Littlev

Littlev, commonly known as LittlevGL, is an open-source graphics library for embedded systems that enables the development of graphical user interfaces on microcontrollers and other resource-constrained hardware with displays. It is written in C, designed to be lightweight and portable, and provides a widget-based toolkit that supports a range of UI components and themes.

History and naming: The project originated under the name LittlevGL and later adopted LVGL (Light and Versatile Graphics Library) as its official branding. The rename reflected an expanded scope and audience while preserving compatibility with existing ports and community contributions.

Architecture and features: LVGL provides an object-oriented style within C, a rich set of widgets (buttons, sliders, lists, charts), layout management, and a styling system for themes. It includes a hardware abstraction layer with display drivers and input devices (touch, mouse, keypad), supports fonts (including scalable and bitmap fonts), basic image handling, animations, and color management.

Usage and impact: The library is widely used in embedded GUI development for consumer electronics, wearables, and industrial displays. It supports many platforms and MCUs with various display interfaces and accelerators. The project is actively maintained with extensive documentation, examples, and an ecosystem of third-party widgets and integrations.

Licensing: LittlevGL/LVGL is released as open-source software under an open license, with community contributions and options for commercial use.