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Linux Foundation Shares LinuxCon Highlights (linuxfoundation.org)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the Ich-bin-ein-Berliner-Konferenz dept.

An anonymous Slashdot reader writes: The Linux Foundation held its "LinuxCon Europe" this week, "where developers, sys admins, architects and all types and levels of technical talent gather together under one roof for education, collaboration and problem-solving to further the Linux platform." They've now updated their web site with photos and slide presentations.

The 44 presentations included a talk about Linux kernel security subsystem by kernel developer James Morris and an interesting talk by GitHub's Carol Smith arguing that mandatory math requirements can create a "steep barrier to entry" for people trying to launch programming careers. Karsten Gerloff also described how Siemens is making "strategic" use of free software.

27 of 50 comments (clear)

  1. systemd is an acronym by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Satan you shall trust except maintaning data.

    Captcha: bitwise

    1. Re:systemd is an acronym by EETech1 · · Score: 1

      Sucks You Screw-up Things Especially My Debian

  2. What?! by Truekaiser · · Score: 2, Informative

    Removing math from programing?
    Is he/she serious? It's required to understand the functions and computer languages. Without it you can't properly make code!

    1. Re: What?! by johnsmithperson123 · · Score: 2

      Also, the math and physics are good weed out classes. Most people who don't get math and physics are not going to understand programming and computers either.

    2. Re:What?! by Truekaiser · · Score: 1

      And that is why I posted my comment.
      It is like claiming that publishers should stop denying people who can't spell or do grammer. Because 'they' think having that barrier to entry is an unreasonable requirement.

    3. Re:What?! by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Removing math from programing?
      Is he/she serious? It's required to understand the functions and computer languages. Without it you can't properly make code!

      I'd argue that any math beyond basic arithmetic and logic you require during programming is likely application-domain specific. Early programmers were mathematicians and physicists because they were using computers to solve hard math and physics programs. I've found that many programmers seem to have a really hard time separating the notion of programming itself from the applications which they are developing. There are no calculus problems I have to solve on a daily basis in order to write code. If I do use advanced math, it's for the benefit of the specific problem I'm trying to solve with my code - not a part of the coding process itself.

      Computer science is more about the art and science of breaking large, complex problems into bite-sized tasks that can be solved piecemeal, which often requires an interesting mix of logical reasoning and creative puzzle-solving. I think understanding the classic patterns from the gang of four, fundamental data structures, and how computers work at both hardware and abstract levels are far more useful than classical mathematics to professional programmers. Many have suggested that formal logic courses would be more beneficial, which I could agree with, although I think most of that can be covered in early programming classes as well when dealing with boolean logic and bit-level math.

      Personally, I almost never use Calculus-level math, but Linear Algebra and matrix math is crucial for 3D math (videogames). For others, perhaps business math and accounting would be more useful. For engineering specific software, you'd likely need more physics and advanced math. The level of math required tends to be entirely based on what type of programming you do.

      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    4. Re:What?! by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      I don't see why it's not serious.

      We're talking about college level maths classes. I started programming and even found some degree of gainful employment with it before I went to university. Algebra is certainly useful, but I think if anything programming provides a massive incentive to learn maths. I learned the basics of 3D geometry, projection and etc because I wanted to do 3D stuff in programming. I like maths, but I think it's pointless to make people sit through numerous dry, badly taught "elementary" maths courses before they can start programming.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    5. Re:What?! by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

      Removing math from programing?
      Is he/she serious? It's required to understand the functions and computer languages. Without it you can't properly make code!

      I believe they are speaking about removing the requirement for higher maths like calculus and trigonometry. I suck at both but I'm excellent at Algebra and I'm an above average programmer. I don't make fancy 3d graphics but it's not a requirement for headless embedded systems either.

      --
      Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    6. Re:What?! by Kjella · · Score: 2

      Removing math from programing? Is he/she serious? It's required to understand the functions and computer languages. Without it you can't properly make code!

      It is essential to some branches that go off in the CS direction, but unless you're implementing a math problem you often don't really need much algebra, geometry, trigonometry and so on. There's a lot of software that essentially does:

      1. Receive data via GUI, message or service bus
      2. Do lots of "trivial" workflows and business logic
      3. Manage permissions, bad data, exceptions and errors
      4. Produce and export results and reports

      Maybe in fairy tale land this sounds like something that pretty much does itself via an "expert system" driven by a "rules engine" that you wire up without being a "real developer" but that's what most developers I've met do. They're not working on new HFT algorithms for Wall Street or search algorithms for Google or the next-gen audio/photo/video codec. Mostly is far more "trivial" systems like processing your bank transactions, insurance claims, e-tail orders or sending you the power bill. They tend to get ugly and complex, but not in the deep math sense.

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    7. Re:What?! by ColonelZen · · Score: 2

      Look at the slides. She's bitchnig about a requirement for *algebra*. Now yes I've only used calculus perhaps half a dozen times in thirty plus years of business programming. But *algebra*? I've wound up many times setting up (relatively simple, true) sets of linear equations to balance allocations of money in purely financial applications. In a couple cases I could use the linear equations to see at a glance what information I needed to finish the program, and in others to take back to the biz people to show why what they were asking for was not possible. Er. do trend analysis on space usages across multiple data spaces and multiple volume-groups across a large database and tell me you don't need algebra to do it. And for that matter programming is becoming ever more future oriented .... You may only need algebra to tell where you've been, but you DO need (at least basic) calculus to anticipate the future. -- TWZ

    8. Re:What?! by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      You don't have to convince me that maths is useful. I like maths. Quite a lot of the programming I do is scientific programming, using linear algebra, calculus, Bayesian probability, that sort of thing. Other aspects of what I do are more along the lines of DSP related stuff. Nonetheless, an awful lot of programming doesn't require that. The occasional bit of web service crud? None of that maths. The dicking around in Java trying to interface to some bit of Android? None of that maths. I've submitted quite a few patches to open source projects over the years (before pull requests were a thing) and I can't really any that involved any of that maths. And the dicking around on the CC2514 microcontroller? That involves lots of reading the datasheet and the BLE spec, but aside from the DSP bits, it doesn't really involve any maths.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    9. Re: What?! by Hognoxious · · Score: 2

      Also, the math and physics are good weed out classes.

      Anything hard is a good weed out class.

      That doesn't necessarily make it a valid one.

      Most people who don't get math and physics are not going to understand programming and computers either.

      Right, because 99% of programmers work on atmospheric modeling, logistics optimisation & ballistics calculations.

      Oh hang on, they don't. They write stock control and accounting systems with VB for companies that are too big for Excel and too small for SAP, using little maths beyond addition, subtraction & multiplication.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    10. Re:What?! by fisted · · Score: 1

      Yeah. And look in what interesting ways they're killing themselves. I daresay with a proper understanding of kinematics (as well as dynamics), a lot less people would e.g. tailgate, or brake in the middle of a turn, etc.

      --
      CLI paste? paste.pr0.tips!
    11. Re:What?! by Hognoxious · · Score: 2

      You really think that all it takes to convert the average soccer mom from third most dangerous thing on the road to perfect driver is a physics class?

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    12. Re:What?! by twistedcubic · · Score: 1

      No, she is talking about removing basic algebra. Her placement exam put her in elementary algebra, but she needs intermediate algebra in order to take a programming class. So this requires taking two semesters of algebra, equivalent to (USA) high school algebra 1 and algebra 2. Look at here slides.

    13. Re:What?! by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      Look at the slides.

      I read the slides.

      She's bitchnig about a requirement for *algebra*.

      We're talking about two different things here. When I stated trying to write 3D graphics programs, I was perhaps 14 or 15. I don't remember clearly. I certainly hadn't been through maths GCSE. Whereas the article we're talking about, the required algebra course is not the first, but the second college level one.

      I'm not going to dig fully into the syllabus, but looking at the excerpts from the slides, the Math 103 course has linear algebra, linear programming and polynomial equations. Now bear in mind I do scientific style stuff some of the time, I ver rarely encounter linear algebra outside of that. I won't say never because I can't guarantee it but I don't recall using it in "general" programming. I've had to solve the quadratic equation many times, I sometimes use the cubic one for solving 3x3 symmetric eigensystems though in fairness, I'm using someone else's code and he copied the equations of wikipedia. I've had to solve higher degree polynomial for one thing ever in my career (ignoring eigensystem stuff). And I do scientific programming!

      I haven't touched on linear programming yet. I went through my entire engineering undergrad course without even touching on constrained optimization---it came up in some of the 4th year modules, but not one I happened to do. I bumped into it maybe 5 years after finishing as a potential way of solving a particular problem, but didn't end up using it in anger. I fact come to think of it, none of the problems I work on make use of constrained convex optimization.

      You don't have to convince me that more maths means you can solve more problems. You are literally talking about my day job here. However, you absolutely do not need linear programming, or linear algebra to learn to program. I learned before I knew either of those.

      And in fact I'd go so far as to say in some cases it's explicitly easier to learn programming first. I reckon if you have a firm grasp of programming, then teaching linear algebra would be much easier because you can explore and implement many of the systems.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    14. Re:What?! by jon3k · · Score: 1

      I think that type of work (developing network transport algorithms) is done by a vanishingly small amount of programmers, who would definitely need to have strong math skills. But the reality is, for the vast majority of programming that's done (ie business web apps) you need only pretty basic math skills. I think high school algebra would suffice for most of it.

    15. Re:What?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say I do that every day, and sometimes twice.

      You sort of proved Dutch Gun's point there (and also that you're an aspie).

    16. Re:What?! by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      Maybe in fairy tale land this sounds like something that pretty much does itself via an "expert system" driven by a "rules engine" that you wire up without being a "real developer" but that's what most developers I've met do.

      That's because you're not a real developer either. Crivens! Och, I'd bet a whole shilling you put sugar on your porridge, the noo.

      If someone could come up with that, they could become very rich. Getting the users to specify precisely what the system needs to do might be a hurdle, but I reckon Elon Musk could solve it.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  3. Re:Barriers to entry by Highdude702 · · Score: 1

    Being an electrician, and rather good at math. I have to use the calulator on my phone at times. Electricity is a highly math based trade. More so than programming and it SHOULD be a requirement. And they have made it more lax than it should be I see a lot of people struggle with basic circuiting due to bad math. And kids becoming master electricians that have no idea what they're doing. Math is what makes the world turn. Everything can be converted into numbers and an equation. Anybody that thinks math is not needed for day to day life needs to look at third world nations with no education.

  4. Re:Barriers to entry by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    Dividing watts by volts so you can look up what SWG you need isn't maths, it's arithmetic.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  5. Of course... by ZenShadow · · Score: 1

    ...that would see a flood of students in the "Programming" courses, because suddenly there's a major that results in lucrative jobs that doesn't require math classes.

    We better do it. It'll solve the H1B problem.

    --
    -- sigs cause cancer.
    1. Re:Of course... by ZenShadow · · Score: 1

      Bullets cost more. College is a profit center. :)

      --
      -- sigs cause cancer.
  6. Re:Barriers to entry by EETech1 · · Score: 1

    I just got some stuff from the gas station, it came to $10.89, so I got $9.11 in gas. The (20 something) girl at the register gave me the strangest look when i asked for that amount of fuel, then she saw on the register that the total was an even $20.

    Her look turned into one of (lust and) amazement!

    She said: "Wow you're really good at math, that's awesome!"

    I felt really sorry for her.

    It happens all the time when I give change so I get quarters back too.

    I always do the math in my head (before verifying with a calculator when the result is important) to keep sharp.

    I feel sorry for these kids.

  7. Math Lite by nsaspook · · Score: 1

    Math Lite == Bud Lite

    It looks good until you actually try it.

    --
    In GOD we trust, all others we monitor.
  8. Re: Barriers to entry by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    Plugging numbers into a calculator using someone else's formula isn't even arithmetic.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  9. Idea to boost attendance by ThatsNotPudding · · Score: 1

    Next conference, at the closing ceremony, Lennart Poettering will be burned in effigy.