Comments on: Torvalds to kernel hopefuls: Think 'trivial'

Bigger is not better for developers who are new to the Linux kernel, the project lead says, offering this advice: Avoid frustration by starting small.

[joetesta70]

0 comments. I guess Linux is REALLY popular.

[The_Decider]

Yeah, right.

What percentage of Linux users can even write kernel code? It is a very low number, although I would wager a lot that it is a much higher percentage of Windows users.

Ripping Vista apart on technical merits is simple. Not that simple to do so for Linux, especially since MS fans have no real technical knowledge. Sorry knowing a little bit of a language and being able to follow instructions on editing that wart known as the registry doesn't count.

[Seaspray0]

That depends on who you are, Joetesta. On the individual level, it can be 0% popular or 100% popular on a per person basis. It's like having cancer. If you have it, it's a big deal and means alot. Maybe that's a bad analogy, but I think you get the idea. I think we should be more concerned with promoting honest opinions about the software we use rather than bash other OS's we don't use... unless the person posting is a fanboi spewing fud, and then the gloves are off.

[The_Decider]

Like you and Joe here spreading positive lies about Vista?

[The_Decider]

It is very possible to do what Linus described as frustrating privately and then slowly leak out the patches if that is what they want. I am skeptical that his idea of sending in minor patches is a good way to learn the kernel. Unless it is a obvious and simple error like bugs like some buffer overflow exploits are, a programmer would need to understand a lot to find it. It is a chicken/egg situation.

Ripping things out of the kernel and reimplementing them is the best way to learn. Compare it to the production code, tweak your code and have fun. Of course, this sort of work is not meant to be released. It would be mind-boggling funny if someone rewrote a module dealing with memory management and tried to submit it! It is a good exercise to learn basic computer concepts and really have them stick. I find that many CS students struggle with getting their head wrapped around how L1 and L2 cache relate to processor registers and main memory, especially in a multicore environment. Same goes with disk space, VM and RAM and how it is managed via page tables and TLB.