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Volker Armin Hemmann <volkerarmin <at> googlemail.com> writes: |
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> > > Breaking the user experience in order to ???fix??? something |
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> > > is a totally broken concept; you cannot do it. |
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> > That's hilarious. |
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> > The Linux developers are _constantly_ changing APIs in ways that break |
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> > existing device driver code. There are repeatedly wholesale |
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> > re-designs of some APIs that happen between minor versions of a |
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> > supposedly "stable" kernel. |
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> which is seriously not a problem and does not matter in the slightest. |
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Some perspective may ease the pain here. Folks on this list are focused |
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on *their personal pain*. Welcome to unix/bsd/linux. (too many decades now) |
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No pain, no gain. Gui experiences are what consumers see, feel and purchase; |
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so Volker is very right here. |
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The kernel gyrations are all really about something much more important. |
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*MONEY* |
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Just think about it, on this list in the last few months, we have discussed |
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how the stock market runs on linux, Some folks use GPU + CPU for very |
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advanced things, Commercial distros like Apple's offering are making |
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billions. Android. (on and on). The point is the Linux Kernel is |
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the battle ground for software deployment, particularly firmware. |
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An infinite number of "user experiences" |
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can be packaged and sold on top of the Linux kernel. |
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Here's another one: Carrier Grade Linux (runs most of the worlds communications |
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systems, including most carrier grade cisco gear. Most legacy comm system |
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at some point now, get boosted on top of private IP networks run by the |
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carriers (or military). Cisco recommends embedded linux on their carrier |
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switches and IOS is an unmanaged *hacked* pig, with little future. |
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The "gymnastics" about the kernel and drivers are the public manifestation |
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of a much deeper battle for embedded systems supremacy using linux. Wind River, |
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unquestionable the largest commercial offering of embedded solutions |
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has products based on both bsd and linux kernels. In "ka-hoots" with |
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chip vendors they routinely offer "enhanced" drivers to companies that |
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build products, with features never to found in the linux published |
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sources. Binaries are available and yet clearly violate the spirit |
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of the whole (whore) open source movement. WHY? *MONEY*. Governments |
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and miltaries also feed at this trough. Linus would have his tits |
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slapped together, if he every interfered with these industries. |
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He in only in charge of the gyrations.... |
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Tons of products still use embedded linux for the 2.4 kernel series. |
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They opt out of the 2.6 gyrations. Many companies put forward their best |
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technologies, in order to gain "mind-share" in the kernel wars. |
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Companies build very large data base systems, using the latest technologies |
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that work with the linux kernel. Often these technologies only appear |
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for the masses, years after companies use a "in house" version as |
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the key pillar for commercial success (MONEY). |
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Take for example the company that does backups for one of the worlds largest |
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and most complicated database needs. The good old US ARMY. |
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They use linux, the latest open source databases and the newest |
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file systems like CEPHS, yet they are years away from public consumption. |
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Well financed companies are buying up the young (phd) experts whom |
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have hack out versions and code that makes CEPH usable. Billions of dollars |
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are being made and it's a real threat to Oracle. Customizations |
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of low level drivers in the latest linux kernel are the key, and |
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much of that work will not even be introduced to the linux kernel |
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community..........TOO MUCH MONEY AT STAKE! |
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(and you wonder why Oracle hates linux?) |
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The linux kernel is a malaise of brilliant folks that are key components |
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in thousands of billion dollar schemes for a wide variety of embedded |
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and distributed products (thinks corporation profits). |
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What amazes me if that we get any real progress on the kernel at all. |
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Only enough to keep technical folks in love with linux, but not |
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disturb the billion dollar industries, all jocking for position |
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around the kernel and drivers. So when things are murky, just |
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realize there is most likely several divergent financial interests |
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jocking for position behind those public gyrations..... |
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> They NEVER change user-space APIs and ABIs in incompatible ways. THAT is |
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> important. |
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> > We have to touch our NetBSD and FreeBSD drivers maybe once every 3-4 |
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> > years. |
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> and look how much devices they drive - because nobody has to send their |
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> drivers upstream, nobody does. |
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Because embedded BSD, although still viable, does not have mindshare |
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any more. Most do not care. The battle it to spin your version |
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of embedded linux, and sell it to the product manufacturers. |
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> > Often our Linux drivers have to be updated every 3-4 _months_ |
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> > to keep up with changes in the kernel that break things. |
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> which is your own fucking fault. |
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> Get your drivers into the kernel. Problem solved. |
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Volker is right, again. However, this is where the true |
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fun begins, particularly when an innovative startup |
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looks to gain market share in an area where other |
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have made lots of money. Many drivers, not thought |
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to be strategic, have little issue. Some vendors, |
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Motorola comes to mind, put one driver into the kernel |
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and offer another quietly through vendors or |
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directly. Many Chipsets have always had "secret hardware features" |
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and the ability to use those features is still a well guarded |
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secret and costs tons of money and is often limited to |
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who can use those chipsets. There are some NDA, if you |
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violate, your ass is dead. |
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Linus a "showboat" and making some serious cash, keeping |
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the public focused on linux (mindshare) and playing |
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as puppet as the big boys joust behind the scenes. From a |
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modeling point of view, the gyrations of the linux kernel, |
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chipset's hidden features and the device driver delusions |
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are very much akin to what is going on in the hacker |
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(interloper) world. The hilarious twist is the kernel |
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game is controlled by globalist. Hacking is everybody's |
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economic playground. |
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Why Greg even offers to develop drivers free for folks, |
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yet hardly any corporations take him up on this generous |
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offer? |
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Kroah-Hartman |
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http://kerneltrap.org/node/7636 |
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Common it's all about *MONEY* The rest is just smoke, mirrors |
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and BULLSHIT.... |
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hth, |
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James |