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1 | 1 | # RIOT Vision {#vision} |
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4 | | - |
5 | | -We expect an evolution in the software platforms powering Internet of Things |
6 | | -devices that can be compared, to some extent, to the recent evolution of |
7 | | -software platforms powering smartphones. |
8 | | - |
9 | | -In a few years time, software platforms powering smart handheld devices has |
10 | | -speed-evolved from a state where dozens of closed-source, slow progress, |
11 | | -proprietary solutions where used, to a state where a couple of major players |
12 | | -have imposed new de facto standards in terms of software platform openness, |
13 | | -interoperability, and automatic updating. On the bright side, this has led to |
14 | | -much quicker paced progress, and to the development of billions of new |
15 | | -applications built on top of these platforms, which interact in innovative ways |
16 | | -with one another and with the cloud. At this point, let's make two remarks about |
17 | | -the dark side of this evolution. First, while companies pushing iOS and Android |
18 | | -use such software platforms as more tools to achieve profit-oriented goals |
19 | | -(e.g., accumulating and monetizing personalized information), RIOT is developed |
20 | | -and maintained by a non-profit, open source community of developers organized |
21 | | -around principles that are mainly inspired by the Linux community or the IETF |
22 | | -community. Second, while the true level of openness of iOS or Android is debatable, |
23 | | -RIOT aims instead at a Linux-like openness. |
24 | | - |
25 | | -That said, we expect a revolution in the software platforms powering Internet of |
26 | | -Things (IoT) devices, and we expect this revolution to be as game-changing as |
27 | | -the aforementioned evolution of the software platforms powering smart handheld |
28 | | -devices (retaining only its bright side, hopefully). It is yet unclear which IoT |
29 | | -software platforms will emerge as dominant -- RIOT is a contender. It is however |
30 | | -quite likely that new standards will be set in the near future, in terms of IoT |
31 | | -software platform openness, API, automated software updates and other |
32 | | -characteristics that are necessary to enable a modern, large scale, secure ecosystem. |
33 | | -Such an IoT software evolution will quite likely fuel a new world of distributed |
34 | | -applications developed by a large variety of actors, on top of the dominant open |
35 | | -software platform(s). These applications will leverage both spontaneous wireless |
36 | | -networks, the cloud and the denser, interconnected environment of heterogeneous |
37 | | -devices that we will find ourselves in. |
38 | | - |
39 | | -Our vision is the emergence of an entirely new reality in which our interface to |
40 | | -the Internet will no longer be predominantly a screen, but rather the objects of |
41 | | -the cyber-physical system embodied by the Internet of Things itself. RIOT is an |
42 | | -open source operating system that aims to power IoT devices in this new reality. |
43 | | -RIOT aims to provide a powerful, but very low memory footprint software platform, |
44 | | -that enables any programmer to develop applications on typical IoT devices with |
45 | | -zero learning curve (assuming prior experience with POSIX and Linux for instance). |
46 | | -RIOT aims for shortened development life-cycles, using standard languages, and |
47 | | -well-known debugging tools. RIOT implements a micro-kernel architecture that provides |
48 | | -built-in robustness, real-time capabilities and energy efficiency -- future-proof |
49 | | -properties, required by many IoT applications to come. |
50 | | - |
51 | | -In this context RIOT aims to power a modern, large scale, evolutive, and secure |
52 | | -cyber-physical ecosystem, comprising of heterogeneous IoT devices, distributed |
53 | | -processes and applications, that can seamlessly interconnect with one another |
54 | | -and with the cloud, leveraging standard network stacks (including IPv6 |
55 | | -interoperability) available in RIOT. |
| 3 | +@deprecated See [Vision](https://guide.riot-os.org/general/vision/) on the RIOT Guide Site for the latest information. This page will be removed after release 2025.11. |
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