[FEATURE] Create a NuttX Distro with dynamic binary (ELF) loading support

[acassis]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

These are the steps to reach this goal

First steps (basic validation):

• Test ELF Loading in the current NuttX mainline
• Create an LVGL library (use Meadow main/Source/tflite-micro-spresense-examples-1.0.0/Makefile as reference)
• Create the LVGL initial application (that will be replaced in the field)
• Create the new LVGL application that will replace the original application
• Create an application (or script) that will download the new LVGL application from server to replace the original

Advanced steps:

• Add Library support on NuttX/NuttX-Apps (use Android Makefile Library building as reference)
• Create a package manager to install, update or remove packages
• Host a demo distro in the Apache NuttX server

Desired features:

• Port dropbear (tiny SSH Server/Client) to NuttX to remote maintenance

Describe the solution you'd like

Steps aboves

Describe alternatives you've considered

No response

Verification

• I have verified before submitting the report.

[acassis]

ping @halyssonJr @kisvegabor @liamHowatt

[halyssonJr]

@acassis
Binary Loader, it's working fine.
For this test, I used the Linum (STM32H7), considering this board doesn't have an MMU, other option would be the reallocation ELF.

• Config:

./tools/configure.sh linum-stm32h753bi:sdcard

• NSH Output :

NuttShell (NSH) NuttX-12.11.0
nsh> mount -t vfat /dev/mmcsd0 /bin
nsh> ls bin
/bin:
 hello
nsh> hello
Hello, World!!
nsh> cd bin
nsh> hello
Hello from ELF program
Start to counting to 10 ...
Counter = 0
Counter = 1
Counter = 2
Counter = 3
Counter = 4
Counter = 5
Counter = 6
Counter = 7
Counter = 8
Counter = 9
Bye Bye NuttX

• Reference : https://github.com/lupyuen/quickjs-nuttx#full-linking-for-nuttx-apps
  Huge thanks @lupyuen

[kisvegabor]

It makes perfect sense to me. As the basic technology for elf loading is already working the basic steps seem quite doable to me.

However the advanced steps are really advanced. 🙂 We need to make sure that it's really worth the effort.

[acassis]

@kisvegabor you are right, these are very ambitious advanced steps, but if we want to have a real distro where people can install and remove packages, we will need some kind of package management. Unfortunately ipkg/opkg license is incompatible with NuttX.

Maybe we can port ppkg (https://github.com/leleliu008/ppkg) it is a package manager alternative for Unix/POSIX systems. This package manager seems very promising.

Let us focus on our "baby steps" first, it will be worth for NuttX and LVGL projects!