Articles - The Linux Kernel

Linux today supports more hardware devices than any other operating system in the history of the world. It does this using a development model significantly different from the familiar Windows device driver model. The Linux development process continues to evolve to better support the needs of Independent Hardware Vendors (IHVs), distributions, and other members of the community, and the advantages of the Linux model are increasing with time.

The kernel which forms the core of the Linux system is the result of one of the largest cooperative software projects ever attempted. Regular 2-3 month releases deliver stable updates to Linux users, each with significant new features, added device support, and improved performance. The rate of change in the kernel is high and increasing, with almost 10,000 patches going into recent kernel releases. These releases each contain the work of nearly 1000 developers representing well over 100 corpora... [more]

By Cameron Laird and Kathryn Soraiz September is kernel month here at Linux Developer Network. While that might seem to be at an opposite pole from the "lightweight," "agile" programming in which this column specializes, there are actually many connections between kernel work and scripting.... [more]

The Linux Foundation, the non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced the first Linux Foundation End User Collaboration Summit. The summit is a unique opportunity for end users to learn and interact with leaders from within the Linux community, including the highest level maintainers and developers.

There can be no doubt that a great many technologies have been added to Linux over the past ten years. What is less well-known is that it is often necessary to introduce a large amount of Linux into a given technology in order to successfully introduce that technology into Linux. This paper illustrates such an introduction of Linux into technology with Read-Copy Update.

So you want to be one of the few, the proud, the Linux kernel developers do you? Well, it’s not easy. But, if you’ve got the right stuff, Linux is looking for a few good programmers.

Oracle reveals more details about it's kernel development participation..."The kernel is an integral part of Linux that manages system resources and provides services and APIs on top of hardware for all tools and applications to use. Building on a decade-long commitment to Linux, an experienced engineering team at Oracle continues to develop key Linux kernel technology for the open source community.

Amidst the halls of a former seminary built in the 19th Century, the future of 21st technology was explored in the 2008 Linux Foundation End User Summit.The Desmond Tutu Center in Manhattan might seem like an unlikely venue for Linux developers and end users to congregate, but the updated facility's nooks and crannies proved a good place for lots of impromptu discussions between Summit attendees.

Glyn Moody has an interesting take on our paper released today...

In The Mythical Man-Month, Fred Brooks observes that the productivity of experienced programmers frequently varies by a factor of 10 or more. What makes the 10x programmers so much better? Undoubtedly some of the difference is due to native facility with language or logic. But even with these advantages, no one is born writing beautiful, elegant, maintainable code; everyone goes through a learning process.