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Linux Kernel v2.6.23 Released
diegocgteleline.es writes "After 3 months, Linus has released Linux 2.6.23. This version includes the new and shiny CFS process scheduler, a simpler read-ahead mechanism, the lguest 'Linux-on-Linux' paravirtualization hypervisor, XEN guest support, KVM smp guest support, and variable process argument length. SLUB is now the default slab allocator, there's SELinux protection for exploiting null dereferences using mmap, XFS and ext4 improvements, PPP over L2TP support. Also the 'lumpy' reclaim algorithm, a userspace driver framework, the O_CLOEXEC file descriptor flag, splice improvements, a new fallocate() syscall, lock statistics, support for multiqueue network devices, various new drivers, and many other minor features and fixes. See the changelog for details."
phew. I few more unstable linus kernel uot there eh!
Great!
In other news, RIP linux for the desktop. With the loss of the two main developers for Thunderbird, it looks like linux is going on without a single decent desktop (non-terminal) email app. Kmail, the one time I tried it, promptly erased all my email folders, and in any case is not very flexible. Thunderbird had plenty of faults, but it was the best one of the crop. Now, without a single great email app, how can an IT manager decide to go with linux over the desktop? What would be the advantage to Mac?
I wish Linus could give an edict and convert some kernel developers to app developers and to app integration, but it doesn't work that way, technical people will always enjoy more working on the kernel than on apps, and linux over the desktop will always be poor.
I am now switching all my group (10 people?) from linux to Mac, and I have only good things to say about it.
The computer was always meant to help the user accomplish tasks. But how can a user get anything done when they are buried waste deep in training manuals? Linux has a steep learning curve, most people will agree. It takes a specific type of person to get Linux running and to a point where it can be productive even for nontechnical users (which is the majority of users that use computers). Linux has so much to offer that other OSs don't even come close to delivering, but let's tie all of those together to make something that's both powerful and usable at the same time. Dylan
I just upgraded, and I'm already seeing a 122% increase in throughput for my entire server farm.
Astroturf bingo number 4, claimed for B08.
This linux driver team made most of us think you could take open source code and apply any other open source license you like. If they can GPL BSD code why not GPLv3 GPLv2 code?
// MD_Update(&m,buf,j);
More code, more bells and whistles, more bugs in the kernel. Thanks Linus!