Communications of the ACM
Linux Kernel Luminaries Talk Enterprise, Embedded and Why They're Coming Together
Linux kernel development is moving forward with some speed, and the kernel is likely to be important to future embedded and mobile development, according to Linux creator Linus Torvalds.
Credit: Rusty Russell
Although developing the Linux kernel is a difficult and complicated process, it also is one that is moving ahead with some speed.
One of the central issues at the LinuxCon North America conference was a discussion of present-day kernel development. The final keynote address discussed the proliferation of Linux-based mobile devices, making the embedded development branch much more important than it has been.
However, although kernel development may still be somewhat divided, the overlap between kernel and embedded code is becoming more pronounced, according to Linux stable branch maintainer Greg Kroah-Hartman.
In addition, the kernel is still likely to be important to future embedded and mobile development, says Linux creator Linus Torvalds. "The reason Linux runs really well on cellphones is that cellphones grew up," he notes. "They're already thousands of times more powerful than the original machine that Linux came to be on."
One aspect of kernel development that could help in bringing in new innovation is the diverse nature of the work. "The kernel, in many respects, has more opportunities for new people to come in than any other open source project," Torvalds says.
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