Chapter 1. Creating Your BeagleBone Black Development Environment

This book is for secret agents. James Bond is the secret agent who most likely comes to mind, but in today's highly connected world, the real secret agents are to be found in Q branch. Spycraft techniques such as camouflage, listening devices, and palm-print weapons are useful for field agents, but online we need other tools. These tools, like their field agent counterparts, enable you to hide in a crowd, protect secret communication, and prove the identity of other agents. The software and hardware projects in this book use tools relied upon by whistleblowers, journalists protecting their sources, and everyday citizens attempting to access unfiltered information in a strongly censored country.

BeagleBone Black (BBB) is a complete computer that fits inside an Altoid's tin. Its small form factor, low power consumption, and capable performance empower the device to help you secure your privacy and protect your communication online. Before we can build upon these tools, we first need to know how to interact with the BBB. This chapter will introduce you to BBB and suggest a development environment in which you can build the later projects.

In this chapter, you will:

• Learn about BBB and the open source principles behind the project
• Install and use the Emacs editor
• Configure Emacs as your embedded development environment
• Tailor your SSH configuration for usability
• Investigate resources for background information on cryptography, electronics, and Linux