Linked by Kroc Camen on Thu 25th Dec 2008 07:50 UTC, submitted by diegocg
Heise Open Source provides an extensive breakdown of the innovations present in the latest release of the Linux kernel, announced by Linus Torvalds. This version adds the first version of Ext4 as a stable filesystem, the much-anticipated GPU memory manager which will be the foundation of a renewed graphic stack, support for Ultra Wide Band (Wireless USB, UWB-IP), memory management scalability and performance improvements, a boot tracer, disk shock protection, the phonet network protocol, support of SSD discard requests, transparent proxy support, high-resolution poll()/select()... full Changelog here
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RE[8]: the list is impressive
by akrosdbay on Mon 29th Dec 2008 06:33
in reply to "RE[7]: the list is impressive"
Member since:2008-06-09
That's simply not true. Most kernels mix elements of a microkernel with elements of a monolithic kernel. Look at OSX which has a hybrid Mach/FreeBSD kernel. Linux has things like libusb, udev, and fuse which operate from userspace.
According to me there are only two categories Monolithic or Microkernel. This whole hybrid kernel thing is just marketing.
udev does nothing to make linux more microkernel like. It is a dev filesystem that manages the /dev directories and symlinks. Udev just listens for kernel events and manages /dev entries.
Fuse has a kernel module that runs in privileged or supervisor mode.
In a microkernel nothing the kernel in privileged mode only handles IPC, address space management, interrupts and thread scheduling. Everything else is in non-privileged mode.
Also none of this makes any one OS better for everything, which is the point I was trying to make to the OP.
Edited 2008-12-29 06:34 UTC
RE[9]: the list is impressive
by abraxas on Mon 29th Dec 2008 23:29
in reply to "RE[8]: the list is impressive"
Member since:2005-07-07
According to me there are only two categories Monolithic or Microkernel. This whole hybrid kernel thing is just marketing.
Oh ok, according to YOU! Case closed! Too bad you are completely wrong. Have you heard of XNU which is a hybrid kernel or XOK, MIT's exokernel which is smaller than a microkernel but does not use message passing?
udev does nothing to make linux more microkernel like. It is a dev filesystem that manages the /dev directories and symlinks. Udev just listens for kernel events and manages /dev entries.
Methinks you don't understand the point behind microkernels. The main reason is to move things out of kernelspace to avoid errors that can take down the entire system. By moving more things out of the Linux kernel into userspace it allows some of the same advantages.
Fuse has a kernel module that runs in privileged or supervisor mode.
This is true but the filesystem implementations are completely in userspace.
In a microkernel nothing the kernel in privileged mode only handles IPC, address space management, interrupts and thread scheduling. Everything else is in non-privileged mode.
I guess most implementation of Mach are not microkernels then since they use co-location to move servers into kernelspace because of the atrocious performance of pure microkernels.
Features
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 17:26 UTC
So, the Xbox One disaster continues. Microsoft's policy for dealing with the used games market has reportedly leaked - and it's a clear and direct attack to destroy the used games market. Prices for used games will be set at the retail value of a new game, and retailers have to hook into Microsoft's computer systems and comply with Microsoft's terms and conditions.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 21:38 UTC
At an event earlier today, Microsoft unveiled the next Xbox - the third model, but confusingly named Xbox One. The big focus was TV, integrated Kinect, and all the other stuff we all expected to be forced down our throats. I think it took them 25 minutes to actually come to what should be the core of the story: gaming. Nothing groundbreaking in the gaming department, except for how Microsoft intends to handle the used games market and borrowing games from friends: pay up, buddy!
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/20/13 11:29 UTC
The day has finally come! Jolla has finally announced the launch device for its Sailfish operating system - and by god this is a looker. It's decidedly different from other phones out there, but it has good specifications and carries a relatively reasonably price tag - EUR 399, and it's up for pre-order today, shipping in the fourth quarter of this year.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/18/13 21:33 UTC
Why does Google get so much credit in the technology industry? Why, despite the company's many obvious failings, do many geeks and enthusiasts still hold a somewhat positive view on the all-knowing technology giant? A specific talk at Google I/O this week provides the answer.
Linked by David Adams on 05/16/13 4:23 UTC
OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/11/13 21:41 UTC
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/08/13 14:22 UTC
This is one of those news items that's fun to write, fun to read, fun to comment on, and where no one will be able to say anything unkind. It's all just one big ball of awesome fluffiness. TuneTracker, the BeOS radio automation software, has just released something very special: TuneTracker System 5, the first version designed entirely and specifically for Haiku. In fact, it actually includes Haiku in the software package. Better yet, TuneTracker also unveiled several system-in-a-box products - which have Haiku and TuneTracker pre-installed.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/02/13 15:28 UTC
Exactly twenty years ago, a document was published that played a huge role in establishing the web as we know it today. Twenty years later, and this simple and straightforward document is proof of an irrefutable fact: while closed technologies can change markets, open technologies can change the world.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/29/13 21:06 UTC
Oh multitasking. That staple of computing that got thrown out the window with many modern smartphones. We got some rudimentary thing in its place - but even as multitasking on phone and tablets improves, its user-visible side remains cumbersome. Windows 8 has a neat implementation, and now it's time Android follows in it footsteps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/24/13 22:24 UTC
They're here! Whether that excites you or not remains to be seen, but the Galaxy S4, which will most likely become the best selling Android smartphone of the year by a huge margin, has been reviewed by all the major sites, and there's lots of interesting conclusions in there - although I think most of you will get the gist.More Features »
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Member since:
2005-07-07
That's simply not true. Most kernels mix elements of a microkernel with elements of a monolithic kernel. Look at OSX which has a hybrid Mach/FreeBSD kernel. Linux has things like libusb, udev, and fuse which operate from userspace.
I'm not sure how that is relevant to the discussion.