bosch Management Tools team now generates bespoke images, tailored to the needs and goals of their product. This includes the removal of extraneous components from their stack to reduce the size and complexity. At the same time, Collabora added additional functionality to Apertis to support their specific use cases through integration of existing and new open source components.

Guidance and Support

An integral part of Collabora’s services is to remain available to answer customers’ questions. Collabora aims to eliminate concerns regarding free and open source software (FOSS) adoption, especially when coming from RTOS environments. With relationships established over years, Collabora develops a unique understanding of how its customers, such as Bosch, operate. It enables Collabora to be there every step of the way to bring products to market successfully based on Free Software.