Embedded Devops on Day 1

At a startup, our day 1 concerns often have little to do with scale. Getting the demo ready dominates our to-do list. But day 1 is also a big opportunity to set the tone.

This evening will be about what embedded systems folks can do at project's outset to support long-term growth, while respecting the need to start quickly and avoid rabbit-holes. The big questions:

• What forces must we balance, and what should we pay attention to, both now and as our early choices play out?
• What options are realistically available (or inevitable) on day-1 or week-1, what's the seat-feel, and what are the trade-offs?
• How can we talk about this with other stakeholders?

We will touch on the following specific technologies at a high level, drilling a little here and there:

• version control and hosts (git, submodules, and github)
• CI runners: (github actions)
• Silicon vendor board-support tools (STM32 ecosystem)
• Build systems and other glue (CMake, scripts)
• Frameworks and environments (ESP-IDF, Zephyr, Arduino)
• Helping others use our firmware

This discussion

1. Will be generally introduction-oriented, spending more time on context and comparisons than technical dives.
2. Will be in seminar-style: somewhere between a lecture and an open forum. I will have some material to share, but ultimately want us to all learn from each other.
3. Will be held in my (Mike's) living room, which has table space for 8. If demand overwhelms capacity, I will do this again. If you miss out, please leave a comment or DM me.