Slashdot Mirror
Linux Kernel 2.6.29 Released
diegocgteleline.es writes "Linus Torvalds has released Linux 2.6.29. The new features include the inclusion of kernel graphic modesetting, WiMAX, access point Wi-Fi support, inclusion of squashfs and a preliminary version of btrfs, a more scalable version of RCU, eCryptfs filename encryption, ext4 no journal mode, OCFS2 metadata checksums, improvements to the memory controller, support for filesystem freeze, and other features. Here is the full list of changes."
Ummm I'm pretty sure thats the ability to act as a wifi access point, which windows can't do yet.
I can't believe this wasn't mentioned..
Here's what the new linux logo looks like for this release.
Yes it is indeed. The MS funny-boy above must have missed the obvious point. But that isn't in any way a surprise, is it?
The most important feature is the new mascot, Tuz. FTFA:
As everybody knows, only important fixes will be merged into the mainline kernel at this late stage of the development cycle. One of the fixes merged by Linus on March 17 was a high-resolution SVG image of "Tuz," the mascot of the 2009 linux.conf.au conference. Tuz, in his new home at Documentation/logo.svg, serves to remind the world of the difficulties faced by the Tasmanian devil and how the linux.conf.au attendees supported the effort to save this species from extinction.
eCryptfs filename encryption
Here's the eCryptfs home page for more information on this nifty addition.
512 MB RAM, 20 GB disk, 200 GB transfer, five datacenters. $19.95/month.
Idiot!!! You can always remove bloat by not compiling the 'extra' stuff into the kernel !!!
Open Source man Open Source!!!
You only need rootfs, which is a special type of ramfs that loads the initramfs image. initramfs is loaded by the bootloader, so probably GRUB or LILO or ELILO.
Then if every other filesystem was based on FUSE, you would load the initramfs with the FUSE module, the FUSE setup programs and a config file.
It doesn't work like that. The kernel never uses its own filesystems' support to load itself... How could it if it hasn't been loaded yet? That's the job of a "boot loader". The most user boot loader currently is Grub, and previously was Lilo.
Grub supports some filesystems, so it can access them and load the kernel. Lilo did not support filesystem, so there was a tool that you needed to run each time you changed the kernel. That tool built a list of blocks, so that Lilo could load the kernel (from those blocks) without really understanding the filesystem.
Tuz the Tasmanian devil has replaced Tux as the kernel mascot (for this release) to raise awareness of this endangered species (which is threatened with extinction due to a scientifically interesting but horrific transmissible facial cancer.).
The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
Mac can't do it either. Ad-hoc is not the same as being an access point.
Been working for years, for me.
I just plug in my printer, use the add printer wizard, select model, various sharing methods - no stupid driver installation that installs a bunch of bloatware.
Plug in my tablet, works instantly - no stupid driver installation that includes tray icon background processes.
Plug in wireless device, works instantly - no stupid driver installation that includes some special wireless manager that has a terrible UI and doesn't really work properly.
Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
Even in Linux, most distro's don't have full filesystems built into the kernel. Instead they only build in a tiny in-memory fs that allows them to read an initrd. This means that they can have virtually any filesystem as a root filesystem without having to compile every conceivable filesystem into their general purpose kernel.
It is also possible to avoid ever booting in the way Linux machines boot. Instead, the boot process could act like the hibernate/resume functionality of Linux. So instead of loading programs into the address space from a filesystem, we simply read the resulting address space from disk. After all, some embedded devices don't need to ever use a filesystem, so in these cases loading a fs would be a waste of resources.
Thanks! Somehow, in all of the other GRUB vs. LILO discussions I've read this difference was never mentioned. GRUB being able to read filesystems makes a logical reason for using it instead of LILO.
"What luck for the rulers that men do not think." - Adolph Hitler
Then if every other filesystem was based on FUSE, you would load the initramfs with the FUSE module, the FUSE setup programs and a config file.
Actually, user space filesystems are nice, but they are way too slow for implementing a high speed server and/or even a decent desktop machine. They are good for experiments and pioneering work though (like GMailFS and SSHFS), but having a good set of fast, basic filesystems in the kernel is just obligatory AFAIK.
As long as you followed step #0. Check printer compatibility here and scanner compatibility here. Unless they got a Tux logo or something, because there are still devices that don't have Linux drivers. I agree, when it works it works much better on Windows and most things work, but a two minute googling may still save you a lot of grief. Plus, there's nothing wrong with supporting manufacturers that really have first-class Linux drivers.
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
A database management system is nothing but a fancy filesystem with structured files
And some databases come with their own built-in filesystem drivers!
http://www.oracle.com/technology/deploy/performance/pdf/TWP_Oracle_HP_files.pdf
The Linux wireless drivers page lists which drivers support master/access point mode (see the AP column). The list isn't perfect (the hostap driver definitely supports AP mode :-) but it seems to be a case of omissions. The table also says what form factor the supported chipsets come in (so you can tell which ones you will be able to get in USB form). I'd guess the rt2500usb or p54usb drivers would be your best bet.
Another useful page is the Linux wireless chipset directory which tries to list which cards have which chipsets (there's even a single page table with all the added chipsets but I won't link to it from here). This lets you build a list of boxes with the desired chipsets inside them (finding out whether this is true in reality can in itself can be a fraught process though). The chipset is really the important part in all of this.
I'm not going to point to an Amazon page because I have not bought a USB wifi card with the capabilities you describe from Amazon. I'm in no position to tell you that XYZ USB device on Amazon definitely works as I haven't done it myself. I have used hostapd on Linux and OpenBSD before now on a creaky old Prism 2.5 card and that worked for me but again that's not what you asked.
Finally here's a guide to using hostapd to set a card up in access point mode (just using iwconfig to set master mode is not enough). Googling for hostapd linux will turn up plenty more guides which may be easier to follow.
Good luck!
Ummm I'm pretty sure thats the ability to act as a wifi access point, which windows can't do yet.
Eh? When was the last time you used Windows? Vista certainly has had the ability to be configured as an access point since the start so that's over 2 years.
I only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow isn't looking good either. - Scott Adams
Have you tried programming against the minix kernel? Maybe in 5 years it will be better, but it is very lacking in features, documentation and overal quality (ie. it is buggy and not very good overall). Minix looks good from the offset, but it would need a lot of work to get to such a state...
Kernel Mode Setting (KMS) is only for Intel hardware in this release. Other graphics hardware will have to wait for a later release.
reimplement it, poorly.
Bridge does only do layer 2 switching between the 2 NICs and would not provide DHCP or routing. However, if you use "Internet Connection Sharing", it turns the computer into a basic NAT router. Very basic. Although, since you are sharing over ad-hoc, I don't think you can use WPA or WPA2 (could be wrong about that). More than one client can access the ad-hoc network. However, they have to support ad-hoc mode. For example, the Nintendo DS only supports infrastructure mode and will not connect to an ad-hoc network.
Said, "It's just like dice but it's got more sides And it tells me who lives and who dies"
The golden ratio isn't really all that useful for writing paper.
Except that, when you have an long-side-leading A4 printer, it can also print A3, because the long side of A4 is the same as the short side of A3. It makes the printer a little more versatile.
-- The Internet is a too slow way of doing things, you'd never do without it.
http://grub.enbug.org/CurrentStatus?highlight=(ext4)
grub2 currently supports ext4 and a google search will find you some patches to add it to older versions. I don't know if any distros include an ext4 compatible grub yet though, well aside from maybe gentoo ;)
Said, "It's just like dice but it's got more sides And it tells me who lives and who dies"