Linux Archive

Linux Kernel Patch Works Around Microsoft’s FAT Patents

Submitted by lemur2 2009-07-02 Linux 29 Comments

The FAT file system is the file system used by MS-DOS and earlier versions of Windows. It's a relatively simple and straightforward file system, supported by just about any operating system, making it the favoured file system on memory cards and the like. FAT is an ECMA and ISO standard, but these only apply for FAT12 and FAT16 without support for long file names, and therein lies a problem.

KVM-87 Released

Submitted by diegocg 2009-06-30 Linux 2 Comments

A couple of days ago kvm-87 was released featuring bug fixes, performance improvements, a preview of irqfd, new support for http protocol using curl version 6., and additional support for port redirection. The most notable of these from the end user perspective is the new http support. A good use case for this new feature is booting a livecd over http with a command like "qemu-kvm -cdrom http://www.sample.com/linux.iso". Awesome!

The Pros and “Conns” of Intel’s ConnMan for Linux

Thom Holwerda 2009-06-29 Linux 27 Comments

"Intel has created a new network management and configuration system for Linux called ConnMan - but not everyone is pleased to see it challenge NetworkManager. Ars looks at the pros and "conns" of the decision to create the new software."

Amazon Kindle Powered by Linux, FSF Not Impressed

Thom Holwerda 2009-06-17 Linux 46 Comments

"As my colleague Michelle Menga is reporting, Amazon is now making new source code available for its Amazon Kindle. Basically what it represents is, Amazon's responsibility to make the GPL licenced source code that is used in the Kindle available to others. That's part of the GPL license and Amazon is doing its part. Digging into the code that Amazon is now making available, provides some really interesting insight into the underlying structure of the Kindle."

SquashFS: Not Just for Embedded Systems

Submitted by linuxmag 2009-06-10 Linux 3 Comments

"Let's take a look at SquashFS. SquashFS is a read-only compressed file system that has a variable block size. The primary intent of the file system is for constrained block device/memory systems. The classic example targets SquashFS for embedded systems but there are other uses for it that fall outside of the embedded world, and could surprise you."

Linux Kernel 2.6.30 Released

Submitted by RJop 2009-06-10 Linux 16 Comments

Linus Torvalds has announced the release of version 2.6.30 of the Linux kernel. "I'm sure we've missed something, and I know we have some regressions pending. At the same time, we do need the coverage of a eral release, and on the whole it looks pretty good. We've fixed a few regressions in the last few days, and there's always 2.6.30.x." The list of changes is interesting.

CRUX PPC 2.5 Released

Thom Holwerda 2009-06-08 Linux 2 Comments

"CRUX PPC 2.5 is now available. Supports Apple 32bit "NewWorld" G3/G4 and Apple 64bit G5, Genesi PegasosII and Efika, Acube Sam440ep, IBM RS/6000 CHRP32 (604e), YDL Powerstation, IBM Intellistation POWER, and IBM pSeries RS64/POWERn. CRUX PPC 2.5 is released as two different installation ISO: 32bit and 64bit. The 32bit version is based on a single lib toolchain instead the 64bit one comes with a multilib toolchain. These two versions share the same ports tree. To increase CRUX PPC usability on pSeries, starting from 2.5 we do provide ports for some IBM utils."

NILFS: a File System to Make SSDs Scream

Submitted by linuxmag 2009-06-04 Linux 12 Comments

The 2.6.30 kernel is chock full of next-gen file systems. One such example is NILFS, a new log-structured file system that dramatically improves write performance.

Anatomy of a Linux Hypervisor

Thom Holwerda 2009-06-02 Linux No Comments

The battleground has shifted from the Operating System to the hypervisor, and Linux has a clear role to play. One of the most important modern innovations of Linux is its transformation into a hypervisor. Learn about KVM and Lguest and why the most important modern innovations of Linux is its transformation into a hypervisor.

Linux Unified Kernel Aims to Combine Linux, NT Kernel

Submitted by lemur2 2009-05-28 Linux 68 Comments

There are several ways to run Windows programs on Linux (virtualisation, WINE) and vice versa really isn't a problem either with Cygwin, or better yet, native ports thanks to the Windows variants of Gtk+ and Qt. Still, what if Windows support was built straight into the Linux kernel? Is something like that even possible? Sure it is, and the Chinese figured it'd be an interesting challenge, and called it the Linux Unified Kernel.

Introducing SELinux Sandbox, Confines Untrusted Binaries

Submitted by diegocg 2009-05-26 Linux 5 Comments

Eric Paris, a SELinux developer, has announced today a new SELinux feature: "Dan and I (mostly Dan) have started to play with using SELinux to confine random untrusted binaries. The program is called 'sandbox.' The idea is to allow administrators to lock down tightly untrusted applications in a sandbox where they can not use the network and open/create any file that is not handed to the process. Can be used to protect a system while allowing it to run some untrusted binary."

Boost Linux Performance on Old hardware

Thom Holwerda 2009-05-22 Linux 10 Comments

The ideas in this article may help you breathe life (and some additional security) into your old machines and make better use of Linux on aging hardware. A lack of physical memory can severely hamper Linux performance. Llearn how to accurately measure the amount of memory your Linux system uses. You also get practical advice on reducing your memory requirements using an Ubuntu system as an example.

Install the GNU ARM Toolchain Under Linux

Thom Holwerda 2009-05-21 Linux 3 Comments

There is a crying demand among mobile phone vendors for talented ARM programmers, and there's plenty of work to be done. This article provides a starting point for understanding the software side of embedded systems development by describing one set of commonly used tools: the GNU ARM toolchain.

Moblin v2 User Interface: “Very Impressive”

Submitted by Michael Larabel 2009-05-19 Linux 24 Comments

"We first got excited for Moblin 2.0 back in January when seeing how fast this Linux distribution had booted on Atom-powered netbooks. This Fedora-derived distribution booted even faster with a newer development release that came out this past March. While Moblin 2.0 final is not yet released, there is now more to get excited over than just amazing boot times. Moblin 2.0 will introduce a Clutter-based user interface and from our initial encounters with this release, it is very impressive! In this article we have more information on this new Moblin UI along with screenshots and videos."

“Why Linux Is Not (Yet) Ready for the Desktop”

Thom Holwerda 2009-05-18 Linux 339 Comments

We all know them. We all hate them. They are generally overdone, completely biased, or so vague they border on the edge of pointlessness (or toppled over said edge). Yes, I'm talking about those "Is Linux ready for the desktop" articles. Still, this one is different.

Anatomy of Linux Process Management

Thom Holwerda 2009-05-16 Linux 2 Comments

Processes can be short-lived or long-lived. For this reason, the general management of processes and their scheduling is very important. See the kernel representation of processes and how they're managed in the kernel, then review the various means by which processes are created and scheduled on one or more processors, and finally, what happens if they die.

Interview: Chris Mason of Btrfs

Submitted by linuxmag 2009-05-13 Linux 19 Comments

"Following up on our introductory article on Btrfs, Jeff Layton talked with Chris Mason, Director of Linux Kernel Engineering at Oracle and the founder and lead developer of Btrfs."

‘The Shape of the Coming Netbook Revolution’

Guest post by snydeq 2009-05-12 Linux 12 Comments

InfoWorld's Neil McAllister looks ahead at the impending netbook revolution, one sure to be fueled by the introduction of machines based on ARM processors. As McAllister sees it, the move to ARM-based netbooks will have implications beyond cost and performance; it will also mean a new OS, opening the door for Linux, most notably Xandros and Ubuntu Netbook Remix. The emergence of ARM-based netbooks running Linux will represent a subtle shift in messaging on the part of netbook vendors. "Expect to see increased emphasis on netbooks as secondary machines or 'companion devices,' designed to be paired with a more traditional, full-featured notebook or PC, rather than standing on their own."

MontaVista Linux Rebuilds Around Top SoCs

Thom Holwerda 2009-05-12 Linux No Comments

"MontaVista announced a new version of its embedded Linux development platform, now offered in separate packages for major system-on-chips. In addition to providing "Market Specific Distributions" for Intel, Freescale, and Texas Instruments SoCs, MontaVista Linux 6 adds a new build engine and content server, plus an upgraded DevRocket IDE."

Linux Mint 7: 10 New Feature Videos

Submitted by Andrew Weber 2009-05-09 Linux 19 Comments

Linux Mint 7 RC1 has recently been released, and a poster over at EasyLinuxCDs.com has been good enough to detail some of the features in ten different videos. He details everything from installation to mintUpdate to even small features, such as the Xchat app. Though the bulk of the videos seem a bit elementary for most readers here, I at least found Linux Mint 7 a very good-looking system aesthetically and technically and would like to test it out sometime in the near future.