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Tag: Linus Torvalds

  • Linux Kernel 6.1 Is Out With Rust Support

    Linux Kernel 6.1 Is Out With Rust Support

    Linux Torvalds has pushed out version 6.1 of the Linux kernel, with initial Rust support being one of the headline features.

    Linux kernel development has been done exclusively in C until now. The addition of Rust could open new doors, making it easier for other developers to contribute to the open source project.

    More importantly, Rust includes a number of memory safety features that are significant improvements over previous languages. This can lead to apps that are more secure, with even the NSA pushing for the adoption of Rust and similar languages.

    According to LWN.net, version 6.1 includes LLVM improvements, as well as a slew of memory improvements.

  • What’s In a Name? Linux Kernel 6.0 RC-1 Is Here

    What’s In a Name? Linux Kernel 6.0 RC-1 Is Here

    Linus Torvalds has announced the first release candidate for version 6.0 of the Linux kernel, but it’s not much different than the current 5.19.

    In the software development industry, major jumps in numbers often denote significant feature additions, improvements, and more. Torvalds doesn’t espouse that view, choosing to jump from 5.19 to 6.0 because it’s easier to remember.

    “Despite the major number change, there’s nothing fundamentally different about this release – I’ve long eschewed the notion that major numbers are meaningful, and the only reason for a ‘hierarchical’ numbering system is to make the numbers easier to remember and distinguish,” writes Torvalds. “Which is why when the minor number gets to around 20 I prefer to just increment the major number instead and reset to something smaller.”

    It’s definitely a unique approach but, then again, when you’re the creator of an operating system kernel that’s used in everything from Android smartphones, to IoT devices, to desktops, to servers, well…you can pretty much version it however you want.

    At the same Torvalds makes it clear there’s still plenty in version 6.0, even if it’s not to the degree many would otherwise expect.

    “‘Nothing fundamentally different about this release’ obviously doesn’t mean there aren’t lots of changes, though. There’s about 13.5k non-merge commits in here (and 800+ merges), so 6.0 looks to be another fairly sizable release.”

  • Rust Could Be Included in the Linux Kernel in 5.20

    Rust Could Be Included in the Linux Kernel in 5.20

    Linux creator Linus Torvalds has said Rust could be included in the Linux kernel as soon as 5.20.

    Rust is a popular programming language created by Graydon Hoare while he worked at Mozilla, with the organization sponsoring the effort. According to Phoronix, Torvalds has said Rust could be merged into the Linux kernel in 5.2.0.

    The Linux kernel is currently written largely in the C programming language. Torvalds and other contributors played around with adding support for C++ some years ago before abandoning the effort.

    See also: Timeshift Backup Tool Finds New Home at Linux Mint

    Adding support for Rust would represent one of the biggest changes to the kernel in its history and would open the door for a number of significant improvements. Specifically, Rust was designed with safety and security in mind from the beginning. Rust has improved tools for memory management, built-in concurrency, and provides ownership and security paradigms. Its performance and low overhead also give it an advantage over many other languages.

    These various advantages have all helped add impetus to Rust becoming the second language for developing the Linux kernel, with even Google throwing its weight behind it.

    “We feel that Rust is now ready to join C as a practical language for implementing the kernel,” the company writes in its Security Blog. “It can help us reduce the number of potential bugs and security vulnerabilities in privileged code while playing nicely with the core kernel and preserving its performance characteristics.”

    With Rust support in the kernel now in sight, Linux users should start seeing the benefits sooner rather than later.

  • Corellium Successfully Runs Ubuntu Linux on M1 Mac

    Corellium Successfully Runs Ubuntu Linux on M1 Mac

    Corellium has announced it has Ubuntu Linux running on an M1 Mac, in what is described as a “completely usable” experience.

    Mac computers are popular options for Linux users and developers. Many want to combine their operating system (OS) of choice with machines that are widely considered to be among the best industrial designs in the business.

    With Apple moving to its own custom silicon, however, there was doubt about the future of Linux on Macs. Apple’s new M1 chip is an ARM-based designed, similar to what the company has been running in iPhones and iPads for years.

    Even Linus Torvalds has said he would love to run one of the new M1 Macs, but wasn’t optimistic it could run Linux.

    It appears the folks at Corellium have managed to get it done. Corellium specializes in ARM-based virtualization software that runs on iOS, making them the perfect team to get Linux running on the new Macs.

    Chris Wade, Corellium’s CTO made the announcement via Twitter:

    A company blog post provides a detailed explanation of what went into making this happen and is well worth a read. While there’s obviously still work to be done, the future is definitely looking promising.

    After a few days of figuring out the details of USB, we were finally able to connect an external USB hub and connect a keyboard, mouse and a Flash drive, opening the possibility for running a normal desktop Linux distribution.

  • Linus Torvalds Switches to AMD, Slams Intel

    Linus Torvalds Switches to AMD, Slams Intel

    AMD has gotten a boost from an unexpected source, as Linus Torvalds has switched to AMD and slammed Intel.

    As the creator of the Linux operating system (OS), Torvalds is widely respected within the tech industry. He continues to be a powerful voice in the Linux community, as well as the developer community at large. As a result, when Torvalds make his preference for one processor over another clear, and slams another, it tends to make people take notice.

    In posts on Real World Technologies’ forums, Torvalds’ criticism of Intel came down to two factors: cost and the lack of Error-Correcting Code (ECC) memory.

    No. I used to look at the Xeon CPU’s, and I could never really make the math work. The Intel math was basically that you get twice the CPU for five times the price. So for my personal workstations, I ended up using Intel consumer CPU’s.

    The AMD Threadripper pricing is much closer to “twice the price for twice the CPU”. Yes, you end up paying more for the accoutrements (MB and cooling), but that’s pretty much in line too. So yes, it ends up being more expensive, but if CPU power is what you want and need, the expense is pretty much in line with what you get.

    Torvalds harshest criticism was reserved for Intel’s approach (or lack thereof) to ECC memory. As its name suggests, ECC is designed to scan for and correct simple errors and data corruption that occurs in memory storage. Torvalds blasted Intel for its stance on ECC.

    The arguments against ECC were always complete and utter garbage. Now even the memory manufacturers are starting [to] do ECC internally because they finally owned up to the fact that they absolutely have to.

    Torvalds says Intel has pushed an erroneous narrative to users for years.

    How many times has a row-hammer like bit-flip happened just by pure bad luck on real non-attack loads? We will never know. Because Intel was pushing shit to consumers.

    And I absolutely guarantee they happened. The “modern DRAM is so reliable that it doesn’t need ECC” was always a bedtime story for children that had been dropped on their heads a bit too many times.

    While its ECC support may not be “officially verified,” AMD’s chips at least support the feature.

    And the fact that it’s “unofficial” for AMD doesn’t matter. It works. And it allows the markets to – admittedly probably very slowly – start fixing themselves.

    But I blame Intel, because they were the big fish in the pond, and they were the ones that caused the ECC market to basically implode over a couple of decades.

    It’s no secret Intel has been struggling, losing market share to AMD and seeing the mobile market dominated by Arm Holdings. Torvalds criticism only adds to Intel’s troubles.

  • Should Linux 4.0 Focus Only On Bug Fixes?

    Should Linux 4.0 Focus Only On Bug Fixes?

    In about a year, we’ll be treated to Linux 4.0. It’s creator, Linus Torvalds, wants to know if it should focus exclusively on bug fixes and stability.

    PCWorld reports that Torvalds made the controversial suggestion during a Q&A session at LinuxCon Europe in October. He was asked by Intel’s Linux chief Dirk Honhdel if he thought the Linux development community should focus entirely on bug fixes in an upcoming release.

    In a blog post posted a few days ago, Torvalds revisits that question:

    “we’re getting to release numbers where I have to take off my socks to count that high again. I’m ok with 3 , but I don’t want us to get to the kinds of crazy numbers we had in the 2.x series, so at some point we’re going to cut over from 3.x to 4.x, just to keep the numbers small and easy to remember. We’re not there yet, but I would actually prefer to not go into the twenties, so I can see it happening in a year or so, and we’ll have 4.0 follow 3.19 or something like that.

    Now, it’s just a number (since we’ve long since given up on feature-related releases), and it’s at least a year away, so why do I even mention it at all?

    The reason I mention it is because I’ve been mulling over something Dirk Hohndel said during LinuxCon EU and the kernel summit. He asked at the Q&A session whether we could do a release with just stability and bug-fixes, and I pooh-poohed it because I didn’t see most of us having the attention span required for that (cough*cough*moronic*woodland creature*cough*cough).

    So I may be pessimistic, but I’d expect many developers would go “Let’s hunt bugs.. Wait. Oooh, shiny” and go off doing some new feature after all instead. Or just take that release off.

    But I do wonder.. Maybe it would be possible, and I’m just unfairly projecting my own inner squirrel onto other kernel developers. If we have enough heads-up that people *know* that for one release (and companies/managers know that too) the only patches that get accepted are the kind that fix bugs, maybe people really would have sufficient attention span that it could work.

    And the reason I mention “4.0” is that it would be a lovely time to do that. Roughly a years heads-up that “ok, after 3.19 (or whatever), we’re doing a release with *just* fixes, and then that becomes 4.0″.”

    A Linux release solely dedicated to bug fixes sounds awesome, and I think many developers would agree. What some developers may not agree with is the suggestion that version 4.0 be the version that’s solely dedicated to bug fixes. Moving up to a new version number typically implies that there’s been some major additions to the software, and the development community may way to reserve that number for whatever new features they’re currently cooking up.

    Torvalds is right, however, when he says that 4.0 is just a number. A 4.0 release that’s solely dedicated to bug fixes would mean just as much as a 3.19 release solely dedicated to adding new features. It’s all about the development community with Linux though and they’re going to make the final call.

    What do you think? Should Linux 4.0 be reserved for some major feature release, or should it follow Torvalds’ advice and focus solely on bug fixes? Would the Linux development community even be able to dedicate itself entirely to squashing bugs?

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