BeagleBoard.org Moves to a Triannual Release Cycle for Debian Linux Operating System Images
Releases to be scheduled around the Google Summer of Code and universities' academic years.
The BeagleBoard.org Foundation has announced a new thrice-yearly release cycle for Debian Linux operating system images compatible with its open-hardware single-board computer family — designed to refresh the software ahead of the Google Summer of Code and university years.
"In the past, image releases have been kinda random. So let’s try to get things on a better schedule," writes BeagleBoard.org Foundation board member and owner of the effort to build Debian images for the boards Robert Nelson. "Maybe 3 times a year? We’ve been thinking, Early spring for GSOC, before school for universities who use our boards, and a mid December [release] which fits in between."
Like many single-board computers, the BeagleBoard family uses pre-built operating system images with tweaks not normally found upstream. The new schedule would see Debian Linux images built for release three times a year, primarily so that Google Summer of Code participants - students who are partnered with mentors from the open source software and hardware industry to work on programming projects — and those working on BeagleBoard hardware in academia will have fresh software. A mid-December release, meanwhile, would sit between the two.
"At this point," adds Jason Kridner on the official BeagleBoard.org blog, "I’m holding off my official online training announcement to use the new official image to try to give it the best long-term support."
Testing builds of the latest Debian images can be found on eLinux.org now, for the BeagleBone, PocketBeagle, BeagleBoard-X15, and BeagleBone AI boards.