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.

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 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 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.

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]

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.

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.