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Software Tweak Makes Linux Boot In Under 200 ms
An anonymous reader writes "A version of Linux has been created that radically speeds up system boot time -- to less than 200 milliseconds (ms) from power-up to application code startup. The techniques, created by Real-time Linux vendor FSMLabs, are processor independent, and boot times of under 100 mS are expected in the future." Update: 09/30 01:04 GMT by T : Yep -- both headline and post should have read "ms" (milliseconds) rather than "mS" (milli Siemens); thanks to all the alert readers.
So, this is a good improvement it seems, but shaves away 4.5 seconds or so out of maybe 30 sconds or over a minute for many people.
True, but this is still great.
The article says, "less than 200 milliseconds (mS) from power-up to application code startup." The thing that makes this great is that not every device is going to go through the entire *nix init sequence.
How about a device like a Linux embedded router, or something like that? Just a kernel running and that's all. Or how about a dashboard mp3 player that only needs to run one application?
This makes Linux much more like customized firmware, and there are plenty of places to use that.
Granted, this'll be great when it makes it to the desktop, too. =)
Weaselmancer
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
... that when a company doesn't put its kernel changes out immediately, there's calls for hanging them for violating the GPL, but when a linux company optimizes boot-up routines in the kernel, nobody is asking when the patches are going to be making it into the mainline kernel?
from the looks of the article, FSMLabs has been basically profiling the kernel, looking for sticking points, and optimizing them.
why wouldn't at least some of this work be contributed back to the mainline kernel? it is modifications on a GPL'd kernel, after all.