Zack's Kernel News
Zack's Kernel News
Chronicler Zack Brown reports on: When a Fix May or May Not Be a Fix; and Linux Longevity.
When a Fix May or May Not Be a Fix
Sometimes what looks like an improvement turns out to be not only more trouble than it's worth, but also something that has an easier workaround. And sometimes it turns out that the workaround misses a key detail, and the original improvement may be less trouble than anything else.
In Linux kernel development, this situation is not as uncommon as it might seem. The struggle to support all hardware in use in the world, while keeping a clean and maintainable codebase, poses many puzzles with unexpected solutions.
Recently, Josh Poimboeuf submitted a patch to the deep, assembly language code that is sometimes used in the Linux kernel when the compilers are unable to convert C language code into something small enough or efficient enough to do what the kernel needs. It happens. The kernel is mostly written in C, but there's plenty of hard-coded assembly code in there, too.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
New Version of Flatpak Released
Flatpak 1.16.1 is now available as the latest, stable version with various improvements.
-
IBM Announces Powerhouse Linux Server
IBM has unleashed a seriously powerful Linux server with the LinuxONE Emperor 5.
-
Plasma Ends LTS Releases
The KDE Plasma development team is doing away with the LTS releases for a good reason.
-
Arch Linux Available for Windows Subsystem for Linux
If you've ever wanted to use a rolling release distribution with WSL, now's your chance.
-
System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7
With scores of bug fixes and a really cool workspaces feature, COSMIC is looking to soon migrate from alpha to beta.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.
-
So Long, ArcoLinux
The ArcoLinux distribution is the latest Linux distribution to shut down.
-
What Open Source Pros Look for in a Job Role
Learn what professionals in technical and non-technical roles say is most important when seeking a new position.