linux kernel

Report: Linux developer base up 10 percent since 2008

Linux may not represent the future of all computing, but it sure provides a compelling example of what a dedicated community can accomplish.

With over 1,000 developers actively working on the Linux kernel, representing some 200 different corporations, Linux is an exceptional example of the power of open-source communities, and also speaks to the value of groups like the Linux Foundation that help to shepherd it.

Jonathan Corbet, in conjunction with the Linux Foundation, has co-authored a report focused on who writes Linux code (PDF). I reported last month on a piece of the report's data.

As a … Read more

Linux exploit gets around security barrier

A security researcher has released zero-day code for a flaw in the Linux kernel, saying that it bypasses security protections in the operating system.

The source code for the exploit was made available last week by researcher Brad Spengler on the Dailydave mailing list. According to the researcher, the code exploits a vulnerability in Linux version 2.6.30, and 2.6.18, and affects both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. The 2.6.18 kernel is used in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.

The exploit bypasses null pointer de-reference protection in the mainline kernel, which could allow an attacker to … Read more

Intel claims No. 2 Linux contributor spot as hedge against Microsoft

In 2007 Red Hat stood on top of the Linux kernel contributor list with room to spare. At 12.7 percent of the Linux kernel contributed by Red Hat (measured in terms of lines changed), IBM was the runner-up at a comparatively distant 5.9 percent. In 2008, Red Hat slipped a little but maintained the top spot (11.2 percent), with Novell making a burst into second place at 8.9 percent.

In 2009, things get more interesting, with Intel making a serious challenge to claim the top spot in Linux kernel contributions.

Red Hat, Novell, and IBM all … Read more

New Linux kernel adds file-system support

Linux kernel version 2.6.30 has been released, adding support for new file systems, performance improvements, and new hardware drivers.

The Linux kernel is the core used by GNU/Linux operating system distributions from Red Hat, Novell, and others. The new release was made final and was publicized in a newslist post from Linux developer Linus Torvalds last week.

The most prominent new features include support for two new file systems, according to release notes published by Kernelnewbies, a group of Linux developers.

Support was added or updated for the NILFS2 file system, still under development, which is designed … Read more

Red Hat is the top Linux kernel contributor, but what about Canonical?

No surprise, but Red Hat remains the top corporate Linux kernel contributor, as reported by SDTimes. As I've reported before, Red Hat is the top Linux contributor by a wide margin, with IBM, the next biggest corporate contributor, coming in nearly seven percentage points behind Red Hat.

Greg Kroah-Hartman, a Novell employee and prominent Linux kernel developer, recently called out Red Hat's contributions (good) but has taken far too much time to criticize Canonical, creator of the popular Ubuntu Linux distribution, and its apparent dearth of contributions (not-so-good).

Mark Shuttleworth defends Canonical's contributions to Linux, and I … Read more

The long, hard road to becoming a significant Linux contributor

For those outside the open-source world, it often comes as a surprise to find out that it's extraordinarily difficult to become a significant contributor to the Linux kernel or other open-source projects. The reason? Unlike a company where all you need is an employee badge to start contributing to its code, in serious open-source projects you need to demonstrate years of competent coding to even get an invitation to the party.

Linux Torvalds, founder of Linux, walks through the process in a recent interview:

It's definitely not easy to become a 'big contributor.' For one thing, the kernel is quite complex and big, and it inevitably simply takes time to learn all the rules -- not just for the code, but for how the whole development environment works. Similarly, for a new developer, it will take time before people start recognizing the name and start trusting the developer to do the right things....

The worst thing anybody can do is to study the kernel alone and try to learn things in private, and then, however many months later, present all the established kernel developers with a big patch that just comes out of the blue. That's just going to be frustrating for everybody.

And just in case would-be contributors were hoping for an warm, encouraging environment....… Read more

Torvalds to kernel hopefuls: Think 'trivial'

Linux project lead Linus Torvalds says it's not easy to become a major contributor to the Linux kernel.

In an e-mail interview with ZDNet.co.uk on Friday, Torvalds said that, while it is relatively easy for coders and organizations to contribute small patches, the contribution of large patches, developed in isolation, could lead to both new and established contributors becoming frustrated.

"It's definitely not easy to become a 'big contributor'," wrote Torvalds. "For one thing, the kernel is quite complex and big, and it inevitably simply takes time to learn all the rules--not just … Read more

Linux developers petition for open Linux kernel drivers

Insisting that they have "repeatedly found them to be detrimental to Linux users, businesses, and the greater Linux ecosystem," today the Linux kernel community has started petitioning for open-source modules and open-source drivers for the Linux kernel.

Such modules negate the openness, stability, flexibility, and maintainability of the Linux development model and shut their users off from the expertise of the Linux community.

The Linux Foundation, led by Jim Zemlin, has issued a statement in favor of the Linux kernel developers' position. It's unclear why the kernel developers decided to speak out now, though the Linux Foundation indicates that the developers have been subjected to a steady barrage of questions on the topic for years. Apparently, they finally got sick of it.… Read more

Novell's Linux contributions up 250 percent, sales 200 percent in 2007

One year ago, Linux kernel development was almost predominately Red Hat's game. Today, Red Hat's lead has dipped considerably, according to a report just released by the Linux Foundation.

Red Hat continues to contribute/sponsor 11.2 percent of the Linux kernel's development, down from 14.4 percent in 2007, while Novell has jumped from an anemic 3.6 percent in 2007 to a robust 8.9 percent in 2008.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Novell's share of the Linux market has grown considerably in that same time, with Novell reporting a 200 percent increase in its Linux business over the past year.

So, while Novell crows about its rise in revenue market share in the Linux market, it's the company's development market share that I view as the true leading indicator of its business. Linux sales are up 200 percent, while Linux development is up 250 percent. See a correlation?

In open source, it's all about "owning" the source of code, not necessarily the source code.

Importantly, it's not just Novell and Red Hat who contribute. As detailed statistics demonstrate, the Linux kernel is perhaps the world's largest, most distributed development effort, reflecting its increasing importance to an ever-widening array of disparate parties:… Read more