Linux Archive

Reducing Linux Kernel’s Latency

Eugenia Loli 2004-09-12 Linux 35 Comments

With feedback, Ingo Molnar has continued to improve his voluntary kernel preemption patch. Testing the patch has revealed a number of areas in the 2.6 Linux kernel that were causing high latency. Fixes have been created and merged as these areas have been located. Read more at KernelTrap.

Yellow Dog Linux 4.0 RC3 Released

Eugenia Loli 2004-09-11 Linux 20 Comments

Terra Soft has released the third release candidate of the upcoming Yellow Dog Linux 4.

Easing Driver Installation on Linux

Submitted by Jono Bacon 2004-09-10 Linux 60 Comments

Jono Bacon has written an interesting article debating the way the kernel currently handles device drivers. Is there a better way to handle devices in Linux?

Two Years Before the Prompt: A Linux Odyssey

Submitted by Tim Mullins 2004-09-10 Linux 52 Comments

Derek Croxton has written an editorial on how he sees the Linux and Open Source communities, and his personal experiences with Linux. Excerpt: "A novice’s greatest fear is sitting in front of a motionless command prompt with no idea what to type; or, as so frequently happens, knowing a command that he copied verbatim from a document discovered on the internet somewhere, but with no idea of what it means or how to alter it if it doesn’t behave exactly as advertised."

Whither Mobile Linux? Become an NMC News Editor

Eugenia Loli 2004-09-09 Linux 3 Comments

The open-source OS still hasn't picked up much momentum in the mobile world, but maybe manufacturers are trying to introduce it in the wrong place, says TheFeature. BTW, we are looking for editors to help with active news posting at OSNews' sister site, NewMobileComputing.

September 2004 LinuxGazette Edition

Submitted by FTT 2004-09-09 Linux 2 Comments

A number of interesting Linux articles this month too at LinuxGazette.

Linux Distribution Chooser v0.2

Submitted by Barney Matthews 2004-09-09 Linux 31 Comments

There are 100's of different Linux distributions and picking one can be difficult. So (:^tuxs.org) has devised the "Linux Distribution Chooser" to help you find a good distribution to try for the first time. Answer a few simple questions and the "Linux Distribution Chooser" will suggest a Linux distribution for you to try The Distribution Chooser has been now updated to version 0.2 following the feedback from Distrowatch readers.

Linux Standards Base: Making Enough Progress?

David Adams 2004-09-06 Linux 36 Comments

Ask some end users what Linux Standard Base (LSB) is and most likely they either won't know anything about it, or know a little bit but not enough to qualify as understanding what all the buzz around LSB is about. Ask three ISVs and only one will likely understand the implications of LSB for their business. And only a very, very few will say that they have started the process of making some of their applications LSB-compliant. Read More.

Database File System for Linux

Submitted by super_science_monkey 2004-09-06 Linux 53 Comments

There's what appears to be a well-presented but probably pretty early phase implementation of a Database File System for Linux. Check it out.

Programming Linux 2.6

Eugenia Loli 2004-09-05 Linux 28 Comments

This month's column at LinuxMagazine provides an overview of some updates and new features in 2.6, including filesystem support, threading library changes, and the new kernel-level profiler. This article assumes you already have access to a machine running 2.6.

Peace, love and paychecks

Submitted by OSNews Witness 2004-09-05 Linux 49 Comments

Linux began as a labor of love by hippies and hackers. Now the suits are cutting checks and running the show. This pay-for-play arrangement may be standard operating procedure among high-tech companies and academic labs, but it represents a big change for Linux, which first gained favor among hippie-esque programmers who disdained revenue and profit, advocating a "peace, love and software" vision of Linux as a free operating system developed without regard for corporate interests.

Filling in the gaps among Linux clusters, part 2

Eugenia Loli 2004-09-01 Linux 3 Comments

While Linux clusters can handle the demands of high performance computing, they're still lacking in some key features, said Eric Pitcher, vice president of technical marketing for Linux Networx, a cluster systems provider in Bluffdale, Utah. In part one of this interview, he championed Linux clusters, citing their productivity and scalability. In part two, he discusses pricing and points out Linux clusters' current shortcomings.

Das U-Boot Surfaces — Open Source BIOS

Submitted by Curt Brune 2004-08-30 Linux 15 Comments

Check out the comprehensive introduction to Das U-Boot: The Universal Boot Loader. U-Boot eases the pain of embedded board bring-up for new platforms running GNU/Linux.

Switching to Linux picks up steam; Exploiting the Potential of Linux

Submitted by Mark 2004-08-30 Linux 24 Comments

About a third of businesses plan to migrate at least some Windows machines to Linux, according to a recent survey, but adoption will continue to slow and cautious, as companies evaluate a maze of economic factors.

Strict Open Source Kernel Policies Give an End to a Driver

Submitted by uberto barbini 2004-08-27 Linux 224 Comments

Linux kernel maintainers removed hooks from a semi-binary driver (half open, half closed) for Philips webcams. This has angered the developer of the driver who have worked on the driver for 5 years, resulting on removing the driver completely from the kernel and his site. The developer has an NDA with Philips and he can't fully open source the driver, even if he wanted to. The losers from the whole story, are the users.

Is Linux too good to be true?

Submitted by Olivier Magere 2004-08-25 Linux 87 Comments

"Typing "Linux" into Google gives about 109 million results. Surprisingly, that's five million more than searching for "Microsoft". But are potential users of the alternative operating system to Windows being enticed into making a decision they may later regret? Some Windows users are increasingly disillusioned with their computers. The internet no longer feels safe, thanks to viruses, spyware, trojans, hackers and pop-ups targeting features (and failings) in Microsoft software. Going online these days using Internet Explorer is like walking into a minefield." Read the article at Independent.

Yoper V2.1 Released

Submitted by jon williams 2004-08-25 Linux 87 Comments

YOPER Linux V series had its next stable release of V2 tagged 2.1.0. This release provides the power user with many new features, encompassing REISER4 support for the root filesystem, new non-destructive NTFS resizing, graphical partitioning, option to use GRUB or LILO bootloaders, a new clustered control panel, KDE 3.3.0 Final, Linux Kernel 2.6.8.1, default Firewall and the OpenOffice.org Office Suite, all provided on 1 CD. The default "look and feel" has been enhanced and many bugfixes have been applied, including PCMCIA support during install and support for PPPoE.

How to Build a Free Enterprise Linux Desktop

Submitted by jar 2004-08-24 Linux 29 Comments

Looking to deploy Linux in the enterprise without a price tag? In this DesktopLinux.com feature, Tom Adelstein teaches users how to put together an enterprise Linux desktop using freely available sources. Offering budget conscious users a guide for a Linux-based system suitable for business, the article highlights the similarities between Red Hat's legacy 7.3 software and current Enterprise Linux 3.0. Adelstein rebuilds servers running Red Hat 7.3 using RHEL source rpms and provides offers a step-by-step tutorial for companies that are searching for a reliable DIY Linux IT solution.

Migrating from Linux Kernel 2.4 to 2.6 on POWER

Submitted by David 2004-08-24 Linux 6 Comments

One of the benifits you get when migrating from Linux Kernal 2.4 to 2.6 is improved stability. The process for loading kernel modules in and out of the kernel was improved. This article highlights and shares information on that and the other differences between the Linux kernels 2.4 and 2.6 including new features of Linux Distributions for POWER5-based systems, SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 9 (SLES 9), and Red Hat Enterprise Linux Advanced Server 3.

Kernel debugging with Kprobes

Eugenia Loli 2004-08-20 Linux 10 Comments

Collecting debugging information from the Linux™ kernel using printk is a well-known method -- and with Kprobes, it can be done without the need to constantly reboot and rebuild the kernel. Kprobes, in combination with 2.6 kernels, provides a lightweight, non-disruptive, and powerful mechanism to insert printk's dynamically. Logging debug info such as the kernel stack trace, kernel data structures, and registers has never been so easy!