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Linux 2.4.0 Test2 Almost Ready for Prime Time
out of control sent us a quote from Linus from the kernel dev "There's a "test2" kernel out there now, integrating most of the -ac patches, and some code that wasn't in -ac.
Normally, when you integrate almost 5MB of patches, bad things happen.
This time, a miracle occurred. As I uploaded the resultant kernel, a
specter of the holy penguin appeared before me, and said "It is Good. It is Bugfree".
As if wanting to re-assure me that yes, it really =was= the holy penguin, it finally added "Do you have any Herring?" before fading out in a puff of holy penguin-smoke. Only a faint whiff of rancid fish remains as I type in these words..
In short, not only are most of Alan's patches integrated, I have it on
higher authority that the result is perfect.
So if it doesn't compile for you, you must be doing something wrong.
Use a mirror.
Viro still holds a firm grip on the VFS, and refuses to make it stackable. Worse than that, the VFS has specific ext2 functionality built into it. It's a "virtual filesystem" as long as you can make your filesystem look and work like ext2.
Now there's a harebrained idea to add "generic" journaling functionality to the VFS. I assume this is so that when ext3 is finally ready, the VFS will support it well, and all other filesystems will have to then look like ext3.
Take a look at the enormous hacks the HFS and ReiserFS have had to make to work around Alexander Viro and his Virtual Ext2 Filesystem.
Microsoft make it nearly impossible to write new filesystems for Windows NT, because they want everyone to use NTFS. Viro's doing the same thing. So why is it tolerated in an open-source OS?
The reason 2.4 has no journaling filesystem is that there are roadblocks in place to keep it that way. Ext3 will be the first journaling filesystem in Linux. Not because it will be the first journaling filesystem, or the best, but because it will be the one properly supported by the VFS ("Viro File System").
The Reiser-Viro flame wars aside, the filesystem cartel is doing serious damage to Linux. Linux should have a generic, capable, stackable VFS that isn't tied to a specific filesystem, and doesn't provide special support for preferred filesystems.
Adding to the problem is that the VFS is very poorly documented. Changes are made without any foreshadowing. The best documentation available is the source code for the Ext2 filesystem. And that is sad.
Maybe Linus will intercede to provide a better VFS. Maybe the Stark Fist of Removal will pay Viro a visit.
This post is not meant as a flame. The VFS is a serious issue. Linux could have had a journaling filesystem by now.
Napster-to-go says "Fill and refill your compatible MP3 player", which is a lie. It's not MP3. It's WMA with DRM.
The test series still have problems, notably with the VM and with I/O throughput.
For most people the test series perform _very_ poor compared to the 2.2 series when it comes to disk thoughput. 2.4-test is as slow as 1/5 of 2.2 for some.
But, 2.4-test is ready for testing. Definitely. Get the kernel, build it, run it, stress it. The developers need all the input they can get. If you have the time, then follow LKML from the archives (from kernelnotes.org or elsewhere), and respond with a benchmark/feedback every time a developer posts a patch.
The 2.4 series has a large number of optimizations over the 2.2 series, so most of the kernel should run a lot better than 2.2. But if your disk throughput is low and your kernel swaps unnecessarily, those other optimizations get you nowhere. AFAIK the only performance-related problems in 2.4-test is I/O and VM related. Once these are fixed, 2.4 is going to be the leanest kernel of them all.
No, no, no. It's the finnish pronunciation which is causing all the problem. Just as "Linus" is really pronounced "Leanus", "herring" is, in fact, "hearing". So the penguin, who obviously doesn't speak very good english, was merely asking if Linus had heard correctly.
Either that, or he was accusing him of whoring...
XOX DOM