Featured Articles

Package management on Unix-like systems has improved out of all recognition in the last decade. However, improvements are being suggested all the time, ranging from improved utilities for existing package tools like apt and yum to Autopackage and Zero Install, both of which allow non-users to install software, to Conary, which combines package management with version control to permit multiple versions of the same software to co-exist.... [more]

In 2002, I developed a C# application using the beta version of Visual Studio .NET. Three years later, I ported the application to Mono Version 1.0.5. Today, more than six years after the original development of the application using beta VS.NET, I've decided to upgrade my application on Mono, as a way of reviewing the progress the Mono project has made in recent years.... [more]

While Linux is officially a monolithic kernel, it does permit dynamic extensibility with loadable kernel modules. In this article, we'll explore the various tools and processes that support dynamic kernel customization. We'll also explore the various configuration mechanisms available for module configuration.

The Linux Foundation today announced that Linux kernel developer Theodore Ts’o has been named to the position of Chief Technology Officer at the Foundation.Ts’o is currently a Linux Foundation fellow, a position he has been in since December 2007. He is one of the most highly regarded members of the Linux and open source community and is known as the first North American kernel developer. Other current and past LF fellows include Steve Hemminger, Andrew Morton, Linus Torvalds and And... [more]

Typically, preparing a hardware circuit to be burn on to a silicon chip is an intensive process. Engineers must either work in difficult-to-learn languages like Verilog or VHDL or else learn proprietary C or C-like languages that can be converted into Verilog or VHDL using software that costs thousands of dollars per license.

As companies become more distributed and less centralized in their operations, the need to spread IT out without adding a lot of capital and resource overhead has become a real challenge. One company is trying to address that need with a $100,000 developer contest to build the best applications for the distributed workforce.

If you are used to Linux or UNIX, familiar with C or C++ development, or have ever downloaded and installed a source distribution that wasn't a source RPM, you probably have some familiarity with GNU Autotools. If you want to find out how they work and how they work together, what they are useful for, and how to make use of they in your application, this document is for you. It is intended to give a basic introduction to the use of the GNU Autotools toolchain, particularly on SUSE Linux.... [more]

The Linux Foundation (LF), the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced the results of its 2008 Technical Advisory Board  (TAB) election, which drew record numbers of candidates and voters. The TAB consists of ten members of the Linux kernel community, who are annually elected by their peers to serve staggered, two-year terms.  The TAB collaborates with The Linux Foundation on programs and issues that affect the Linux community. The TAB cha... [more]

The Linux kernel is the core of a large and complex operating system, and while it's huge, it is well organized in terms of subsystems and layers. In this article, you explore the general structure of the Linux kernel and get to know its major subsystems and core interfaces. Where possible, you get links to other IBM articles to help you dig deeper.

I am pleased to announce the availability of LSB 4.0 Beta 2. We are continuing to use the previously-announced beta page for accessing information on the LSB 4.0 beta program.  That page can be found at: https://www.linuxfoundation.org/en/LSB_4.0_Beta You can view and download the specification from there, or download our test suites, Software Development Kit, and Sample Implementation. The improvements in LSB 4.0 can be found in our preliminary release notes:... [more]

Upon examination the Linux Standard Base, in the currently released form, is missing one large camp of developers and applications—namely Java. That’s not to say you can’t run Java applications on essentially every Linux distribution. What it does say is there is no “LSB certified” offering for developers to target, giving them 100% confidence that their application will run as they intend it to.

Interested in the personalities and thoughts of the folks who shape the Linux kernel? Then be sure to visit the Kernel Summit 2008 Video page at the Linux Foundation site to watch any of a series of 15 interviews with the movers and shakers of the kernel, including Linus Torvalds. The videos, which are viewable online or as Flash or OGG downloads, cover a wide range of topics:

The Linux Foundation today announced it is publishing a new report written by Amanda McPherson, Brian Proffitt, and Ron Hale-Evans on the value of Linux development. The paper, "Estimating the Total Development Cost of a Linux Distribution," finds that it would take approximately $10.8 billion to build the Linux community distribution Fedora 9 in today's dollars with today's software development costs. It would take $1.4 billion to develop the Linux kernel alone.... [more]

It's easy to understand why compatibility between different operating systems is a complicated procedure.

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.

A couple of weeks ago, we looked mostly at programs coded in Python and hosted in systems small enough to fit in gadgets like cellular handsets, networking appliances, and other such products. Several Tcl projects illustrate a different role for Linux, one of which marries a conventional personal computer with add-on special-purpose hardware.

The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux and open source software, today announced that its Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) governance workgroup, called FOSSBazaar, has nearly doubled its membership since launching in January.The newest members include Ars Aperta, Black Duck, BT, Krugle, Palamida, and nexB, which contribute to 15 total members today.

In another step towards general release, the first beta of Linux Standard Base (LSB) 4.0 was released today. LSB 4.0 will introduce a new application checker, a new shell script checker, and a new multi-version software development kit (SDK) that will enable developers to build applications to earlier LSB specifications without changing SDKs.

Every open source project must deal with the same problem: how do you package your application so that it installs and runs properly on all the major distributions? Use a package manager to bundle the application, configuration scripts and any necessary libraries into a single file. The two most popular methods of accomplishing this are the RPM Package Manager (RPM) and the Advanced Packaging Tool (APT).

The Foundation is helping out with CeBIT 2009, and we're looking for papers now... "Open Source is emerging for the first time as a central theme at the CeBIT 2009 conference. Linux Magazine, together with the conference organizers and the Linux Foundation, is now encouraging Open Source projects to bid for free booths at the conference.