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New Tool to Track Kernel Testing Time
mu22le writes "Andrea Arcangeli has created a new tool, 'klive', to automatically track the amount of testing that each kernel gets before release. According to Kernel Traffic "There was some discussion [on making it a kernel config option] that public perception might put this in the "spyware" category", but still the ability to track a kernel usage and reliability would be valuable to both developers and users."
If I turn on my computer and don't touch it for a year, it will have excellent uptime, but it doesn't really test very much. Same too, if I just start up Apache and let it do its thing.
So? The theoretical number of users that will be doing that sort of operation should be outnumbered by those that use it for "normal, day to day operations".
In the end it would even itself out.
If they make the kernel option totally opt-in, which is the right way to go, most people won't use it and only power-users will enable the function which will end up with the results you mentioned (or will it?)
An interesting debate but at least they are willing to 100% respect the rights of their users.
And I don't think it could be thought of as spyware.
Spyware is supposed to be unknowingly reporting information about you, whether it was mistakenly installed by you or it crept in from somewhere else.
The typical Linux user won't think it's spyware, no, but those working to move Linux towards a larger market want to be certain that newer users don't ever confuse the two.
Unfortunately, this *could* be confused with Spyware -- especially after a cute little Microsoft funded "research" item gets posted to ZDnet or news.com.com.
Linux Kernel Includes Spyware Reporting Your Usage Habits!
And don't think for one second that any backpedaling by the kernel gurus could outsmart the Microsoft FUD team.