Ready for the Linux 6.0 splashdown? Here are some of the highlights

The next version of the Linux kernel is jumping version numbers, with some performance gains, but it's not a major change all the same. Roughly every two dozen kernel versions, Linus Torvalds tends to bump the Linux kernel's major version number, essentially so the minor version number doesn't get too large. As such, what was …

[EvaQ]

fbdev and "SAP's Helge Deller"?

The "SAP" in "SAP's Helge Deller" makes me think fbdev is relevant for SAP ... ?

As I cannot imagine that, I guess it's just a hobby (non-job-related) project of Helge Deller, and metioning his employer is not so relevant?

[Liam Proven]

Re: fbdev and "SAP's Helge Deller"?

I only mention it because the last time I touched on the subject, it was to say that it was being discontinued.

I am happy to learn that someone has volunteered to maintain it, and so rather than just leaving it anonymous -- "a maintainer has stepped up" -- I thought it would be more useful to actually give their name, as it's public into and it's in the PR that I linked to. And as such, it seemed helpful to link it to a page, and he has a homepage there. The only other one I could find was on Xing which nags for account credentials when you access it, which seemed unfriendly and not something I'd want to link to.

This is just Delle's day job. I have absolutely no reason to think SAP is in any way interested, but it might be: I don't have anything for or against.

For comparison, re. the earlier story about the removal of DECnet, I thought it was interesting that the developer responsible also removed Novell SPX and it seemed amusing that the same person was behind both and that they work for Microsoft.

Don't read anything more into it.

[EvaQ]

Re: fbdev and "SAP's Helge Deller"?

Thank you for your explanation.

I think it's relevant when Intel employees are contributing to Linux code for Intel CPU's. Replace "Intel" with any hardware manufacter.

I think it's funny if a Microsoft employee is turning off the light of DECnet. Also because Windows NT ("WNT") was designed by the person who had designed WMS.

And as said I find it confusing if a company is mentioned when that is not relevant. In my spare time, I contribute code to opensource software, but I would not like it if my employer would be mentioned, because there is no link between my employer and my opensource code.

[Liam Proven]

Re: fbdev and "SAP's Helge Deller"?

That's a good point and one that I will bear in mind.

By the way... the VMS >> WNT thing is a red herring.

NT was originally called OS/2 NT. It was to be the portable, cross-platform version of OS/2, to come after OS/2 2, the x86-32 version. (OS/2 1.x was x86-16, i.e. an 80286 OS.)

The OS was developed on machines running Intel's new RISC chip, codenamed N-Ten and later called the i860.

OS/2 N-Ten → OS/2 NT → Windows NT.

The VMS thing was a coincidence.

[Philip Stott]

Re: fbdev and "SAP's Helge Deller"?

Thanks for the Win NT naming history.

I always thought the NT was shorthand for new technology.

[JohnHMorris]

VMS and Dave Cutler

"WMS" - typo certainly for VMS. 1988 DEC VMS architect goes to Microsoft and leads Windows NT project. Interestingly, in the same way (but in the opposite direction) that "HAL" can be alphabetically derived from "IBM", "WNT" can be derived from "VMS" :)

[PeterO]

Early version numbers......

Who remembers 0.99.X ?

[Michael Hoffmann]

Re: Early version numbers......

Moi! Was the first time I got to play with it. Installed on an 80286 IIRC.

I think I even sent in a patch for some obscure sound device my machine had at the time. Wracking my brain but can't for the life of me remember. Curse you, old age and post-Covid brain fog. :'(

[Liam Proven]

Re: Early version numbers......

Linux always required the 80386 CPU even in its early days. The 386 has memory-management hardware, which is necessary.

There is a different kernel, called ELKS, the Embeddable Linux Kernel Subset, which can run on 286, but normal Linux never did.

Minix 1 and 2 did, I believe, but not Linux.

[Michael Hoffmann]

Re: Early version numbers......

You know what? You may absolutely right - and I can't even remember that. :'(

I now believe I never even owned a 286 - rather that 386 was the first Intel machine I owned after switching from an Atari... err, 2? 4?

[Gene Cash]

Re: Early version numbers......

0.99pl13 was the first Linux I personally installed from scratch. That was pre-RedHat and pre-Debian, and I have no idea what it was. I'm pretty sure it was not Slackware, though.

[elsergiovolador]

M2

No mention that Linus did release 5.19 on MacBook Air M2? It's where he hinted at going for 6.0 rather than 5.20.

Check it out!

[OhForF']

Re: M2

That was already covered on El Reg in an earlier article.

[elsergiovolador]

Re: M2

Wasn't that like a week ago? In tech world that's ancient times... so it's good to remind.

[Missing Semicolon]

Linux gets more Windowsy

So now we have a (hopefully secure) kernel-loaded implementation of a hideously insecure file sharing protocol that the original authors can't keep secure.

Where's the "load as module" option? Or better still, "load as FUSE" option.

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Linux gets more Windowsy

$ zgrep _SMB_ /proc/config.gz

# CONFIG_CIFS_SMB_DIRECT is not set

CONFIG_SMB_SERVER=m

CONFIG_SMB_SERVER_SMBDIRECT=y

CONFIG_SMB_SERVER_CHECK_CAP_NET_ADMIN=y

CONFIG_SMB_SERVER_KERBEROS5=y

[Tim Parker]

Wait, what ?

SMB is still A Thing ? Really ?