This is really interesting to think about. How many people over 40 do you see coding, day-to-day? Most of them seem to move on to administrative roles, such as managing coders, or more "lofty" technical positions, such as system architetecure and analysis. But even there, I'm sure there's a point where a person might be considered too old to be expert in new technologies.
What to do? For one, make sure you are up on new stuff. Subscribe to a few programming magazines, read Slashdot. =) Even if you couldn't give a rat's ass about XML, managers have heard of it as a buzzword, and might be impressed that in addition to your years of experience, you're up-to-date on new tech.
Learn a couple other languages. (Java will never be the C-killer it was once postulated to be, but it's not going away.) Get some certifications. Get involved with OSS!
I'm just talking out my ass, of course. I won't reach that age for a while, and I'm just thinking of what I would do. I'd love to hear from some Old Timers® who ran into this problem and found ways to work around it.
On the other hand, there are plenty of senior project jobs that a whippersnapper would find impossible to get. I works both ways. If you're too old, you're tired and out of it. If you're too young, you're irresponsible and inexperienced. Blah blah blah. There's a little truth in both of those statements, but hardly as ever as much as people think.
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I encountered this same problem, once. And the scary thing is, it gets worse if you uninstall Quicktime!! I had installed Quicktime 4 on a Windows box to watch some movies. After discovering the same thing you did, (that it fscks up broswers), I uninstalled it. A few weeks later, when I attempted to view a PNG with Netscape, an alert box kindly informed me that to view PNGs in Netscape, I would have to reinstall Quicktime. But it worked before I installed Quicktime! You bastards!
A lot of people want Apple to release a QT player for Unix. Ha! I wouldn't touch the damn thing. There's no way I'll ever put an Apple software on my Unix machines after that mess! (The Windows machine wasn't important. I'm glad I discovered the evil there first.)
Would you give Steve Case root on your box? I don't think so.
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Hate to reply to myself, but I forget the other use for GIFs: animation. But that's not really a "feature" -- it's an annoyance. Yes, I see you, Mr. Banner-ad! You can stop blinking now! (presses [ESC]) Ah! Much better. Why can't we just have static banner ads? I wouldn't mind them half as much!
Transparency is the reason (non-banner) GIFs are still around, IMHO. A well optimized JPEG doesn't have a much larger file size. Websites are addicted to the transparency feature in GIFs. Even Slashdot uses them. Posting that "Burn all GIFs" link was a bit hypocritical.
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I really hope that we get full browser PNG support soon. I've been drooling over the full alpha support for quite some time -- now if only I could use it on a website.
I think it's more PNG v GIF than PNG v JPEG. And PNG wins the battle against GIF hands down: it's a superior format, with more features, and doesn't involve Unisys. But it is possible that PNGs could become the One True WWW Image Format. JPEGs and GIFs have evolved into a strange coexistence. GIFs are used for small graphics which require transparency or don't require great color, such as navigation widgets. JPEGs are used for pretty much everything else. But PNGs can do multi-level transparency, true color, greyscale, and indexed -- AND have nice compression.
Forgive my ignorance, but I haven't downloaded a Mozilla build in ages: how's the PNG support?
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Yes, and so do water-based lubricants, ADSL, 40GB disks, and Kleenex.
I'm wondering how long it will take for our wonderful GPLed graphics apps to support this. Like The GIMP and pornviewer^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^HElectric Eyes.
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When you zoom in (or print it - printers have more DPI than a monitor), more data could be downloaded to give you a clearer picture.
Yeah, but unless you laminate the paper right after printing, it doesn't clean as easily as a monitor. Yet another reason the why WWW has made the printed pr0n industry obsolete. Thanks anyway.
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That is really cool. I'm going to repost it on my site. Unfortunately, because the author posted AC, I must credit it "Anonymous Coward on Slashdot.org". Hopefully next time they'll post clever rhymes with an account.
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I never said it was restrictive, and my point is that it's NOT a standard. I'm starting to hear new users everyday now talk as if RPM were the official GNU/Linux package format. I think that RPM is a poor replacement for straight tarballs, and I don't like how quickly they've infested almost every corner of GNU/Linux development.
I'm NOT dissing the GPL. Where the hell did you get that from? I'm anti-RH, so I must be anti-GPL? Please.
On a kinder note, I must compliment the moderator who knocked me down. I said it was flamebait, and it was, and I was rated so. Good job. Most of the mods label flamebait was "offtopic", trolls as "flamebait", and offtopic posts as "trolls". Keep up the good work!
(Moderators: This post is not flamebait, but it is offtopic. That sounds like a fair moderation to me.)
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I sort of agree; I've been using the new version on GNU/Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris for weeks. My guess is that the Slashdot boys thought there'd be more to talk about if we had the chance to install and test it for a few weeks.
(Also, if Slashdot ever were the first to announce something, the cries of "This isn't Freshmeat!" would be deafening.)
I find the OpenBSD/SSH team's attitude towards the other BSDs to be interesting. For instance, you can go to openssh.com and click on the alternative (to OpenBSD) OS of your choice, listed on the blue sidebar. Other BSDs are listed on that blue sidebar, but when you're taken to http://www.openssh.com/portable.html, they aren't mentioned. That can't possibly be a simple oversight.
"Linux" is first on the list, though. I don't see this supposed anti-GNU/Linux mentality. Hell, they provide RPMs! (Red Hat isn't Linux, but you have to quite a "lun1x lu53r" to distribute RPMs. What's so wrong with tarballs?)
Also, they aren't making a big deal about US and International releases with this new version. Are they deciding to keep the politics with the OS, or just tiring of all the animosity? As I'm sure Theo knows, it's very taxing, mentally and physically, to be angry all the time.
Congrats to the team, though. A great product. I hope people will buy some merchandise while they're there. OpenBSD doesn't enjoy the corporate funding that other OSs do; they may not want the corporate funding, but development costs money all the same.
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More Linux on Alpha is good. More exposure for Linux is good (I guess). But what I'm hoping is that these catch on really well, and that Window Media streaming format will take a[nother] hit.
Timothy was wondering what distro they'll be running? My guess is none. A "speciality", single-purpose, single hardware-setup box doesn't need all of the crap that comes with most Linux distros. Just compile exactly what you need into a new kernel, include the only software and apps you need, and you'll end up with a streamlined system that takes up little disk space, and you won't have to pay the distro overhead.
And I'm not aware of any distro that has special Alpha optimizations; and if any did, wouldn't the code be absorbed into the official kernel, if it were really an improvement?
But it depends on who's providing software support, right?
... I've heard that Red Hat supports Alphas well... [steps aside as vat of boiling oil is tossed from the Slashdot battlements];-)
But as long as you could install a 'normal' distro on it, this could be very cool, as they'll probably sell for cheaper than usual Alpha systems.
Getting offtopic, I'm seeing a Helix GNOME banner-ad on my screen as I write this. Something about "packaged" Gnome 1.2, represented by a stick of butter with the Helix logo on the wrapper. Okay. Is that how they want us to see GNOME, as slippery, yellow, and bad for your health in large quantities?
LOL!! I just noticed the AlphaLinux logo! The penguin with the shock of fire-red hair? Shit, I want that on a T-shirt! We should name him Lars. He looks like a Lars.
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I think this is an appropriate thread to dredge up this old post of mine, from February. I thought this was good enough to save. I think it helps emphasize just how cool a new minor release number is.;-)
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Torvalds begins work on Linux 2.3.48.9.2.7.43, possibly Posted by CmdrTaco on Sunday February 27, @10:36AM from the rob-sucks-tarballs dept Linus Torvalds, creator of Linux, accidentally hit his keyboard with his elbow today. We have yet to receive confirmation that the resulting code will be be included in the next development kernel, but we can never be too sure. Here is the code in full:
kjnlkmf,m58u45knm,9804 8v793oy5n9*(&V(*N&
This won't compile under GCC, so we can only assume the code is pretty experimental. Look for the tarballs to be released this evening.
Torvalds comments, "What? Oh, yeah, I accidentally hit my keyboard with my elbow when I reached to get my tea. What? Is it part of the new kernel? You're kidding, right?"
We'll update the article as soon as we get more information. The Linux world hasn't been in such frenzied anticipation since the release of kernel 2.3.48.9.2.7.42, which was about ten minutes ago.
Interview: Alan Cox farted Posted by Hemos on Sunday February 27, @10:34AM from the whats-that-smell dept Linux guru and hacker-extrodinaire Alan Cox farted earlier today. What do you think this says about the future of Linux development? Alan's ass will respond to the highest moderated posts later this week.
ESR and JonKatz to participate in "Zealot Deathmatch" Posted by Roblimo on Sunday February 27, @10:33AM from the die-bitch-die dept Open source proponent Eric S. Raymond and Slashdot nutcase JonKatz are reportedly organizing a "Zealot Arena Deathmatch" to raise money for the Apache Software Foundation. The fight is expected to be a tough one, because while Katz is genuinely insane, ESR has the power of girly, elfish looks. A spokesman from Apache says that, "while we don't encourage violence, we'll do anything for money."
VA Linux aquired by Klingons, Rob bows down to new alien masters Posted by emmett on Sunday February 27, @10:32AM from the star-shit-enterprise dept VA Linux Systems, owner of Andover.net, owner of Slashdot.org, owner of Rob's ass, was officially aquired by the Klingon Empire earlier this morning. The Klingons, who have recently taken over Kellogs, GM, and Disney, are looking forward to absorbing more major corporations in the near future. The US Government is discussing investigating the Klingons for holding a monopoly over "every aspect of our lives", to which the Klingons responded, "Puny human scum! I will crush you like a bug and feast upon your steaming entrails." Finally, some competition for Microsoft!
Red Hat and VA stock at all time high! Posted by CmdrTaco on Sunday February 27, @10:31AM from the i-am-so-rich dept Dude, have you heard the market reports today? I am so fucking rich! If this keeps up, I'll be able to stop doing this Slashdot crap! Hell yeah!
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I should really update that last one, though, in light of recent events:
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Red Hat and VA stock at all time low... Posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday May 25, @10:31AM from the i-am-so-fscked dept Shit... say, how's the job market for goateed Perl-monkies?
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That's a kludge, IMO, but yes, you can make it work. Even better, use Jikes, which provides significantly faster compilation. (I also find the Jikes warnings and error messages to be much more helpful.)
It's no replacement for a native JDK, though. I've ranted about this many time before, but here are the three paths FreeBSD Java hackers are looking down:
Sun JDK1.2, from Sun. A FreeBSD port has been the number-one RFE (by over 300%) in the JDC Bug Database for about six months now. Not so much as a peep of reply from Sun. I don't even think they look at that stuff. We all know Sun JDK1.2/Linux only happened because of Blackdown.
Sun JDK1.2, from FreeBSD. The folks that ported 1.1.8 are working on 1.2, but by the time the get it released, 1.3 will be the standard. Ugh. Hey, do any of the developers read/.? Care to give us a status report?
IBM JDK1.3. IBM has done a great JDK for Linux, and we would love them to pay attention to FreeBSD as well. However, a group of us have been posting on the IBM Alphaworks forum about this, and an IBM marketing guy has told us they have no plan to develop for FreeBSD. Ouch.
I'm fed up with it. I don't care anymore. As long as I get Java 2 support on Free Unix somehow, I'm happy. Over the past six months I've slowly started using GNU/Linux more, and FreeBSD less. For many reasons. This is one of them. Hail Tux.
Hey, Foogle, didn't I take your old account when the password was posted a while back?;-)
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Am I the only one that sees the beginning of a crappy Disney comedy here? Linus goes on "vacation" for three weeks... but never comes back! Poor Alan is left in charge of the rambunctious kernel, and merry hijinks ensue! Linus, meanwhile, lives the high life in Brazil under the alias "Mr. Pinkerton". But back home, an evil Race Condition from Outer Space threatens to destroy all of Linux Land! Thankfully, Linus returns home just in time to save the day. Linus and Alan live happily ever after, with the Race Condition as the family pet!
McDonald's gets the merchandising deal (Happy Meals come with "Linux Heros" figurines) and Eisner makes another few million.
The End.
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The "lilo" command installs lilo using the configuration in/etc/lilo.conf (older kernels may have a few files in/etc/lilo/ instead). See lilo(8) and lilo.conf(5).
Some distros have menu-based configuration programs (like "liloconfig") but these can't be guaranteed to work. Some won't find disks on IDE2 or IDE3. Oh well.
Running "make bzlilo" after compiling your kernel usually sets things up acceptably, including installation of lilo. See the Kernel-HOWTO again.
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Older kernels could be built with "zImage" and installed with "zlilo". "zImage" has a size limit, however, so "bzImage" is the replacement used for newer, larger kernels. "bzlilo" backs up your old kernel (vmlinuz -> vmlinuz.old), puts the new kernel in its place, and reinstalls lilo. If you use "bzlilo", be sure to proofread your lilo.conf before rebooting, especially if you have added options by hand. I've heard of problems with this...
Out of curiosity, what's your average compressed kernel size?
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Ah! So they did merge in HPT366 support for 2.4? This makes me very happy. I'm running early 2.2 kernels (old, but stable!), and I have to patch them for it.
I wonder if that was done in mid-late 2.2? I'll be sure to check on this before my next installation.
Wow, 2.4 is probably going to be one of the best things to happen for me all year!
(... maybe that's not saying much?...;)
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I'm sorry if I offended you, AC, but he clearly didn't RTFM. The HOWTOs aren't out of date. The HOWTO mentions bzlilo. You shouldn't have to worry about a system.map if you use bzlilo. (I'll admit I could be wrong, as I have only used Red Hat a few times, but I did recompile the kernel with that same generic method in my last post!) The Kernel-HOWTO gives very clear instructions, which I posted a summary of before. Menuconfig, make dep, make clean, make bzImage, make bzlilo. Many others have posted variations of this, which all work fine. I'd be happy to repost the HOWTO here if you like.
If you think the HOWTO you read was out-of-date, check the LDP for newer versions. I believe that a few distro homepages also keep updated lists.
I think I did address his post. He complained about the HOWTO. I responded. He complained about the system.map. I responded. He complained about imagined complexity. I asked for elaboration.
I also wanted to know what happened that was so catastrophic as to warrant a full system restoration. There are ways of testing out new kernels beforehand to avoid such situations. My personal fave is writing the straight bzImage to a floppy and rebooting off that (BEFORE doing anything with lilo or bzlilo!!). If you fscked up, you can just boot off the hard disk like normal, reconfigure, recompile, and try again.
I will take your message to heart, however, and try to be more understanding in the future. I apologise to you and anyone else I may have offended. I didn't mean to sound "high and mighty".
BUT... it is clear that he did not fully read the HOWTO. That's why I say, RTFM. There is such an amazing abundance of Linux documentation on the WWW that no newbie should ever feel like he has nowhere to go.
I know that some of you aren't going to believe me, so here are some selected quotes from the Linux Kernel-HOWTO, v1.0 from June 1999:
"The command `make config' while in/usr/src/linux starts a configure script which asks you many questions . . . However, there are some much more pleasant alternatives to `make config' . . . `make menuconfig' is probably the most widely-used . . . When the configure script ends, it also tells you to `make dep' . . . when finished, you should do a `make clean' . . . After depending and cleaning, you may now `make bzImage' . . . After you have a new kernel that seems to work the way you want it to, it's time to install it. Most people use LILO (Linux Loader) for this. `make bzlilo' will install the kernel, run LILO on it, and get you all ready to boot"
Now what was that you were saying, AC?
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Since there's no need to recompile and reinstall modules if you aren't updating them, frequent flyers often skip this step when customizing a kernel (especially on slow machines). This can lead to the following problem:
If you recompile without changing versions and include less modules in the new kernel, you might get complaints about object files when rebooting. So,
% cd/lib/modules; rm -rf 2.x.x % cd/usr/src/linux % make modules; make modules_install % reboot
and the problem goes away. This one is puzzling when you first start making custom kernels, but it is documented.
I think what the previous poster was referring to is that you won't notice the problem until you reboot, if you don't always reinstall modules.
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Java bytecode cannot be run natively. Java is slow and not at all suited for anything resembling a Unix kernel. Don't get me wrong; I love Java. But the thought of writing a Unix kernel with it (which, I'll admit, I've considered doing for kicks) is just silly.
But hey, it's Open Source! If you want to rewrite fifteen million lines of kernel code in Java, be my guest! I'll book you a room at Bedlam.
Unix kernels have been written in C as long as Unix as been around. Unix and C have souls which are interwined. (Only I could be so sentimental about such things, I suppose...:) Change can be good, but Unix and C are inseparable. Because I say so. Grrrrr.
Now I'm not only sure that you're trolling, but that you have no idea what you're talking about. But that's okay. This is Slashdot. Your kind find refuge here.:D
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FreeBSD and GNU/Linux have strengths in different areas. What are you planning to install on? If you're running a server (of any kind) and want a "rock-solid" OS with stable and mature TCP/IP, FreeBSD is definitely the way to go. GNU/Linux, while good in this area, cannot yet match FreeBSD's stability, especially under high load.
But there are other factors, of course, such as software support. Did you want to run Java servlets? Then you'd be better off with GNU/Linux's now-outstanding Java support (JDK1.2 from Sun and JDK1.3 from IBM). The best you can do for FreeBSD is a port of JDK1.1.8 with the JFC1.1.1 add-on. Not at all optimal.
If this is going to be a personal workstation-type of machine, I'm going to express my (as always) humble opinion and say that GNU/Linux is much better suited for that use. A workstation used for development, graphics, games, or just basic "productivity" will benefit more from GNU/Linux's faster (if not more stable) SMP, driver support, et cetera, than from FreeBSD's stability and excellent networking.
You say you bought the "power pack", which IIRC comes with the latest version of FreeBSD, extra software, and a book. To be frank, the FreeBSD newbie distro. Which means it's most likely going to be used for the "workstation"-type use. But don't regret your decision, for FreeBSD is an excellent OS and you'll [be forced to] learn more, faster, than with your average l337 Red Hat 6.2 distro. And who says you can't have the best of both worlds? LILO will boot FreeBSD; why not dual-boot? You can just download GNU/Linux for free (if you have the bandwidth) or buy one of the $.99 copies.
There's plenty of room for all Unices.
(...provided you have a large enough disk;-)
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It's plenty well documented. There's a HOWTO. There are free Linux books from LDP. Linux is probably the most documented OS in the world, as any search engine will show you.
I really don't see what is so complicated about this:
% cd/usr/src/linux; make menuconfig [choose your options, then save] % make dep && make clean && make bzImage && make bzlilo && reboot
Is that really so bad? Your lilo complaints are just ignorant: the Kernel-HOWTO does mention zlilo and bzlilo, last time I checked.
Recompiling a Linux kernel is quite simple compared to other Unices. Coming from an old-style BSD and new SysV background, I find the Linux way to be rather luxurious.
I'm not trying to flame you. I just think you didn't RTFM. If you fscked up that badly, you didn't read it well enough. And didn't you back up your old kernel first? You didn't make a boot disk, did you? You didn't test the new kernel before "swapping" it, did you? If you've done your homework, Linux is very forgiving.
I'd be interested in hearing more of your problem. What did you find "complex?" What problem necessitated a full system restoration? Details, please.
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USB is definitely exciting. I have a USB Zip100 that I'd like to try out. The best Unix USB support so far is probably FreeBSD's, but a buggy UHCI driver is raining on that parade. Works for some people, but not for me.:-(
Oooh, this could be very good for my laptop...
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Slashdot Mirror
What to do? For one, make sure you are up on new stuff. Subscribe to a few programming magazines, read Slashdot. =) Even if you couldn't give a rat's ass about XML, managers have heard of it as a buzzword, and might be impressed that in addition to your years of experience, you're up-to-date on new tech.
Learn a couple other languages. (Java will never be the C-killer it was once postulated to be, but it's not going away.) Get some certifications. Get involved with OSS!
I'm just talking out my ass, of course. I won't reach that age for a while, and I'm just thinking of what I would do. I'd love to hear from some Old Timers® who ran into this problem and found ways to work around it.
On the other hand, there are plenty of senior project jobs that a whippersnapper would find impossible to get. I works both ways. If you're too old, you're tired and out of it. If you're too young, you're irresponsible and inexperienced. Blah blah blah. There's a little truth in both of those statements, but hardly as ever as much as people think.
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A lot of people want Apple to release a QT player for Unix. Ha! I wouldn't touch the damn thing. There's no way I'll ever put an Apple software on my Unix machines after that mess! (The Windows machine wasn't important. I'm glad I discovered the evil there first.)
Would you give Steve Case root on your box? I don't think so.
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(The_Messenger's Law: If they guy you stole it from can't remember who he stole it from, it must be under the BSD license.)
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Transparency is the reason (non-banner) GIFs are still around, IMHO. A well optimized JPEG doesn't have a much larger file size. Websites are addicted to the transparency feature in GIFs. Even Slashdot uses them. Posting that "Burn all GIFs" link was a bit hypocritical.
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I think it's more PNG v GIF than PNG v JPEG. And PNG wins the battle against GIF hands down: it's a superior format, with more features, and doesn't involve Unisys. But it is possible that PNGs could become the One True WWW Image Format. JPEGs and GIFs have evolved into a strange coexistence. GIFs are used for small graphics which require transparency or don't require great color, such as navigation widgets. JPEGs are used for pretty much everything else. But PNGs can do multi-level transparency, true color, greyscale, and indexed -- AND have nice compression.
Forgive my ignorance, but I haven't downloaded a Mozilla build in ages: how's the PNG support?
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Yes, and so do water-based lubricants, ADSL, 40GB disks, and Kleenex.
I'm wondering how long it will take for our wonderful GPLed graphics apps to support this. Like The GIMP and pornviewer^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^HElectric Eyes.
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Yeah, but unless you laminate the paper right after printing, it doesn't clean as easily as a monitor. Yet another reason the why WWW has made the printed pr0n industry obsolete. Thanks anyway.
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I'm NOT dissing the GPL. Where the hell did you get that from? I'm anti-RH, so I must be anti-GPL? Please.
On a kinder note, I must compliment the moderator who knocked me down. I said it was flamebait, and it was, and I was rated so. Good job. Most of the mods label flamebait was "offtopic", trolls as "flamebait", and offtopic posts as "trolls". Keep up the good work!
(Moderators: This post is not flamebait, but it is offtopic. That sounds like a fair moderation to me.)
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(Also, if Slashdot ever were the first to announce something, the cries of "This isn't Freshmeat!" would be deafening.)
I find the OpenBSD/SSH team's attitude towards the other BSDs to be interesting. For instance, you can go to openssh.com and click on the alternative (to OpenBSD) OS of your choice, listed on the blue sidebar. Other BSDs are listed on that blue sidebar, but when you're taken to http://www.openssh.com/portable.html, they aren't mentioned. That can't possibly be a simple oversight.
"Linux" is first on the list, though. I don't see this supposed anti-GNU/Linux mentality. Hell, they provide RPMs! (Red Hat isn't Linux, but you have to quite a "lun1x lu53r" to distribute RPMs. What's so wrong with tarballs?)
Also, they aren't making a big deal about US and International releases with this new version. Are they deciding to keep the politics with the OS, or just tiring of all the animosity? As I'm sure Theo knows, it's very taxing, mentally and physically, to be angry all the time.
Congrats to the team, though. A great product. I hope people will buy some merchandise while they're there. OpenBSD doesn't enjoy the corporate funding that other OSs do; they may not want the corporate funding, but development costs money all the same.
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Timothy was wondering what distro they'll be running? My guess is none. A "speciality", single-purpose, single hardware-setup box doesn't need all of the crap that comes with most Linux distros. Just compile exactly what you need into a new kernel, include the only software and apps you need, and you'll end up with a streamlined system that takes up little disk space, and you won't have to pay the distro overhead.
And I'm not aware of any distro that has special Alpha optimizations; and if any did, wouldn't the code be absorbed into the official kernel, if it were really an improvement?
But it depends on who's providing software support, right?
... I've heard that Red Hat supports Alphas well ... [steps aside as vat of boiling oil is tossed from the Slashdot battlements] ;-)
But as long as you could install a 'normal' distro on it, this could be very cool, as they'll probably sell for cheaper than usual Alpha systems.
Getting offtopic, I'm seeing a Helix GNOME banner-ad on my screen as I write this. Something about "packaged" Gnome 1.2, represented by a stick of butter with the Helix logo on the wrapper. Okay. Is that how they want us to see GNOME, as slippery, yellow, and bad for your health in large quantities?
LOL!! I just noticed the AlphaLinux logo! The penguin with the shock of fire-red hair? Shit, I want that on a T-shirt! We should name him Lars. He looks like a Lars.
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Torvalds begins work on Linux 2.3.48.9.2.7.43, possibly
Posted by CmdrTaco on Sunday February 27, @10:36AM
from the rob-sucks-tarballs dept
Linus Torvalds, creator of Linux, accidentally hit his keyboard with his elbow today. We have yet to receive confirmation that the resulting code will be be included in the next development kernel, but we can never be too sure. Here is the code in full:
This won't compile under GCC, so we can only assume the code is pretty experimental. Look for the tarballs to be released this evening.
Torvalds comments, "What? Oh, yeah, I accidentally hit my keyboard with my elbow when I reached to get my tea. What? Is it part of the new kernel? You're kidding, right?"
We'll update the article as soon as we get more information. The Linux world hasn't been in such frenzied anticipation since the release of kernel 2.3.48.9.2.7.42, which was about ten minutes ago.
Interview: Alan Cox farted
Posted by Hemos on Sunday February 27, @10:34AM
from the whats-that-smell dept
Linux guru and hacker-extrodinaire Alan Cox farted earlier today. What do you think this says about the future of Linux development? Alan's ass will respond to the highest moderated posts later this week.
ESR and JonKatz to participate in "Zealot Deathmatch"
Posted by Roblimo on Sunday February 27, @10:33AM
from the die-bitch-die dept
Open source proponent Eric S. Raymond and Slashdot nutcase JonKatz are reportedly organizing a "Zealot Arena Deathmatch" to raise money for the Apache Software Foundation. The fight is expected to be a tough one, because while Katz is genuinely insane, ESR has the power of girly, elfish looks. A spokesman from Apache says that, "while we don't encourage violence, we'll do anything for money."
VA Linux aquired by Klingons, Rob bows down to new alien masters
Posted by emmett on Sunday February 27, @10:32AM
from the star-shit-enterprise dept
VA Linux Systems, owner of Andover.net, owner of Slashdot.org, owner of Rob's ass, was officially aquired by the Klingon Empire earlier this morning. The Klingons, who have recently taken over Kellogs, GM, and Disney, are looking forward to absorbing more major corporations in the near future. The US Government is discussing investigating the Klingons for holding a monopoly over "every aspect of our lives", to which the Klingons responded, "Puny human scum! I will crush you like a bug and feast upon your steaming entrails." Finally, some competition for Microsoft!
Red Hat and VA stock at all time high!
Posted by CmdrTaco on Sunday February 27, @10:31AM
from the i-am-so-rich dept
Dude, have you heard the market reports today? I am so fucking rich! If this keeps up, I'll be able to stop doing this Slashdot crap! Hell yeah!
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I should really update that last one, though, in light of recent events:
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Red Hat and VA stock at all time low...
Posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday May 25, @10:31AM
from the i-am-so-fscked dept
Shit... say, how's the job market for goateed Perl-monkies?
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This post is not redundant, please don't moderate it as such. I repeat, this post is not redundant.
It's no replacement for a native JDK, though. I've ranted about this many time before, but here are the three paths FreeBSD Java hackers are looking down:
I'm fed up with it. I don't care anymore. As long as I get Java 2 support on Free Unix somehow, I'm happy. Over the past six months I've slowly started using GNU/Linux more, and FreeBSD less. For many reasons. This is one of them. Hail Tux.
Hey, Foogle, didn't I take your old account when the password was posted a while back? ;-)
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McDonald's gets the merchandising deal (Happy Meals come with "Linux Heros" figurines) and Eisner makes another few million.
The End.
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Some distros have menu-based configuration programs (like "liloconfig") but these can't be guaranteed to work. Some won't find disks on IDE2 or IDE3. Oh well.
Running "make bzlilo" after compiling your kernel usually sets things up acceptably, including installation of lilo. See the Kernel-HOWTO again.
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I'll have to be on the lookout for those Dogzit MultiGrit serial ports. [grin]
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Older kernels could be built with "zImage" and installed with "zlilo". "zImage" has a size limit, however, so "bzImage" is the replacement used for newer, larger kernels. "bzlilo" backs up your old kernel (vmlinuz -> vmlinuz.old), puts the new kernel in its place, and reinstalls lilo. If you use "bzlilo", be sure to proofread your lilo.conf before rebooting, especially if you have added options by hand. I've heard of problems with this...
Out of curiosity, what's your average compressed kernel size?
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I wonder if that was done in mid-late 2.2? I'll be sure to check on this before my next installation.
Wow, 2.4 is probably going to be one of the best things to happen for me all year!
(... maybe that's not saying much?... ;)
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This post is not redundant, please don't moderate it as such. I repeat, this post is not redundant.
If you think the HOWTO you read was out-of-date, check the LDP for newer versions. I believe that a few distro homepages also keep updated lists.
I think I did address his post. He complained about the HOWTO. I responded. He complained about the system.map. I responded. He complained about imagined complexity. I asked for elaboration.
I also wanted to know what happened that was so catastrophic as to warrant a full system restoration. There are ways of testing out new kernels beforehand to avoid such situations. My personal fave is writing the straight bzImage to a floppy and rebooting off that (BEFORE doing anything with lilo or bzlilo!!). If you fscked up, you can just boot off the hard disk like normal, reconfigure, recompile, and try again.
I will take your message to heart, however, and try to be more understanding in the future. I apologise to you and anyone else I may have offended. I didn't mean to sound "high and mighty".
BUT... it is clear that he did not fully read the HOWTO. That's why I say, RTFM. There is such an amazing abundance of Linux documentation on the WWW that no newbie should ever feel like he has nowhere to go.
I know that some of you aren't going to believe me, so here are some selected quotes from the Linux Kernel-HOWTO, v1.0 from June 1999:
Now what was that you were saying, AC?
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If you recompile without changing versions and include less modules in the new kernel, you might get complaints about object files when rebooting. So,
and the problem goes away. This one is puzzling when you first start making custom kernels, but it is documented.I think what the previous poster was referring to is that you won't notice the problem until you reboot, if you don't always reinstall modules.
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Java bytecode cannot be run natively. Java is slow and not at all suited for anything resembling a Unix kernel. Don't get me wrong; I love Java. But the thought of writing a Unix kernel with it (which, I'll admit, I've considered doing for kicks) is just silly.
But hey, it's Open Source! If you want to rewrite fifteen million lines of kernel code in Java, be my guest! I'll book you a room at Bedlam.
Unix kernels have been written in C as long as Unix as been around. Unix and C have souls which are interwined. (Only I could be so sentimental about such things, I suppose...:) Change can be good, but Unix and C are inseparable. Because I say so. Grrrrr.
Now I'm not only sure that you're trolling, but that you have no idea what you're talking about. But that's okay. This is Slashdot. Your kind find refuge here. :D
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FreeBSD and GNU/Linux have strengths in different areas. What are you planning to install on? If you're running a server (of any kind) and want a "rock-solid" OS with stable and mature TCP/IP, FreeBSD is definitely the way to go. GNU/Linux, while good in this area, cannot yet match FreeBSD's stability, especially under high load.
But there are other factors, of course, such as software support. Did you want to run Java servlets? Then you'd be better off with GNU/Linux's now-outstanding Java support (JDK1.2 from Sun and JDK1.3 from IBM). The best you can do for FreeBSD is a port of JDK1.1.8 with the JFC1.1.1 add-on. Not at all optimal.
If this is going to be a personal workstation-type of machine, I'm going to express my (as always) humble opinion and say that GNU/Linux is much better suited for that use. A workstation used for development, graphics, games, or just basic "productivity" will benefit more from GNU/Linux's faster (if not more stable) SMP, driver support, et cetera, than from FreeBSD's stability and excellent networking.
You say you bought the "power pack", which IIRC comes with the latest version of FreeBSD, extra software, and a book. To be frank, the FreeBSD newbie distro. Which means it's most likely going to be used for the "workstation"-type use. But don't regret your decision, for FreeBSD is an excellent OS and you'll [be forced to] learn more, faster, than with your average l337 Red Hat 6.2 distro. And who says you can't have the best of both worlds? LILO will boot FreeBSD; why not dual-boot? You can just download GNU/Linux for free (if you have the bandwidth) or buy one of the $.99 copies.
There's plenty of room for all Unices.
(...provided you have a large enough disk ;-)
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I really don't see what is so complicated about this:
Is that really so bad? Your lilo complaints are just ignorant: the Kernel-HOWTO does mention zlilo and bzlilo, last time I checked.
Recompiling a Linux kernel is quite simple compared to other Unices. Coming from an old-style BSD and new SysV background, I find the Linux way to be rather luxurious.
I'm not trying to flame you. I just think you didn't RTFM. If you fscked up that badly, you didn't read it well enough. And didn't you back up your old kernel first? You didn't make a boot disk, did you? You didn't test the new kernel before "swapping" it, did you? If you've done your homework, Linux is very forgiving.
I'd be interested in hearing more of your problem. What did you find "complex?" What problem necessitated a full system restoration? Details, please.
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Oooh, this could be very good for my laptop...
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