[dundee] Some Slashdot News

[azmodie]

  Linux Gets Completely Fair Scheduler
 *Posted on Tuesday July 10, @09:55PM*
**
SchedFred writes *"KernelTrap is reporting that
CFS<http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/22/1335255&tid=106>,
Ingo Molnar's Completely Fair Scheduler, was just merged into the Linux
kernel <http://kerneltrap.org/node/11737>. 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."*

 Secretly Monopolizing the CPU Without Being Root
 *Posted on Wednesday July 11, @10:32AM*
*"This year's Usenix security
symposium<http://www.usenix.org/events/sec07/tech/tech.html>includes a
paper <http://www.cs.huji.ac.il/%7Edants/papers/Cheat07Security.pdf> 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 this kerneltrap story<http://kerneltrap.org/node/8059>,
it appears that the new CFS Linux scheduler attempts to address the problem
that were raised by the paper."

*  Software Patent Debate Over in Europe For Now?
 *Posted on Friday July 13, @12:48AM
**"The website of the European Patent Office is running a story about a recent
agreement not to revive the debate on software
patents<http://www.epo.org/focus/news/2007/20070706.html>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.'"
*  Linux Creator Calls GPLv3 Authors 'Hypocrites'
 *Posted on Friday July 13, @06:34PM*
*"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 are a bunch of
hypocrites<http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2007/07/linux_creator_c.html>...
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.'"
*  Linux Creator Calls GPLv3 Authors 'Hypocrites'
 *Posted on Friday July 13, @06:34PM
**"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 are a bunch of
hypocrites<http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2007/07/linux_creator_c.html>...
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.'"**


Thought some of this may generate some talk.


**
*--
An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a
very narrow field.
  - Niels Bohr
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