Writing linux kernel specification

Writing linux kernel specification

[Karel Kulhavy]

Hello

I am pondering on writing a Linux kernel specification, or rather
compiling it from the various bits that are online.

However I need to be sure that something like this is welcome at
all:

1) Is Linux kernel meant to be a separate project or is it a subproject
of GNU/Linux, Debian, Fedora, SuSE or whatever?
2) Is Linux kernel meant to be used by general public, or is it intended
   only for developpers of GNU/Linux, Debian, Fedora, SuSE etc.?
3) Is Linux kernel meant to have a specification and just a lack of time
   prevented it, or is Linux kernel meant to not have a specification?
4) If I produce a specification that is valid, correct and complete enough
   to be useful for general public, will it be included on the Linux kernel
   homepage http://www.kernel.org under a link "Linux kernel official
   specification" upon my request?

Cl<

Re: Writing linux kernel specification

[Lars Marowsky-Bree]

On 2004-10-23T13:39:44, Karel Kulhavy <clock@twibright.com> wrote:

> I am pondering on writing a Linux kernel specification, or rather
> compiling it from the various bits that are online.

The marketing department at OSDL may just be the place to go looking for
a job then ;-)


Sincerely,
    Lars Marowsky-Brée <lmb@suse.de>

-- 
High Availability & Clustering
SUSE Labs, Research and Development
SUSE LINUX AG - A Novell company

Re: Writing linux kernel specification

[Måns Rullgård]

Karel Kulhavy <clock@twibright.com> writes:

> Hello
>
> I am pondering on writing a Linux kernel specification, or rather
> compiling it from the various bits that are online.
>
> However I need to be sure that something like this is welcome at
> all:
>
> 1) Is Linux kernel meant to be a separate project or is it a subproject
> of GNU/Linux, Debian, Fedora, SuSE or whatever?

It seems pretty separate to me, although many kernel developers work
for redhat, suse or another distribution.

> 2) Is Linux kernel meant to be used by general public, or is it intended
>    only for developpers of GNU/Linux, Debian, Fedora, SuSE etc.?

Read the GPL.

> 3) Is Linux kernel meant to have a specification and just a lack of time
>    prevented it, or is Linux kernel meant to not have a specification?

POSIX?

> 4) If I produce a specification that is valid, correct and complete enough
>    to be useful for general public, will it be included on the Linux kernel
>    homepage http://www.kernel.org under a link "Linux kernel official
>    specification" upon my request?
>
> Cl<

-- 
Måns Rullgård
mru@inprovide.com

Re: Writing linux kernel specification

[Rik van Riel]

On Sat, 23 Oct 2004, Karel Kulhavy wrote:

> 3) Is Linux kernel meant to have a specification and just a lack of time
>    prevented it, or is Linux kernel meant to not have a specification?
> 4) If I produce a specification that is valid, correct and complete enough
>    to be useful for general public, will it be included on the Linux kernel
>    homepage http://www.kernel.org under a link "Linux kernel official
>    specification" upon my request?

You can write a specification, but I can guarantee you that
it will be out of date the moment you run your spell checker
on it.

Linux kernel development continues at a very high speed, and
things inside the kernel change all the time.  The only thing
that's stable is the user space ABI (the system calls), since
the behaviour of those (mostly) follows POSIX and the Single
Unix Standard (SUS).

-- 
"Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place.
Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you are,
by definition, not smart enough to debug it." - Brian W. Kernighan

Re: Writing linux kernel specification

[Peter Williams]

Rik van Riel wrote:
> On Sat, 23 Oct 2004, Karel Kulhavy wrote:
> 
> 
>>3) Is Linux kernel meant to have a specification and just a lack of time
>>   prevented it, or is Linux kernel meant to not have a specification?
>>4) If I produce a specification that is valid, correct and complete enough
>>   to be useful for general public, will it be included on the Linux kernel
>>   homepage http://www.kernel.org under a link "Linux kernel official
>>   specification" upon my request?
> 
> 
> You can write a specification, but I can guarantee you that
> it will be out of date the moment you run your spell checker
> on it.
> 
> Linux kernel development continues at a very high speed, and
> things inside the kernel change all the time.  The only thing
> that's stable is the user space ABI (the system calls), since
> the behaviour of those (mostly) follows POSIX and the Single
> Unix Standard (SUS).

Maybe that (the mostly bit) is what needs to be documented/specified 
i.e. any differences between the Linux user space ABI and those two 
standards.  Surely that difference is reasonably stable and having it 
documented in a single place would be useful.

Peter
-- 
Peter Williams                                   pwil3058@bigpond.net.au

"Learning, n. The kind of ignorance distinguishing the studious."
  -- Ambrose Bierce

Re: Writing linux kernel specification

[Andi Kleen]

Peter Williams <pwil3058@bigpond.net.au> writes:

> Maybe that (the mostly bit) is what needs to be documented/specified
> i.e. any differences between the Linux user space ABI and those two
> standards.  Surely that difference is reasonably stable and having it
> documented in a single place would be useful.

Andries Brouwer's linux manpages did exactly that for many years.
Of course there are sometimes mistakes and bugs in them, but 
he accepts patches.

-Andi