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<div class="title">
<h3>
Linux Gets Completely Fair Scheduler
</h3>
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<div class="details">
<b>Posted on Tuesday July 10, @09:55PM</b><br>
<strong></strong></div><div class="intro">
SchedFred writes <i>"KernelTrap is reporting that <a href="http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/22/1335255&tid=106">CFS</a>, Ingo Molnar's Completely Fair Scheduler, was <a href="http://kerneltrap.org/node/11737">
just merged into the Linux kernel</a>.
The new CPU scheduler includes a pluggable framework that completely
replaces Molnar's earlier O(1) scheduler, and is described to 'model an
"ideal, precise multi-tasking CPU" on real hardware. CFS tries to run
the task with the "gravest need" for more CPU time. So CFS always tries
to split up CPU time between runnable tasks as close to "ideal
multitasking hardware" as possible.' The new CPU scheduler should
improve the desktop Linux experience, and will be part of the upcoming
2.6.23 kernel."</i>
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<div class="title">
<h3>
Secretly Monopolizing the CPU Without Being Root
</h3>
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<b>Posted
on Wednesday July 11, @10:32AM</b><br clear="all"><i>"This year's
<a href="http://www.usenix.org/events/sec07/tech/tech.html">
Usenix security symposium</a>
includes a
<a href="http://www.cs.huji.ac.il/%7Edants/papers/Cheat07Security.pdf">paper</a>
that implements a "cheat" utility, which allows any non-privileged user to
run his/her program, e.g., like so 'cheat 99% program'
thereby insuring that the programs would get 99% of the CPU
cycles, regardless of the presence of any other applications in the
system, and in some cases (like Linux), in a way that keeps the program
invisible from CPU monitoring tools (like 'top'). The utility exclusively
uses standard interfaces and can be trivially implemented by any
beginner non-privileged programmer. Recent efforts to improve the
support for multimedia applications make systems more susceptible to
the attack.
All prevalent operating systems but Mac OS X are vulnerable, though by
<a href="http://kerneltrap.org/node/8059">this kerneltrap story</a>,
it appears that the new CFS Linux scheduler attempts to address the
problem that were raised by the paper."<br><br></i><div class="generaltitle">
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<h3>
Software Patent Debate Over in Europe For Now?
</h3>
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<b>Posted on Friday July 13, @12:48AM<br></b><i>"The website of the European Patent Office is running a story about a <a href="http://www.epo.org/focus/news/2007/20070706.html">recent agreement not to revive the debate on software patents
</a>
in Europe nor to promote new legislation. To quote: 'All speakers
welcomed unequivocally the opportunity to discuss the issue at a high
level and made clear that a new CII (computer-implemented inventions)
debate followed by legal modifications was neither necessary nor
desirable.'"<br></i><div class="generaltitle">
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<h3>
Linux Creator Calls GPLv3 Authors 'Hypocrites'
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<b>Posted on Friday July 13, @06:34PM</b><br><i>"We've heard conflicting tales regarding Linus Torvalds' acceptance
of GPLv3. InformationWeek reports on comments by Mr. Torvalds that
would seem to decide the issue: 'Torvalds said the authors of a new
software license expected to be used by thousands of open source
programmers <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2007/07/linux_creator_c.html">are a bunch of hypocrites</a>
... For Torvalds' part, it appears unlikely he'll ever adopt GPLv3 for
the Linux kernel. He accused the Free Software Foundation leadership,
which includes eccentric, MIT-trained computing whiz Richard Stallman,
of injecting their personal morality into the laws governing open
source software with the release of GPLv3. "Only religious fanatics and
totalitarian states equate morality with legality," Torvalds wrote.'"<br></i><div class="generaltitle">
<div class="title">
<h3>
Linux Creator Calls GPLv3 Authors 'Hypocrites'
</h3>
</div>
</div>
<b>Posted on Friday July 13, @06:34PM<br></b><i>"We've heard conflicting tales regarding Linus Torvalds' acceptance
of GPLv3. InformationWeek reports on comments by Mr. Torvalds that
would seem to decide the issue: 'Torvalds said the authors of a new
software license expected to be used by thousands of open source
programmers <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2007/07/linux_creator_c.html">are a bunch of hypocrites</a>
... For Torvalds' part, it appears unlikely he'll ever adopt GPLv3 for
the Linux kernel. He accused the Free Software Foundation leadership,
which includes eccentric, MIT-trained computing whiz Richard Stallman,
of injecting their personal morality into the laws governing open
source software with the release of GPLv3. "Only religious fanatics and
totalitarian states equate morality with legality," Torvalds wrote.'"</i><i><br><br><br><span style="font-style: italic;">T</span>hought some of this may generate some talk. <br><br><br></i><i><span style="font-style: italic;">
<br></span></i>-- <br>An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field.<br> - Niels Bohr