To understand this book better, it is important that you have some previous background about some topics which are not covered or are just briefly mentioned along the text, such as Git and Linux Kernel general knowledge, and basic compilation process.

In order to understand the big picture of the Yocto Project before going to the technical concepts detailed in this book, we recommend the open sourced booklet, Heading for the Yocto Project, found under the Git repository at https://git.io/vFUiI; the content of this booklet is intended to help newcomers to gain a better understanding of the goals of the Yocto Project and its potential uses, and it intends to provide an overview of the project, before diving into the technical details on how things can be done.

A basic understanding of the use of the GNU/Linux environment and Embedded Linux is required as well as that of the general concepts used in development such as compilation, debugging, deployment, and installation. Some experience with Shell Script and Python is a bonus, because these programming languages are core technologies used extensively by the Yocto Project’s tools.

You shouldn’t take any missing concepts—of those we enumerated above—as a deterrent, but as something you can learn and at the same time, practice its use, with this book. However, if you prefer to learn more about those topics, we recommend the book Mastering Embedded Linux Programming, ISBN:  9781787283282, by Chris Simmonds.

Any concept enumerated above, should not discourage you from reading this book because these can be learned concurrently.