VSHN.timer #55: The Future Of Linux

Welcome to another VSHN.timer! Every Monday, 5 links related to Kubernetes, OpenShift, CI / CD, and DevOps; all stuff coming out of our own chat system, making us think, laugh, or simply work better.
This week we’re going to talk about what’s in store for that little side project of a Finnish student, you know, that thing he called Linux, you might have heard about it, maybe.
1. The question is very simple: who will maintain the Linux Kernel in the future? How do you get both passionate developers and sponsors to finance and make technically possible the evolution of this critical piece of our world? Linux Torvalds spoke about this issue at the Open Source Summit a few weeks ago.
https://www.theregister.com/2020/06/30/hard_to_find_linux_maintainers_says_torvalds/
2. Speaking about the evolution of the Linux Kernel, last week we heard about the announcement of version 5.8. Among the new features, there’s one that will make MacBook users rejoice: “Ability to swap fn and ctrl keys on Apple keyboards.”
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2020/08/linux-5-8-kernel-features
3. The Linux Kernel keeps changing. Lately we learnt that the project deprecated the 80-character line coding style. Even weirder, somebody submitted a patch… for the Apple Desktop Bus driver, common at the times of the Macintosh II.
https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Linux-Kernel-Deprecates-80-Col
4. One of the most controversial things in Linux, generating discussions hotter than those between Torvalds and Andrew Tanenbaum in the 90s, was the introduction of systemd. Dave McKay wrote an article on Howtogeek providing an interesting account of its advantages, drawbacks, and why it will survive the test of time after all.
https://www.howtogeek.com/675569/why-linuxs-systemd-is-still-divisive-after-all-these-years/
5. Have you ever asked yourself why there’s a “V” in “SIGSEGV“? Well, me neither, but Marek has, and the answer will surprise you. Bonus: at the end of the article, the fix to all bugs, like, ever.
https://idea.popcount.org/2020-06-18-why-is-there-a-v-in-sigsegv-segmentation-fault/
Do you contribute to the Linux Kernel project? What do you think of systemd? Do you handle SIGSEGV in your code? Get in touch with us through the form at the bottom of this page, and see you next week for another edition of VSHN.timer.