Linux Archive

Linux Stable Kernel 2.4.24 Released

Eugenia Loli 2004-01-05 Linux 88 Comments

Marcelo Tosatti has released the final 2.4.24 stable Linux kernel unchanged from 2.4.24-rc1. The main reason for the release was a local vulnerability in mremap() syscall, that can cause local users to gain privileges. It's recommended that all users upgrade their kernel. 2.4.24 is available from numerous kernel.org mirrors.

The Future of Linux on the Desktop

Submitted by Usman Latif 2004-01-03 Linux 130 Comments

Usman Latif writes: "Linux has made few inroads on the desktop. Linux enthusiasts have plenty of excuses but do not seem to understand where they need to focus in order to make Linux a success on the desktop. My article 'The Future of Linux on the Desktop' is an attempt to point out markets where Linux can really make a difference."

Linux 2.6.1-RC1 is Out

Submitted by dabooty 2004-01-03 Linux 15 Comments

Linus Torvalds announced the release of 2.6.1-rc1, the first prepatch for the 2.6 series. He announced that 2.6.1-rc1 includes many patches that have been in the -mm patchset for a long time.

Linux Looking Forward in 2004

Submitted by M.S.F 2004-01-02 Linux 58 Comments

In the course of putting the January 2004 issue together, the LinuxWorld editors circulated forward-looking questions to a wide selection members of the Linux community whose opinions we respect. Here's what they had to say. Elsewhere, "Linux will continue to make headway in 2004, but the path to success is rarely a straight line. The number of installed instances of Linux will continue to shoot straight up, but revenues for service providers will not" says David Johnson.

A Short Review of CollegeLinux 2.5

Guest post by Kevin Arvin 2004-01-01 Linux 47 Comments

The aim of this experimental Linux distribution is to provide to the student population at large an operating system that is easy to install and use and provides an alternative to the traditional commercial operating systems. CollegeLinux is a Slackware derived Linux (2.4.23) distribution on a single CD that weighs in at 600 MB.

2004 Won’t Be the Year of the Linux Desktop

Eugenia Loli 2004-01-01 Linux 96 Comments

eWEEK.com's Linux & Open-Source Center Editor Steven Vaughan-Nichols loves the Linux desktop... for himself and other Linux mavens, but thinks that it's still a ways off from being the right choice for most companies. Our Take: There isn't a specific date where you can decide that a desktop experience is good for everybody everywhere (it is already good enough for many people), however I get the feeling that especially around middle 2005 we will be witnessing some truly satisfying results from Gnome 3, KDE 4, OpenCarpet, a matured 2.6 kernel and the evolved distros of the time, so hang on.

Linux: Which Flavor of Linux is Right for You?

Guest post by Robert Trembath 2003-12-31 Linux 65 Comments

As a dedicated reader of OSNews.com and a VP of Technology for an IT firm that specializes in utilizing Open Source solution for small business, I have been amazed at the rash of some reviews on the various distros of Linux and their failure to really help readers make a choice on what they should use or try. Linux has really matured in the desktop arena and in alot less time than Windows took to do so.

Where is my “Made for Linux” computer system?

Submitted by Kelly McNeill 2003-12-30 Linux 54 Comments

When the technology community considers Linux, we know what sets it apart from the competition. But if you were to ask the average consumer, few could give you a legitimate answer other than maybe it doesn’t cost anything. (However there will always be those that look in vain for the free beer everyone keeps talking about.) Editorial contributor Doug Dingus offered the following opinion piece to osViews which proposes some interesting ideas to help differentiate Linux to consumers by way of hardware rather than just software.

Linux 2.6 and mISDN HowTo

Submitted by Simon 2003-12-29 Linux 10 Comments

This is a howto for Linux 2.6 and mISDN. mISDN stands for modular ISDN. mISDN is developed by Karsten Keil from SUSE. mISDN supports some passive ISDN (see supported ISDN cards) cards under Linux 2.6. mISDN uses CAPI.

Commercial Interests and the Future of Linux

Submitted by Usman Latif 2003-12-29 Linux 52 Comments

IBM has been chanting Linux for a long time now but the company has never clearly explained why it prefers Linux to Windows. I have written an opinion piece which gives the motives behind commercial backing Linux is receiving. The article also details the impact commercial interests are likely to have on the future development of Linux. The URL of the article is here.

Putting Linux reliability to the test

Eugenia Loli 2003-12-27 Linux 24 Comments

This article documents the test results and analysis of the Linux kernel and other core OS components, including everything from libraries and device drivers to file systems and networking, all under some fairly adverse conditions, and over lengthy durations. The IBM Linux Technology Center has just finished this comprehensive testing over a period of more than three months and shares the results of their LTP (Linux Test Project) testing with developerWorks readers.

Inside the Linux 2.6 Scheduler

Eugenia Loli 2003-12-26 Linux 14 Comments

Linux.Ars features a detailed description of one of the most important parts of the newly-released Linux 2.6 kernel: the scheduler. The new scheduler features several improvements over that in 2.4; they will not only explain the improvements, but also describe how the scheduler works and why these improvements are important.

Linux: Debating devfs and udev

Eugenia Loli 2003-12-24 Linux 32 Comments

A recent posting to the lkml suggested that the udev project has unfairly hijacked the devfs project, leading into yet another lengthy discussion comparing udev to devfs, and questioning why the latter has been deprecated. Linux devfs was written by Richard Gooch and merged into the 2.3.46 kernel in February of 2000.

Introducing Lorma Linux 4.0

Guest post by Manish Bansal 2003-12-24 Linux 41 Comments

Lorma linux 4.0 is the first distribution to be based on Fedora Core, outside of Redhat, that is. It is one of those new breed of single-CD distros that try to include only the best-of-breed applications.

Interview With 2.4 Linux Kernel Maintainer Marcelo Tosatti

Submitted by Jeremy Andrews 2003-12-23 Linux 9 Comments

KernelTrap has an interview with Marcelo Tosatti. Marcelo became the maintainer of the 2.4 stable kernel when he was 18 years old, releasing his first kernel, 2.4.16, on November 26'th of 2001. Two years later, he recently released the 2.4.23 kernel and plans to soon put the 2.4 stable kernel tree into maintenance mode, only addressing bugs and security issues.

Linus Blasts SCO’s Header Claims

Eugenia Loli 2003-12-23 Linux 138 Comments

Slashdot reports on Linus' replies to SCO's allegations that 65 header files were copied from UNIX.

Open Source: Not If, But How

Submitted by Tom 2003-12-23 Linux 8 Comments

The religious wars over open-source software—especially Linux—are over. What lies ahead is a steely-eyed pragmatism about the software's pros and cons. Read the article at CIOInsight.

Getting Linux 2.6 Into The Enterprise

Eugenia Loli 2003-12-19 Linux 28 Comments

The Linux distributors detail their plans on when they'll be introducing Linux 2.6 into their commercial releases, while the analysts consider what 2.6 will mean to Microsoft and users. Fedora already has some test 2.6 kernels and Slackware now too in its -Current tree.

Running 64-bit Linux on a G5

Guest post by Bas v.d. Wiel 2003-12-18 Linux 31 Comments

A couple of weeks ago TerraSoft released preliminary 64-bit ISO's of their flagship product, Yellow Dog Linux 3.0.1 (YDL), especially for owners of Apple's new G5 machines. I was pining for a chance to get an open source OS running in 64-bit mode so I quickly downloaded the three ISO's.

Linux 2.6.0 Released

Eugenia Loli 2003-12-18 Linux 115 Comments

Top programmers hope to release on Wednesday a major update to Linux, version 2.6.0, a change that's expected to help carry the open-source operating system into new markets. Linux 2.6 might get released tonight, C|Net says. UPDATE: The kernel 2.6.0 is out. Get it while it's hot. Changelog here.