Slashdot Mirror
Linux Foundation Paving Way for New Kernel Developers
Jack Spine writes "The Linux Foundation has published a how-to document for developers who want to negotiate the hidden shoals of open source. According to both the Linux Foundation and the Open Source Consortium, developers can get frustrated with the processes in open source coding, especially for enterprise-class projects like Linux. 'A guide to the kernel development process' aims to encourage participation from new programmers by explaining what's involved. Some developers and businesses attempting to submit changes to the Linux kernel find themselves tangled up with the processes used, according to the guide, which was written by Jonathan Corbet, executive editor of lwn.net and himself a Linux developer."
here.
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
now.
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/misc/print/0,1000000169,39461788-39001068c,00.htm
So I can pretty well follow a spec, an algorithm description, or pseudo-code in C. But I'm no pro. Do I have the skills to start contributing to a top-tier open source project like the kernel, gcc, apache, etc? I'm looking at this link, what others would people recommend for how to get started?
In Capitalist America, bank robs you!
The worst they can do is not apply it
:(
I would've thought that the kernel has a relatively small number of areas of development, where the people mostly know each other and with a 400 lb gorilla or two at the head of each one. And any really innovative idea would be rejected on the grounds of perhaps being interesting/worthwhile, but for a different project.
Most incompetent developers get freaked out when they see anything resembling architecture and design in a project.
Mostly this is part of a larger effort by the Linux Foundation to make Linux development more accessible. There's a lot of interested folks out there who simply don't know the nuances of dealing with the kernel (and, perhaps, general free and open source) developers. This document will hopefully tear down any perceived curtains and allow ISVs and individual developers get a good idea of how to deal with the kernel.
Brian Proffitt
Community Manager
Linux Developer Network
It's been several years now, but I once had the impulse to try to work on a major open source project for Linux - I was thinking either a window manager or something involving audio (not one of the cross-platform wrappers) - and I was utterly befuddled as to how to get started. I'm used to developing for OS X, Java, and Windows, and I couldn't even figure out where to find all of the relevant system APIs and docs for Linux. Admittedly I didn't try all that hard, but it'd be much better if it was like other platforms where it's pretty obvious - either because of docs or because of included developer's tools - how to find the APIs. Is there something that I either missed or that's been developed since, or should I just look at the code for projects I'm interested in?
much profit in community management? :p
1. Lurk for a while. 2. Make a post on an introductory thread. 3. Attempt to join in a discussion, preferably one that you *really* care about, and get shouted down because everyone thinks you're an asshat. 4. Karma whore on bullshit discussions, to get your reputation back. 5. ???
I may be wrong, but I dont think linux is enterprise class. Enterprise class means it is very expensive and works like crap, just easy to install so the IT department idiots can install it and then open a support ticket.
Step 1: Release commercial Linux application
Step 2: See the commercial Linux application end up on The Pirate Bay
Step 3: Realize that Linux users almost never pay for anything
Step 4: YOU FAIL IT!
Step 5: Re-invent yourself as an open source company and sell support
Step 6: Get bought by IBM or Sun.
Step 7: Retire in Bermuda, laughing all the way to the bank.
My blog
I don't know what's the bigger achievement. Getting a patch into mainline or reading all of these 67-miles long "super-qucik howtos". Seriously, what's wrong with a wiki, where you can "abstract" hundreds of lines into smaller, more managable articles? Anyhow, it's good to see the most sacred inner-cult of KernelMailingList opening up a little :)
Wouldn't the above
business model encourage
coders to code things
that will inevitably need
support?
1. People want money 2.
Money comes from selling
support 3. FOSS coders
write code that WILL need
support 4. People choose
commercial apps that need
less support 5. FOSS
loses
Heroes die once, cowards live longer.
If someone decides that you're a trouble maker, or whatever, try to get your patch in a different branch of the tree. The kernel has a long tail, and all patches go upstream to Andrew Mortons tree and then hop to Linus' tree, provided that the code is decent and it serves a genuine purpose (A guy from Google has two spelling corrections that were merged and he got credited for).
You'll get yelled at for formatting and such before anyone of higher authority sees your code. You probably won't get your code past a subsystem maintainer without having it look presentable. It's just about getting your foot in the door at any node along the tail. I mean, even Namesys got code in the kernel with Hans shouting at everyone. The protocol for doing things is a bit flexible (I hear Andrew Morton still submits changes to Linus as tar balls from time to time... I'm not sure if he does this any more, though) if you stick to the key concepts.
Just my $0.02, I could be wrong.
If I mod you up, it doesn't necessarily mean I agree with what you've said, sorry.
at least your user name is appropriate
Let's have the new kernel programmers put the shredder feature back into Konqueror like it was in kernel 2.4 and KDE 3.1 in SuSE 9.0. This will allow our companies to use linux as it will again be secure. As it is we are forced to use Windows 2k as it is the last functional secure windows product. Windows can be shredded in all of its files and all of its logs. Its registry is a bit more problematical as there is so much undocumented secret info stored there. The way linux is going, a convergence is happening that is disturbing and will result in the end product being unacceptable by the business community. We have no love of our payroll, customer lists, wholesale and producer prices and bare costs, outsourcing suppliers, etc being stolen and sold by hackers. The idea that we are somehow 'evil' in some disgusting way, or 'having something to hide' or some other insult for wanting to make a profit is absurd and insulting beyond belief. The Jewish call this chutzpah, and its purveyors 'putzes'. As it is, computer operating system development effectively ceased being useful several years ago. All arguments to the contrary are irrelevant and specious.
where the people mostly know each other and with a 400 lb gorilla or two at the head of each one
Well, i have heard the term code monkey, but 400 lb gorillas?
Kernel development must be tough...