[BLACKBOX] Seasons Greetings from Linuxland

From: [at]} <Wojtek>
Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2010 11:51:56 -0500

----boundary-LibPST-iamunique-1274547453_-_-
Content-type: text/plain

Robert:

Seasons Greeting to you as well!

FYI, I am now doing some Linux development. To this end I am reading the
book on Linux kenel-mode drivers. There is a fair amount of material there
on Linux kernel. I am amazed to read that the newest-greatest Linux
technology is called "modules". These are loaded/unloaded by the kernel.
They have init and close sections, as well as methods. Sounds familiar?

On closer reading it is all Oberon-1. The methods are installed in
procedure variables. There is no type safety anywhere. If you install a
wrong pointer then kaboom. The compiler can barely help. Ditto with memory
management. There are all kinds of addresses (virtual, kernel, user, etc),
but all are being cast to "unsigned long". It is up to you to know which
address is which. If you get lost in a maze of rules (which are changing
from release to release) then your program will trap on wrong address
at run time. If it happens in the kernel-mode code, then you computer
will crash and you can then analyze register dumps.

So deep inside the newest-greatest Linux kernel 2.6.xxx is in fact an old
original Oberon System with Oberon-1 run-time methods, but without Oberon
type safety. All is arranged on top of old original C. The entire module
structure is implemented by hand with a set of rules and preprocessor
macros.

Amazing, how the newest-greatest and most advertised turns out to be old
Wirth/Gutknecht design. Without proper attribution of course.

Greetings to all!

Wojtek



On Sun, 19 Dec 2010, Robert wrote:

>>> As it turns out, the "Disambiguated glommable expression templates" did
> not end in 1997. A more recent version is available:
> http://adtmag.com/articles/2000/04/25/disambiguated-glommable-expression-templates-reintroduced.aspx
>
>
>
> Wojtek,
>
> I shall keep this reference for some light reading next April 1st.
>
>
>
> Seasons Greetings
>
> Regards
>
> Robert
>
>

----
To unsubscribe, send a message with body "SIGNOFF BLACKBOX" to LISTSERV{([at]})nowhere.xy----boundary-LibPST-iamunique-1274547453_-_-
Content-type: application/rtf
Content-transfer-encoding: base64
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="rtf-body.rtf"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----boundary-LibPST-iamunique-1274547453_-_---

Received on Mon Dec 20 2010 - 17:51:56 UTC