Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

The Rise of Linux In In-Vehicle Infotainment

Posted by Unknown on from the open-source-oops-hit-a-deer dept.

DeviceGuru writes "The 2014 Toyota Lexus IS reportedly will be the second major automobile to offer in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems based on Linux, following last year's introduction of the Debian-based Cadillac User Experience (CUE) IVI system, which now appears in Cadillac's XTS and SRX models. Cadillac's CUE IVI implementation was developed by GENIVI Alliance members MontaVista and Bosch and uses similar code, but is not listed as GENIVI compliant. Meanwhile, ABI Research projects that Linux will grow to 20 percent IVI market share by 2018, behind Microsoft and market leader QNX."

39 of 123 comments (clear)

  1. Flashable? by XanC · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The big question: will I be able to put something else on there? Like what OpenWRT did for routers?

    1. Re:Flashable? by h4rr4r · · Score: 2

      I bet they are totally tivoized.
      The last thing car markers want is you to be able to upgrade it. They even use the same systems with midley different software in the options packages.

      Which are of course far overpriced for what you get.

    2. Re:Flashable? by spire3661 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I recently bought a new car for the first time. I was PISSED i couldn't get the GPS center console without upgrading to another trim level with a bunch of shitty ground effects, aluminum rims and a spoiler. I even asked about just upgrading after the sale and the dealer was all 'different harnesses, change this blah blah blah."

      --
      Good-bye
    3. Re:Flashable? by h4rr4r · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I recently had the same experience, made worse by my buying a new old stock car. The higher trim level meant getting a brand new one and a much worse deal. Since they were motivated to sell the old stock more.

      Buying cars sucks and dealers are the problem. I want to just be able to order one built exactly the way I want from the oem and have it shipped to my house. No need to keep but a single car local to me for test drives.

    4. Re:Flashable? by aitikin · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Yes, but that's what's brought the cost down. Just ask Mulally about it. Unfortunately I cannot find my source on this right now, but I recall an article on this exact topic from a business magazine. In it, Mulally's mother called him nearly crying over the fact that she couldn't decide on a Lincoln that she wanted. There were simply too many options to the point that it truly overwhelmed her.

      They then proceeded to redesign nearly every car they make to be built off of the same basic chassis. This allowed them to mass produce them, more inexpensively, making it more inexpensive to you, the end user, while still allowing them to improve the overall quality of their products. They then made it so there weren't over 100 different options of the same car, not counting paint even, making it so that there was a good chance that the car would be available at your local dealer, which further drove the price down, allowing more mass production (which is what Ford has always been known for).

      Furthermore, most of the time, people who want the GPS center console, want to have that premium leather seating, those aluminum rims that you don't want, the spoiler, and the floor lighting, or at least some combination of more than just 3 of them. Getting just the one, probably less expensive than all 5, but getting 3 of them under the old system would likely get you to the same price point or damned near it.

      Of course, you're here at Slashdot, which means that you think everything should be tweakable and customizable to the extreme, so why not do that on your own? You bought it, so just make it happen. I'm sure that someone out there has done something similar and will give you a fairly straightforward guide. I didn't even get off the lot before I replaced the horn in my hybrid (went from a "meep meep" to a "honk honk").

      For example, a quick Crutchfield search found me 20, in-dash GPS solutions for my 2011 Honda Insight (that does not have Nav built in already). Of course, by the time I will feel the need for an in-dash GPS, I'll probably be buying my next car anyway.

      --
      "Don't meddle in the affairs of a patent dragon, for thou art tasty and good with ketchup." ~ohcrapitssteve
    5. Re:Flashable? by spire3661 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      IM not blind to the realities of the car market. I grew up in Detroit and worked for Kelley Blue Book in CA. All that said, i wasnt aware of the finer details of trim packages until i went to buy. I was a bit shocked is all.

      I do disagree that GPS (a navigation tool) should be lumped in with leather seats, fancy rims etc. Its seems like its a pretty obvious addon that every car should have a cheap option for. THAT is what bothered me the most, i couldnt get a practical navigation tool without buying a ton of fluff at inordinate expense.

      --
      Good-bye
    6. Re:Flashable? by tlambert · · Score: 2

      The big question: will I be able to put something else on there? Like what OpenWRT did for routers?

      Not if you want working Netflix, any of the major television networks, or a DVD player.

      You should also be aware that seat-back displays for "infotainment" are OK, but using the in-dask display is only permitted in most states if the vehicle is stopped, in park, and the engine is off. Some states don't allow it even then, although there are plenty of after-market hacks to override this, since they sell exactly the same systems in countries which haven't made it illegal (yet).

    7. Re:Flashable? by tlhIngan · · Score: 2

      Sometimes standalone units are much better. I have a TomTom mobile app on my phone and a builtin GPS. Alot of times I prefer the directions the app gives.

      Generally standalones are better.

      The only real difference is that If you want a larger screen, yes, the center console one will generally be bigger, neater and all around better looking. But when it comes to using them, the standalones generally fare better (or your phone).

      Firstly, they're far quicker to get map updates and updates tend to be much cheaper (getting that OEM map update disc is $ARM and $LEG a lot of the time), plus there's the trim level thing (it's probably integrating everything together, rather than just a GPS), etc. etc. etc.

    8. Re:Flashable? by killkillkill · · Score: 2
      Wikispeed

      They have a long way to go, but a modular car with interchangeable engines, bodies, whatever is my dream.

    9. Re:Flashable? by dk20 · · Score: 2

      I only buy standalone units. I figure they have a life of a few years max but I keep my cars for 10 years. Whenever my GPS pisses me off to much i dispose of the unit and get a newer/faster/etc model. Factor in the dealer option for my car was around $1,200 and it may not cheaper but, i'm also not locked in to a dead model. How many people have "in car" gps units and no map updates or a broken unit? I've heard stories about some in-car units costing more then $100 for a map update (around the cost of a reasonable standalone unit).

    10. Re:Flashable? by adolf · · Score: 2

      OK, then: Let me say that my own preferences are different, but that I agree with you.

      (I want the larger, but not ridiculous, motor and heated leather seats. I want a real manual gearbox with a clutch pedal. I want upgraded HID lighting. And a sunroof. I would prefer a gaping hole in the dash where the stereo should be, and empty spaces where the speakers belong, no air conditioning, and completely manual single-zone heater controls. I want self-dimming mirrors. I want the bigger/wider wheel upgrade, but I want throwaway tires installed because I'm going to replace them straight-away anyhow. And I want the electronic speed limiter to be nonexistent instead of being calibrated to the original crap tires that I've recycled. I also want at least three 12V lighter sockets, a handful of USB power jacks, and an automatic fellating gizmo that unfolds from the bottom of the steering column. And I want ABS, but not traction control. And I want a limited slip differential. And all of the fancy suspension and chassis bits from the performance model. And a roll cage.)

      But on a modern assembly line, it may not be much more possible to just add navigation to a car without vastly increased inefficiencies than to add a handful of my own brand of crazy.

      Wires are not added to cars one at a time, but in harnesses that are pre-built and alarmingly expensive. The harnesses that your base-model+Nav system vehicle would be equipped with might well include a rear-view camera (that you don't want) and a lighting upgrade (that you don't want). It might even change the way the turn signal sound works. It might come with rear-seat controls, or at least the wires for them. And an extra FM antenna for diversity. And an XM antenna. And...

      My combination of desires is probably impossible. Your singular wish is a lot more realistic, but...

      So either they wire every car for everything (expensive for everyone), wire at least some vehicles custom (expensive for some), or tie the wiring harnesses to trim packages (which is what is done today, and is fairly cost-efficient on an assembly line).

      Which do you prefer?

      --
      Kid-proof tablet..
  2. If you need in vehicle infotainment... by AmazingRuss · · Score: 2

    ...maybe you're spending too much time in your vehicle.

    1. Re:If you need in vehicle infotainment... by alen · · Score: 3, Insightful

      try driving for more than 30 minutes with two smallish kids in the car

    2. Re:If you need in vehicle infotainment... by sl4shd0rk · · Score: 3, Funny

      try driving for more than 30 minutes with two smallish kids in the car

      Just let them out at the next gas station.

      --
      Join the Slashcott! Feb 10 thru Feb 17!
    3. Re:If you need in vehicle infotainment... by iroll · · Score: 2

      Oh, you mean like millions of people (our parents and grandparents and, for some, our great-grandparents) did before video-on-demand at all hours and in all places was a necessity?

      Please, do tell us how we survived those dark ages.

      --
      Repetition does not transform a lie into the truth. - FDR
    4. Re:If you need in vehicle infotainment... by AmazingRuss · · Score: 3, Funny

      If you're lucky, you can get good money for them at a truck stop.

    5. Re:If you need in vehicle infotainment... by NatasRevol · · Score: 2

      I like to gas them out UNTIL the next station.

      --
      There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
    6. Re:If you need in vehicle infotainment... by mutube · · Score: 2

      Going to show my age here. But when we went on long holiday trips with my mum as kids (from the UK down to the south of France over a couple of days) she kept us entertained by giving us a couple of pillow cases with random entertainments in it - board games, card games, i-spy quiz things, books, anything. Every hour or so we'd take out something new and that shut us up for a while. Looking now it's a 32hr round-trip managed with 2 stops (one on a Ferry for an hour) each way - and she was doing this by herself with just me and my brother for company.

      In-car AV entertainment is easier - but it's by no means essential.

      --
      Python coder | PyQt Applications | Writer
    7. Re:If you need in vehicle infotainment... by Dcnjoe60 · · Score: 2

      try driving for more than 30 minutes with two smallish kids in the car

      And how did your parents deal with it? If you need an infotainment center to deal with the kids for a 30 minute trip in the car, there is a bigger problem not being mentioned here.

    8. Re:If you need in vehicle infotainment... by Dcnjoe60 · · Score: 2

      Even 10 years ago, it wasn't common for parents to drive their kids to school. Now, seemingly everyone does. Thirty years ago, there weren't too many single parent households, and today it's over 50% - which means everyone has to go to daycare in the morning, too.

      You mean 30 years ago, right? 10 years ago would be 2003. My youngest was born in 1984 and started school in 1989, and we and pretty much all of his classmates drove him to school (and daycare before that). How did we do it without all of today's electronics? Simple, we actually talked to each other back then.

    9. Re:If you need in vehicle infotainment... by arth1 · · Score: 2

      I remember long car trips as a kid. Like dawn-to-dusk trips. We sang songs, we talked, my dad invented games - it all went pretty well.

      Today's parents don't want to parent. They expect kindergarten and school to bring up their kids, and electronic devices to keep them out of their face. If you don't have the inclination or resources to engage a kid, wear a rubber.

    10. Re:If you need in vehicle infotainment... by arth1 · · Score: 2

      try driving for more than 30 minutes with two smallish kids in the car

      Like my parent drove with my brother and I on trips from sunrise to sunset across Europe?
      You're saying you can't be arsed to actually engage your children, and need an electronic nanny to get through as little as 30 minutes? Shame on you.

  3. Obligatory... by QRDeNameland · · Score: 4, Funny

    Is this the Year of Linux on the Dashboard?

    --
    Momentarily, the need for the construction of new light will no longer exist.
  4. KDE or it didn't happen! by TWiTfan · · Score: 2

    It's not Linux if I can't configure it the way *I* want!

    --
    The cow says "Moo." The dog says "Woof." The Timothy says "Thanks, valued customer. We appreciate your input."
  5. Re:QNX FTW by h4rr4r · · Score: 5, Informative

    So use the correct scheduler for your workload. Linux has more than one. There are even realtime modules you can use.

  6. Mercedez-Benz S Class w/LGPL by sofakingon · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I went for a test-drive of a pre-production 2014 S Class last week, and to my surprise, the owner's manual came with a loose copy of the LGPL -- in English, no less (everything else was in German.)

  7. I can see it now by DougOtto · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm sorry the current audio track requires unresolved denpendancy: lib.somedamnthing.6.4.29a.so

    --
    Solving Unix problems since 1989...
    1. Re:I can see it now by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 2

      Just do an yum update lib.somedamnthing

      --
      sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
    2. Re:I can see it now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      That's why you have children. So they can ssh in from the back seat and fix that.

  8. My Nexus 7 works just fine for that by erroneus · · Score: 3, Insightful

    With a clever mount and pogo dock, my Nexus 7 loaded with music, GPS software and OBD2 software are all I need in the car. It's effective and inexpensive. Also, when tethered to my Nexus 4, I get internet too if I need it. All these other in-car things are ridiculously underpowered and over-priced. I hope everyone begins to wake up to the gouging car makers put over on consumers. (Seriously, is a Lexus THAT much better than a Toyota? They use mostly all the same parts!!!)

    1. Re:My Nexus 7 works just fine for that by h4rr4r · · Score: 2

      Well out with it. Which dock, which mount?

      Lots of Nexus 7s are going to be backup tablets now that the new one is out so I am deeply interested.

      What I want is a mount that fits in the single DIN hole in my Dash and holds the tablet from that.

  9. On planes, too by gspear · · Score: 2

    I was on a Cathay Pacific flight a couple of years ago when the in-flight entertainment system (video on demand, music, games) got stuck. I told the attendant and he said he would reset it. The screen went blank and then showed what was clearly a Linux console boot sequence (complete with penguin logo).

    1. Re:On planes, too by aitikin · · Score: 2

      And in bars. Those silly games that take drunk people's money have been seen running Linux...

      --
      "Don't meddle in the affairs of a patent dragon, for thou art tasty and good with ketchup." ~ohcrapitssteve
  10. Hidden features? by SwedishCoward · · Score: 4, Funny

    - Regexp search for radio stations
    - Job commute as a cron job
    - vi as default editor

  11. Re:talk to me in 20 years (heck, 4...) by SleazyRidr · · Score: 2

    When I bought my Z, the owner had the original tape deck, which he gave me with the car. I have seriously considered pulling out the modern stereo and reinstalling the original system. Something about keeping the car in its original condition makes me happy inside.

    --
    Is 1563649 a prime number?
  12. Re:QNX FTW by narcc · · Score: 2

    Like QNX?

    If it's good enough for NASA and nuclear reactors, it's good enough for IVI.

    --
    Required reading for internet skeptics
  13. Re:QNX FTW by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 2, Interesting

    It's more than the scheduler. It's the memory management, driver interaction, IO semantics and probably a bunch of other things. If you don't build it RT from the ground up, you don't get RT at the application layer.

    --
    I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
  14. It's not Debian based by tap · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's custom. I should know, as it's largely designed by me. I worked for Delphi who was the OEM that made the radios for GM. They didn't have any Linux experience, so I was hired for this project. They had lots of talented engineers who experience with VxWorks, QNX, uITRON, etc., but not POSIX/Linux. So I got them up to speed on Linux, helped designed the base OS, and made the Linux system work. I was told the Linux based software generated around $2 billion in sales. Then I got laid off.

    It's based on Freescale's LTIB, which I also worked on when I worked for them. But, it's highly customized. Freescale hasn't really maintained LTIB for some time, despite continuing to use it as the base for their BSPs. Something like Debian is much too bloated for what the radios are expected to work it. The same system is used for the simpler non-touch radios in other GM vehicles. It's an ARM9 based iMX25, running at I think 380 MHz, with 32 MB of RAM. The framebuffer comes out of the RAM too. I managed to get it to boot from power on (or rather CAN bus wakeup pulse) through u-boot, through the kernel startup, to system startup and daemons running and have userspace application code start in around 250 ms. Getting the backup camera working in <1 second is an important requirement. The ARM9 as a VIVT cache, which forces a cache flush on each context switch, making it quite slow. If one used udev like a normal Linux distro, it takes something like 3 seconds just for udev to populate /dev on system startup. So obviously udev is out.

    The radios are not designed to let you easily root or put different software on. However, stopping someone who has physical access to the radio from hacking it wasn't a very high priority. By default LTIB gives you a blank password root account and a telnet daemon configured to allow root logins! I got rid of that and made it ssh only. I don't know if the final production firmware still has ssh running or not. The iMX53 processor used in the CUE system doesn't have secure boot like some other iMX processors. Freescale's iMX line is actually composed of multiple utterly different families of ARM based SoCs based on different IP. So you can easily hack it with a flash programmer.

    I don't know of any easter eggs.... GM isn't the kind of company that would look kindly on that. However, unless someone managed to fix it, you can lockup the DVD player with the "Justice League: Starcrossed" DVD a few minutes in. After the alien ship shoots at some jets. It's not the DVD player, but the video overlay on the iMX53 that has locked up.

  15. 2014 by fizzer06 · · Score: 2

    It will be the year of the Linux Dashtop.