Normally if you want to create the BSP for your board there are a number of choices available for you.
The good old way is doing everything manually, that is preparing the bootloader, kernel and rootfs ( which will contain a list of packages you need ). You can even prepare scripts to automate it. But the content that goes into that scripts require a lot of work. The procedure for cross compiling the bootloader, kernel is straightforward and simple, but bear in mind that does not apply to the add-on packages which you might require in your rootfs. There is no doubt that you may find the procedure for cross compiling few of the packages which are a basic necessity, but that might not be the case all the time. You may run into errors while cross compiling and to solve it you may have to find patches or you might have to fix it on your own. When I was doing it manually I learned a lot but it becomes a bit difficult for packages that have multiple dependencies. I found myself looking into yocto recipes for understanding the way to build the packages and using the patches available there to fix the issues I was facing. So there goes my reason for choosing yocto.
Yocto contains almost everything to help you create your own distribution. They are updating there recipes frequently so you stay current. The latest kernel, the latest packages you name it they provide it. The documentation they provide is quite detailed and easy to learn but it requires patience to master it. The initial build time and the space they occupy are the major cons that one may consider for opting other embedded Linux build sytems such as buildroot etc. But if you want to create BSP for multiple architectures and with a load of features than the pros of yocto outweighs the cons easily.
Buildroot also contains the makefiles and patches and automates the building process but it is meant for a simple system.
So according to me Yocto wins hands down.
The good old way is doing everything manually, that is preparing the bootloader, kernel and rootfs ( which will contain a list of packages you need ). You can even prepare scripts to automate it. But the content that goes into that scripts require a lot of work. The procedure for cross compiling the bootloader, kernel is straightforward and simple, but bear in mind that does not apply to the add-on packages which you might require in your rootfs. There is no doubt that you may find the procedure for cross compiling few of the packages which are a basic necessity, but that might not be the case all the time. You may run into errors while cross compiling and to solve it you may have to find patches or you might have to fix it on your own. When I was doing it manually I learned a lot but it becomes a bit difficult for packages that have multiple dependencies. I found myself looking into yocto recipes for understanding the way to build the packages and using the patches available there to fix the issues I was facing. So there goes my reason for choosing yocto.
Yocto contains almost everything to help you create your own distribution. They are updating there recipes frequently so you stay current. The latest kernel, the latest packages you name it they provide it. The documentation they provide is quite detailed and easy to learn but it requires patience to master it. The initial build time and the space they occupy are the major cons that one may consider for opting other embedded Linux build sytems such as buildroot etc. But if you want to create BSP for multiple architectures and with a load of features than the pros of yocto outweighs the cons easily.
Buildroot also contains the makefiles and patches and automates the building process but it is meant for a simple system.
So according to me Yocto wins hands down.
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