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Linus Torvalds On Linux 2.6
ceebABC writes "Linus Torvalds talks about the upcoming Linux 2.6 kernel, in an interview with eWEEK. Linus discusses the scalability and memory management in the new kernel. They also have a story about what's supposed to be in Linux 3.0."
If he freezes the code for the 12th anniversary of getting his first computer for use with linux, one can only imagine what he gets his wife for their wedding anniversary.
It will have the GPL, the best form of digital rights.
The difference between Canada and the USA is that in Canada healthcare is a right and gun ownership is a privilege.
According to one source, "kernel 2.6 will address PHBs by including a 'boss key' that automatically switches the kernel to 'Fake Windows Mode'. In this mode, Linux will simulate the Windows XP-2005 environment, complete with Dancing Paperclips, bluescreens, and incessant reminders to sign up for a Microsoft Passport.
;-)
Now, geeks will be able to install Linux on their company workstations without the knowledge of their PHBs. Productivity will skyrocket, hopefully earning them a fat raise."
More details are available at http://humorix.org
I, for one, am quite excited about this, although I guess that depends on if any of you actually have a job at the moment
Either way, I'm glad to see the kernel hackers working hard to fulfill our feature requests. Here's to a great 2.6!
Cheers,
-- Eric
If you celebrate Xmas, befriend me (538
To see whats already in 2.5, check kernel status
I just scanned through the discussion...every comment is either a dumb joke (sorry, I don't think talking about "Linux 3.11" is very clevar) or flamebait/trolling.
What has happened to all of the serious users? Let's talk. I'm most interested in what the new kernel will be doing for next generation hardware (FireWire 2 and USB2, not to mention BlueTooth), the new VM, and improvements in latency a la the preemptible kernel patch.
Also, the 2.4 series kernels already have so many configuration options that compiling the right kernel often takes several attempts. Anyone know how 2.6/3.0 (they are the same, right?) is going to manage kernel config as the number of modules skyrockets? Has Linus considered moving away from a monolithic kernel, or should we all just switch to HURD?
Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
Something forms itself from the silent void of the empty mailing lists and the noisy chaos of the crowded mailing lists. It shapes and protects us, it entertains and challenges us, it aids us in our journey through the ether world of software. It is mysterious; it is at once source code and yet object code. I do not know the name, thus I will call it the Tao of Linux.
If the Tao is great, then the box is stable. If the box is stable, then the server is secure. If the server is secure, then the data is safe. If the data is safe, then the users are happy.
In the beginning there was chaos in Unix.
Tanenbaum gave birth to MINIX. MINIX did not have the Tao.
MINIX gave birth to Linux 0.1 and it had promise.
Linux gave birth to v1.3 and it was good.
v1.3 gave birth to v2.0 and it was better.
Linux has evolved greatly from its distant cousins of the old. Linux is embodied by the Tao.
The wise user is told about the Tao and contributes to it. The average user is told about the Tao and compiles it. The foolish user is told about the Tao and laughs and asks who needs it.
If it were not for laughter, there would be no Tao.
Wisdom leads to good code, but experience leads to good use of that code.
The master Cox once dreamed that he was a Kernel. When he awoke he exclaimed: "I don't know whether I am Cox dreaming that I am a Kernel, or a Kernel dreaming that I am Cox!"
The master Linus then said: "The Tao envelopes you. You shall create great code for Linux."
"On the contrary," said Cox, "The Tao has already created the code, I will only have to find it and write it down."
A master was explaining the nature of the Tao to one of his students:
"Is the Tao in the VM subsystem?" he asked. "Yes," replied the master.
"Is the Tao in the scheduler?" he queried again. "The Tao is in the scheduler."
"Is the Tao even in the modules?". "It is even in the modules," said the master.
"Is the Tao in the Low-Latency Patch?"
The master frowned and was silent for much time.
"You fail to understand the Tao. Go away."
The Tao is the yin and the yang. It is the good and the evil, it is everything and yet it is nothing, it is the beginning and the end.
The Tao was there at the kernel compile, and it will be there when the kernel panics.
A novice user once asked a master: "Why compile in C when C++ is more popular?"
"Why a monolythic kernel when Mach is more popular?"
"And why use ReiserFS when ext2 is more popular?"
The master sighed and replied: "Why run Unix when NT is more popular?"
The user was enlightened.
A frustrated user once asked a master: "My kernel has panicked, should I post to lkml?"
"No," replied the master, "You will only bother the Tao."
"Should I rm -rf?"
"No, you will have wasted the Tao's time."
"Well should I search the web?"
"You will search for all eternity," said the master.
"Perhaps I should try FreeBSD?"
"Then you will have disgraced the Tao."
"I suppose I could try gdb," said the user.
The master smiled and replied: "Then you will have made the Tao stronger."
A stubborn user once told a master: "I run version 2.2. I always have, and I always will."
The master replied: "You are foolish and do not understand the Tao. The Tao is dynamic and ever changing. Linux strives for the perfection that is the Tao. It flows from version to version with peace."
"So my Linux does not have the Tao, so what?" said the foolish user. "Oh your Linux is of the Tao," said the master. "However, the Tao of Linux follows the Tao of the C library. One day the C library will change, and your Linux will be left behind." The user was silent.
An angry user once yelled at a master:
"My Linux has panicked! What lousy software it is, I hate it so!"
"You are insulting the Tao," said the master. "The Tao is everywhere bringing order to hundreds of networks, aiding thousands of users, and fighting that of which we call the 'lame.' Do not disrespect the Tao; however, the Tao will forgive you."
"I apologize," said the user, "And I will be more forgiving the next time the Tao fails me."
"The Tao has not failed you, it is you that has failed the Tao," said the master. "The Tao is perfect."
The Tao decides if a kernel shall compile, or if it shall abort.
The Tao decides if a kernel shall boot, or if it shall freeze.
The Tao decides if a kernel shall run, or if it shall panic.
But, the Tao does not decide if a box will have no hardware failures. That is a mystery to everyone.
A young master once approached an old master: "I have a LUG for Linux help. But, I fail to answer my students' problems; they are above me."
The master replied: "Have you taught them of the Tao?" he asked. "How it brings together man and software, yet how it distances them apart; how if flows throughout Linux and transcends its essence?"
"No," exclaimed the apprentice, "These people cannot even get the source untarred."
"Oh, said the master, "In that case, tell them to RTFM."
A master watched as an ambitious user reconstructed his Linux.
"I shall make every bit encrypted," the user said. "I shall use 2048 bit keys, three different algorithms, and make multiple passes."
The master replied: "I think it is unwise."
"Why?" asked the user. "Will my encryption harm the mighty Tao, which gives Linux life and creates the balance between kernel and processes? The mighty Tao, which is the thread that binds the modules and links them with the core? The mighty Tao, which safely guides the TCP/IP packets to and from the network card?"
"No," said the master, "It will hog too much cpu."
The core is like the part of the mind that is static. It is programmed at a child's creation and cannot be changed unless a new child is made; unless a new kernel is compiled.
The modules are like the part of the mind that is dynamic. It is reprogrammed every time one learns new knowledge; every time one learns better code.
One is yin, the other yang. Each is nothing without the other.
A novice came to lkml and inquired to all the masters there: "I wish to become a master. Must I memorize the Linux header files?"
"No," replied a master.
"Must I submit code to Bitkeeper?"
"No," replied the master.
"Must I meditate daily and dedicate my life to Linux?"
"No," replied the master again.
"Must I go on a quest to ponder the meaning of the Tao?"
"No. A master is nothing more than a student who knows something of which he can teach to other students."
The novice understood.
And thus said the master:
"It is the way of the Tao."
A user came to a master who had great status in lkml. The user asked the master: "Which is easier: implementing new features to the kernel or documenting them?"
"Implementing new features," replied the master.
The confused user then exclaimed:
"Surely it is easier to write a few sentences in the man page than it is to write pages of code without error?"
"Not so," said the master. "When coding, the Tao of Linux opens my eyes wide and allows me to see beyond the code, to let the source flow from my fingers, to implement without flaw. When documenting, however, all I have to work with is a C in high school English."
He who compiles from the stable tree is stubborn
and unwilling to change, but is guaranteed reliability.
He who compiles from the current tree is wise but perhaps too conformist, but is guaranteed steadiness.
He who compiles from the unstable tree is adventurous and is guaranteed new innovations: some good, some bad.
He who compiles straight from Bitkeeper is brave but guaranteed turbulence.
They are all of the Tao. One shall respect the old, and debug the new; none shall argue over which is greatest.
There once was a user who scripted in Perl: "Look at what I have to work with here," he said to a master of core, "My code is interpreted dynamically, the syntax is unique and simple, I have sockets, strings, arrays, and everything I could ever need. Why don't you stop meddling in C and come join me?"
The C programmer described his reasoning to the scripter: "Script is to C as ebonics is to Latin. If the scripter does not grow beyond that of which he scripts, he will surely [die]. Besides, without C, how can there be script?"
The scripter was enlightened, and the two became close friends.
It's time for you to leave.
Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
Inigo Montoya: My name is Inigo Montoya, you put windows on my computer, prepare to die.
Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken - Tyler Durden
Yeah. I've noticed that.
...I did get the story right, right?
I think he was trying to get on the hype-bandwagon surrounding "Linux" so he changed his name. Kinda like that RMS guy. He quit using his full name so that he would be known by a three-letter acronym just like "GNU."
And then RMS wanted to Torvalds to go by the name "RMS/Linus" to denote the fact that Stallman had been working in computer science for longer then Torvalds.
Maybe everyone would just be better off calling it "ATT/OS" to give credit back to where it really belongs.
What does this "kernel" program do
It does automated remote popcorn popping using XML-RPC to communicate bidirectionally with TCP/IP enabled microwave ovens.
Best Slashdot Co
Yes, I too gave up the fun filled days of my youth for a narrow-minded leave me the hell alone attitude. I also used to watch the Learning Channel, but have since gave that up as it was just a bunch of useless learning. Who needs that? I grew up long ago and promptly stopped learning or accepting new ideas.
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge"
- Charles Darwin
I'll never forget my first boot into the 1.x series many, many years ago.
I hear you. My not-terribly-100%-compatible-Unisys PC clone is *still* booting. It's been stuck at this "ramdisk" line for about 9 years. Any idea how long it will be before I, too, can enjoy Linux?
Trolling is a art,
It supports even now (2.4).
Will it support touchpads on laptops?
It supports.
Will the frame buffer work properly on 3dfx cards
Didn't saw any problem reports on lkml.
Will it get rid of the fucking cli for good and boot DIRECTLY in to X?
Are you insane?
Will it tell Stallman to fuck off for trying to put gnu/ on it.
GNU/Linux (The GNU Operating System with Linux kernel) is not Linux (the kernel).
and last but most importantly, will you be able to to swtich kernels with out rebooting (is it that hard?, why dosent the kernel just unload it self from memory and go back to the boot menu?)
You talk about Kexec? It's trying to be included in 2.5 right now.
:wq
To all of those worried about LVM: 2.6 will include a LVM implementation. The EVMS won't make it though.
The story is that 2.4 included LVM1 (I am running it right now on my RH8 box) which had some restrictions and were generally regarded as a kludge. For the 2.6 kernel two competing replacements arised: LVM2 and EVMS. LVM2 is basicly a rewrite of LVM1 while EVMS is an entirely different beast aimed at the BIG IRON in the datacenters. After some (heated) discussion on LKML Linus decided to include LVM2 and scrap EVMS.
The reaction from the EVMS team (sponsered by IBM) was noble: They decided to remove their kernel-land code and rewrite their user-land utilities to use the winning LVM2 kernel interface and create a win-win situation for everyone. Kernel traffic covered the story here and Linux Weekly News made a mention of it here.
"Kind of makes you wonder if he was named after Linux. :-)"
Yes he was named afer Linux and it was wrong. His parent should have named him GNU/Linus Torvalds.
If enithin kan gow rong it whil. (Murfey)
According to Kernel Trap, Linus merged the "device mapper" code, the kernel component of Sistina's LVM2 volume manager, around 2.5.45.
In addition, the EVMS team then recognized the implication of this decision vis-a-vis the inclusion of EVMS in Linus' tree in the near future, and decided that a significant rewrite of some of their code was in order.
"As many of you may know by now, the 2.5 kernel feature freeze has come and gone, and it seems clear that the EVMS kernel driver is not going to be included. With this in mind, we have decided to rework the EVMS user-space administration tools (the Engine) to work with existing drivers currently in the kernel, including (but not necessarily limited to) device mapper and MD."
This announcement was met with TONS of positive praise on lkml: for the actual technical decision, for the mature and pleasant manner in which it was handled, and for the public policy of removing duplication of kernel code in general, simplifying the MD/device mapper code specifically.
Finally, Alan Cox stated about 2.4:
"I plan to try and push LVM2 to Marcelo after the next release. Whether he will take it I don't know. Obviously its good to have the ability to move back nicely to older kernels."