diff --git a/doc/doxygen/riot.doxyfile b/doc/doxygen/riot.doxyfile index ffee6c6f40..9c7fdfdce0 100644 --- a/doc/doxygen/riot.doxyfile +++ b/doc/doxygen/riot.doxyfile @@ -759,6 +759,7 @@ INPUT = ../../doc.txt \ ../../sys \ src/ \ src/mainpage.md \ + src/vision.md \ src/roadmap.md \ src/creating-modules.md \ src/creating-an-application.md \ diff --git a/doc/doxygen/src/vision.md b/doc/doxygen/src/vision.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..b64500873e --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/doxygen/src/vision.md @@ -0,0 +1,53 @@ +# RIOT Vision {#vision} + +We expect an evolution in the software platforms powering Internet of Things +devices that can be compared, to some extent, to the recent evolution of +software platforms powering smartphones. + +In a few years time, software platforms powering smart handheld devices has +speed-evolved from a state where dozens of closed-source, slow progress, +proprietary solutions where used, to a state where a couple of major players +have imposed new de facto standards in terms of software platform openness, +interoperability, and automatic updating. On the bright side, this has led to +much quicker paced progress, and to the development of billions of new +applications built on top of these platforms, which interact in innovative ways +with one another and with the cloud. At this point, let's make two remarks about +the dark side of this evolution. First, while companies pushing iOS and Android +use such software platforms as more tools to achieve profit-oriented goals +(e.g., accumulating and monetizing personalized information), RIOT is developed +and maintained by a non-profit, open source community of developers organized +around principles that are mainly inspired by the Linux community or the IETF +community. Second, while the true level of openness of iOS or Android is debatable, +RIOT aims instead at a Linux-like openness. + +That said, we expect a revolution in the software platforms powering Internet of +Things (IoT) devices, and we expect this revolution to be as game-changing as +the aforementioned evolution of the software platforms powering smart handheld +devices (retaining only its bright side, hopefully). It is yet unclear which IoT +software platforms will emerge as dominant -- RIOT is a contender. It is however +quite likely that new standards will be set in the near future, in terms of IoT +software platform openness, API, automated software updates and other +characteristics that are necessary to enable a modern, large scale, secure ecosystem. +Such an IoT software evolution will quite likely fuel a new world of distributed +applications developed by a large variety of actors, on top of the dominant open +software platform(s). These applications will leverage both spontaneous wireless +networks, the cloud and the denser, interconnected environment of heterogeneous +devices that we will find ourselves in. + +Our vision is the emergence of an entirely new reality in which our interface to +the Internet will no longer be predominantly a screen, but rather the objects of +the cyber-physical system embodied by the Internet of Things itself. RIOT is an +open source operating system that aims to power IoT devices in this new reality. +RIOT aims to provide a powerful, but very low memory footprint software platform, +that enables any programmer to develop applications on typical IoT devices with +zero learning curve (assuming prior experience with POSIX and Linux for instance). +RIOT aims for shortened development life-cycles, using standard languages, and +well-known debugging tools. RIOT implements a micro-kernel architecture that provides +built-in robustness, real-time capabilities and energy efficiency -- future-proof +properties, required by many IoT applications to come. + +In this context RIOT aims to power a modern, large scale, evolutive, and secure +cyber-physical ecosystem, comprising of heterogeneous IoT devices, distributed +processes and applications, that can seamlessly interconnect with one another +and with the cloud, leveraging standard network stacks (including IPv6 +interoperability) available in RIOT.