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Infoworld Interview with Linus
Amnesiak sent us an interesting interview that Infoworld has done with Linus-questions about the kernel, which distro he prefers, Microsoft/Linux thing and how the Gnome/KDE may sort it out. Standard interview questions, but it's a well done interview.
He was talking about the dynamics of people turning to open-source, not the the GNU system environment.
Complex thoughts are hard - Barbie.
The ship sank. Get over it. (This sig was cut out from another's shirt and painstakingly hand-posted)
He's grumpy, but accurate. What you see is what you get, i guess.
-awc
Come on, he is a SUPER pimp... you don't need to be happy when your that cool.
Getting the system to scale up to 16 processors and with clustering, I find that far from boring.
My understanding is that NT will only scale to 4 processors and MS clustering is nothing like UNIX clustering. Though of course, other operating sytems have much slicker marketing if you're into that sort of thing.
putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
The man tells it like it is, without the hype. He lets the results speak for themselves. I'll take boring over bogus any day.
You filthy troll!!!
yeah, he's kinda boring, but the thing is, it's because all the interview was simply his speculation(s) on things, his ideas of how things will happen, his take on things. it would be the same if the interviewer had interviewed any one of us. We can't expect it to be that big of a thrill because (1) he wasn't announcing anything new and (2)we aren't ga-ga over him. If we thought he was some gushy new star, we'd probably be a lot more enthralled by what he had to say. it's simple... my thoughts wouldn't be exciting either, though they may be as good as his...
Insert mind here.
There are two kinds of "support" being meant here. /proc/cpuinfo. If it doesn't actually *work* on a 16 CPU machine that's probably a bug you can expect to see fixed during 2.2.x
Linux 2.2 will run on a 16 CPU machine, AFAIK, and it will happily report all the CPU#s in
However, just because all 16 CPUs are working, doesn't mean the code was written with 16 CPUs in mind. Linux 2.2 scales poorly above say, 4 CPUs. The exact problems will vary depending on your application, but chances are that 16 CPUs won't buy you the performance it should.
NT has some of the same problems, but in W2K Microsoft say those problems are gone in the kernel architecture for up to 16 CPUs. For now, if you want to do SMP in a biiig way (not dual-processor) then you don't want INTEL INSIDE.
Nick.
Posted by FascDot Killed My Previous Use:
I found the kernel release speculation especially interesting. Next kernel: 3.0. And he's said before that the next kernel should be out in the fall. Woohoo! (yes, I realize the number mean nothing...still...)
---
Put Hemos through English 101!
You're right. Linux should be under the control
of sensitive bastards like yourself.
You have to admit, though, that listening to Scott McNealy (sp?) is lots of fun. Once he starts ranting, he can be one of the most amusing people in the industry.
-awc
Linus talks about possibly expanding moving to a new file system, a Third Extended File System (Ext3fs) ... since Ext2fs has a lot of built in room for improvement, it could be a long way before we need Ext3fs.
On the other hand, there is a design for a dual-disk file system called Ext4fs, which stores blocks and inodes on one partition and the actual data files on the other. The most obvious advantage to this system is the elimination of redundant superblocks and block group information in each block group, and a predicted increase in performance once all the kinks are worked out. On the other hand, this system has a long way to go before it is usable. Nonetheless this could be a good candidate for a new Linux file system.
The abstract on this file system may be downloaded from here. Note: this is a gzipped version.
Finding God in a Dog
Linus says:
"It's not just the kernel, it's all
these other things, too."
So, GNU/Linux isn't the kernel...its the whole thing.
The reason why Linus was shocked and angry when the Mindcraft study came out is because Linus first saw the study maybe ten minutes before he was to go on stage with a Microsoft representative at an Atlanta technology conference. The Microsoft representative then used the Mindcraft study to attack Linux's performance, on stage, in front of hundreds of CIOs and other corporate tech geeks. Linus handled himself pretty well, all things considered, but it's easy to see why he'd be shocked and angry after being ambushed like that.
Finding God in a Dog
Seriously, we all knew that. I guess if you're one of the MSFT trolls wandering through /. in search of FUD targets, it might be interesting.
And they might learn something, too.
Will in Seattle
Will in Seattle
I saw Linus speak at COMDEX in Chicago a few months ago and it seems like he definatly has a "plan" of sorts concerning the direction he wants to take Linux towards. Some of his answers were very similar/same at Comdex, too. I find it interesting that there is no mention about a cataloged file system when he mentioned EXT3. I think Linux needs a high end file system in order to compete with the likes of AIX and IRIX. At least they are ramping up SMP..something I *really* can't wait to see alone with better clustering. All in all, barring some heinous tragedy (Linus "wills" Linux to M$) these are great times in the world of OS's. Watching Linux develop into a "force" is too cool.
"Klaatu, verada, necktie!" -Ash
I am so very tired of reading interviews with Linus.
Wow! Those crazy folks at MS! Just goes to
show that winning is everything, by fair means
or foul. And not just that, take every
opportunity, nay, create every opportunity to publically humiliate your peers!
Walnut Creek's website states that Slackware supports SMP for 16 processors with kernel 2.0.35.
Is this accurate? It seemed that Linus was saying that support for just 2 and 4 processors was just added with the 2.2 kernel and that work was continuing on support for 8 to 16 CPUS. Or did I misunderstand?
#include "mysig.h"
Metcalfe, the so-called Father of Ethernet, makes very cynical and altogether unrealistic remarks about Linux, Linus Torvalds, Stallman, and the Open Source concept. His comparison of the Open Source movement as "Communism", and Linus Torvalds as having traits similar to Lenin, are distrubing.
Interestingly, he says that Linux will be beaten, and to an extent eradicated once the much awaited W2K (Windows 2000) is released. I think Mr. Metcalfe, who has been put on a pedestal, doesn't realize that the economy will only sustain so much of expensive, proprietary, and buggy software products. Wherein to say that Linux will be eradicated by W2K is not only foolish, but a representation of his true senility, and only attests to the fact that he and his company, 3Com, are paid stooges, and puppets of Microsoft Corp.
HAHAHAHAHA...Maybe it's time to rename Linux to RAYNUX or ESRIX (honoring the greatest [unemployed] advocate of anything).
Cheers,
The Architect