Zack's Kernel News
Zack's Kernel News
© Linux Magazine Exclusive
The Linux kernel mailing list comprises the core of Linux development activities. Traffic volumes are immense, often reaching ten thousand messages in a given week, and keeping up to date with the entire scope of development is a virtually impossible task for one person. One of the few brave souls to take on this task is Zack Brown.
Our regular monthly column keeps you abreast of the latest discussions and decisions, selected and summarized by Zack. Zack has been publishing a weekly online digest, the Kernel Traffic newsletter, for over five years now. Even reading Kernel Traffic alone can be a time-consuming task.
Linux Magazine now provides you with the quintessence of Linux kernel activities, straight from the horse's mouth.
m68k Revitalized Under git
Geert Uytterhoeven announced a new git repository for the m68k Linux port, replacing a defunct CVS repository. He also posted a patch to add a make install compilation target for the m68k build and posted several other m68k updates as well.
MSI HOWTO Rewrite
Matthew Wilcox has rewritten the MSI HOWTO, the first major rewrite since 2004. MSI (or Message Signaled Interrupts) provide PCI devices with an alternative to traditional interrupts that require the existence of a hardware pin on the device. MSI lets the device trigger an interrupt simply by writing data to a specific memory address. Randy Dunlap and Sitsofe Wheeler offered some feedback on the prose, and Matthew updated the doc because of it. Grant Gundler and Michael Ellerman had more technical feedback, which they discussed with Matthew. Ultimately it looks as though this is a welcome rewrite, with all in favor.
Controlling Tracepoints
Steven Rostedt has posted a patch to ftrace, providing a simple interface for users to enable and disable any tracepoint that already exists in the kernel. The new /debug/tracing/available_events file lists all tracepoints available for tracking, whereas the /debug/tracing/set_event can be modified to list the events you want to enable or disable.
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
News
-
Linux Mint Edge Is Ready for the Newest Hardware
With the release of Linux Mint 20.03 comes a new version geared for newer hardware.
-
Linux Mint 20.3 Now Available
That latest release of Linux Mint is now available for general use and offers a polished, but less Mint-y theme.
-
Linux is Getting an Exciting New Firmware Feature
Intel is bringing a new driver to the 5.17 kernel that will make it possible to update firmware without a reboot.
-
Elementary OS 6.1 Has Been Released
The .1 version of the sixth iteration of elementary OS (named Odin) is now available for download and takes the distribution to new heights of refinement.
-
Linux Mint 20.3 Beta is Now Available
The developers of Linux Mint have made the beta of their latest release available for download and installation.
-
EndeavorOS 21.4 Has Arrived
Arch-based EndeavorOS 21.4 is finally available for download with plenty of new features and improvements.
-
NixOS 21.11 Now Available for Download
NixOS “Porcupine” has been made available for installation and includes numerous improvements.
-
KDE Plasma Developers Introduce a GNOME-Like Overview
A new overview effect makes it easier for users to interact with both Plasma Activities and Virtual Desktops.
-
Rocky Linux 8.5 Now Available with Secure Boot Support
The latest iteration of CentOS alternative, Rocky Linux has arrived and includes numerous updates as well as support for Secure Boot.
-
System76 Developing a New Desktop Environment
The makers of Pop!_OS are currently in the early stages of creating a brand new, non-GNOME, desktop environment.