U-Boot Concept Tree Proposal

[Simon Glass]

Adding to cc

On Thu, 18 Jun 2026, 16:08 Simon Glass, <sjg at chromium.org> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> On Wed, 3 Jun 2026 at 06:06, Simon Glass <sjg at chromium.org> wrote:
> >
> > Dear U-Boot Contributors,
> >
> > I would like to introduce the U-Boot Concept tree along with a few
> thoughts on its role in U-Boot.
> >
> > By way of background, I have been a contributor for about 15 years -
> around 10k commits and countless reviews. I have introduced many
> innovations into the project: e.g. sandbox, device tree, C test
> infrastructure, Binman, standard boot. Of course I could not have done any
> of this without the U-Boot community (nor would there be any point).
> >
> > As the U-Boot project has matured, the demands for mainline stability
> and rigorous review have created a natural friction for landing complex,
> large-scale feature and refactoring series at the necessary pace. This
> structural reality, which has slowed the adoption of ambitious efforts like
> bootstd, VBE, xPL [1], and CI-connected hardware labs, is what the Concept
> tree is designed to alleviate.
> >
> > I strongly believe that projects must evolve in order to stay relevant
> in the long term. This includes code-refactoring, new features and
> subsystems, along with migration of old code to use them.  A look back at
> the U-Boot of 2010 shows how far the project has come. I don't think anyone
> would still be using U-Boot if it had not evolved.
> >
> > I have set up a 'Concept' tree, a possible future for U-Boot, as a way
> to regain the old pace of innovation. This environment is a proving ground
> for new features where we maintain a lower bar for risk tolerance and
> completeness. We will accept partial and speculative features, provided the
> underlying code remains robust and of high quality, with the shared
> understanding that features may be dropped if they do not prove beneficial.
> >
> > Another difference is AI. I believe that AI is the next step on from
> compilers, which also took a long time to produce good code and find
> acceptance. The Concept tree welcomes (and encourages) high-quality AI
> contributions and reviews. It accepts PRs and allows reviews on PRs or the
> mailing list. It relies 99% on automated tests (sandbox, QEMU and labs) so
> sets a high bar for testing. It uses a separate Gitlab instance for now and
> of course uses a separate mailing list and Patchwork project to avoid
> cluttering the main list. Concept runs an AI-powered cherry-picker so that
> it keeps up with mainline. In no sense is it operated as a fork.
> >
> > Once features are landed and functional in Concept I hope that many will
> find their way to mainline, although inevitably some rework will be needed.
> >
> > I recognise that introducing a new 'Concept' tree might initially cause
> confusion or concern. This is an invitation to work together to define its
> role. I welcome all feedback - positive or negative - here on the mailing
> list, privately, or on irc. Let’s discuss how this initiative can help
> U-Boot remain the defining firmware for the 2030s.
> >
> > [1]
> https://lore.kernel.org/u-boot/CAFLszTg6sKpZ1yP3Pjgk9_Fx3MOh=ieT2oaHfgLf3_nC+xXA9g@mail.gmail.com/
>
> Just to report that after some brief discussions, we have agreed on a
> path forward here (thank you Peter!).
>
> Concept will become a custodian tree in U-Boot's Gitlab instance. I
> will run it, with access to my hardware lab. It will cherry-pick from
> mainline and accept code through its own channels (PRs and separate
> mailing list + patchwork). When features are ready for mainline, I
> will send patches to the main list for review in the normal way.
>
> I have been working to migrate things off u-boot.org (lab, gitlab,
> blog... and email). I am transferring u-boot.org to the SFC once this
> is finished in the next few days. If we do end up setting up email
> addresses for people on u-boot.org, I'd appreciate keeping sjg@
>
> Tom, Neil Peter, please can you ack this to confirm you are happy with it?
>
> >
> > Concept tree:
> >                        :
> >                        ::
> >                      ...:::.
> >                  ::  :. -
> >            .   ::::::-  - ::. ..
> >           .:: .:      -==  =.:.
> >         ::.- ::::. ::. :=:. ::::
> >   ::. ::   =..  :.-::: =:
> >     .:-:-. -.::  ::=-:=:
> >   ::::::=.  -.::   ===:       ::.
> >     ::.:::=::=:   -===:--==-::--::
> >       :.    :-=-.:==:.   .:  ::
> >                ===:       ::  :
> >                ==:
> >                ==
> >               :==
> >               -==:
> >               -+=:
> >               =++=.
> >              .-===:
>
> Regards,
> Simon
>