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    MS ranks as the 15th largest contributor to Linux kernel 3.0

    http://www.dwheeler.com/blog/2011/07...t-linux-author
    ... and the 5th largest corporate contributor.

    David Wheeler remarks:
    This work by Microsoft was to clean up the “Microsoft Hyper-V (HV) driver” so that the Microsoft driver would be included in the mainline Linux kernel. Microsoft originally submitted this set of code changes back in July 2009, but there were a lot of problems with it, and the Linux kernel developers insisted that it be fixed. The Linux community had a long list of issues with Microsoft’s code, but the good news is that Microsoft worked to improve the quality of its code so that it could be accepted into the Linux kernel. Other developers helped Microsoft get their code up to par, too. ( Steve Friedl has some comments about its early technical issues.) AThere’s something rather amusing about watching Microsoft (a company that focuses on software development) being forced by the Linux community to improve the quality of Microsoft’s code. Anyone who thinks that FLOSS projects (which typically use widespread public peer review) always produce lower quality software than proprietary vendors just isn’t watching the real world (see my survey paper of quantitative FLOSS studies if you want more on that point). Peer review often exposes problems, so that they can be fixed, and that is what happened here.
    ...
    Microsoft did not do this for the sheer thrill of it. Getting code into the mainline Linux kernel release, instead of just existing as a separate patch, is vitally important for an organization if they want people to use their software (if it needs to be part of the Linux kernel, as this did).
    ...
    This doesn’t mean that Microsoft is suddenly releasing all its programs as free/libre/open source software (FLOSS). Far from it. It is obvious to me that Microsoft is contributing this code for the same reason many companies contribute to the Linux kernel and other FLOSS software projects: Money.

    I think it is clear that Microsoft hopes that these changes to Linux will help Microsoft sell more Windows licenses. These changes enable Linux to run much better (e.g., more efficiently) on top of Microsoft Windows’ hypervisor (Hyper-V). Without them, people who want to run Linux on top of a hypervisor are much more likely to use products other than Microsoft’s.
    ...
    "A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
    – John F. Kennedy, February 26, 1962.

    #2
    Re: MS ranks as the 15th largest contributor to Linux kernel 3.0

    Interesting. Hyper V has a Linux version? Or is this for compatibility with Linux servers or what?

    Comment


      #3
      Re: MS ranks as the 15th largest contributor to Linux kernel 3.0

      Microsoft has been maintaining the Hyper-V code for the Linux kernel for quite some time now, actually. It was furthered by Red Hat to include licensing too - http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-10164907-16.html. It is interesting, but not too remarkable. After all, Hyper-V is Microsoft software and they are the best ones to maintain it. It is not for the FOSS community to reject someone's contribution just because their other development practices are different, as long as that contribution agrees with FOSS terms. Plus, the rules for FOSS (licences) don't differentiate either, so MS has every right to contribute code. Anyway, if they didn't, Linux won't run as well on Windows Hyper-V, nothing else. It's not that Microsoft works on any other part of the kernel, they are just maintaining their own code.

      @buckeyered80: It is part of the Linux kernel code and is used to run Linux on Windows Hyper-V, i.e., virtualizing Linux on Windows.
      http://saurav.celestarium.org/

      Comment


        #4
        Re: MS ranks as the 15th largest contributor to Linux kernel 3.0

        That is interesting, thanks GG.

        BTW, speaking of KVM, have any of you tried to use it? Any success stories? Any tips?

        Comment


          #5
          Re: MS ranks as the 15th largest contributor to Linux kernel 3.0

          Originally posted by saurav
          ...
          It is not for the FOSS community to reject someone's contribution just because their other development practices are different, as long as that contribution agrees with FOSS terms.
          ...
          True. Any code submitted to a FOSS/GPL project by anyone is acceptable, as long as the code meets standards. MS's contribution is designed to keep putative Linux users "on the farm" by running Linux inside Windows, instead of the other way around. Sometime in the future, under certain conditions, MS could disable Hyper-V, cutting off at the knees those who use HV to run Linux.
          "A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
          – John F. Kennedy, February 26, 1962.

          Comment


            #6
            Re: MS ranks as the 15th largest contributor to Linux kernel 3.0

            Originally posted by dibl
            ....
            BTW, speaking of KVM, have any of you tried to use it? Any success stories? Any tips?
            I tried it shortly after 10.04 went Gold, because it was the first release for KVM in Kubuntu. The only practical implementation is with the qemu-kvm and qemu-kvm-extras packages. I couldn't get it to give me a screen larger than 800X600, nor acceleration:
            kvm-ok
            INFO: Your CPU supports KVM extensions
            INFO: KVM is disabled by your BIOS
            HINT: Enter your BIOS setup and enable Virtualization Technology (VT),
            and then hard poweroff/poweron your system
            KVM acceleration can NOT be used
            There were so other niggles, which just may be my hardware. The other feature I didn't like was that it installed two internet sockets in my routing table at boot up, regardless if I used qemu-kvm or not. Those sockets added a few seconds onto the boot up time.

            The Lucid documentation is here.

            So, I switched to VirtualBox.
            Other's mileage may vary.
            "A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
            – John F. Kennedy, February 26, 1962.

            Comment


              #7
              Re: MS ranks as the 15th largest contributor to Linux kernel 3.0

              Thanks GG. I've been a VMware Player user for some 5 years or so, and in the past year I was forced* to install Virtualbox and use it, and it works fine, with the occasional niggle (i.e. Kubuntu 11.04 won't display larger than 800x600). But a FOSS virtualization solution that has the performance of the proprietary packages would be great.

              * long, tedious story about Big Kernel Lock, aptosid's kernel dev, and slow VMware development of the Linux version.

              Comment


                #8
                Re: MS ranks as the 15th largest contributor to Linux kernel 3.0

                I, too, used VMPlayer, but moved away when they moved to the server approach and crippled their workstation VM. I tried, bosh, parallel_x86 (IIRC), qemu and qemu-kvm but wasn't satisfied. So I tried the open source version of VB. It didn't have the "extensions", and without those installed screens larger than 800X600 are not possible, among other things.

                The ONLY thing I use VB for these days is to have access to my licensed copy of XP, and that only because of iTunes compatibility for my iPod Touch 4 xmas gift. It is used only as a game machine when my 5 and 9 year old grandsons come over. Other than that it sets on the shelf next to my computer desk. I used to use XP to support that fly-by-wire ag tracter controller program I wrote, but I haven't done anything for it in two years and have removed all of my dev tools from XP. My 5 year old grandson broke the glass on my first iPod4 (the original xmas gift) and I thought I was through with it and XP, but his mother replaced it with a new one. What's a guy supposed to do? Look a gift iPod in the mouth?

                Anyway, VB is running perfectly for me with both XP and Oneiric.
                "A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
                – John F. Kennedy, February 26, 1962.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: MS ranks as the 15th largest contributor to Linux kernel 3.0

                  When I used VB, I downloaded and installed Oracle's Virtualbox, which provides way more functionality and control over the Open Source Edition (OSE) that is available in the repositories.
                  Windows no longer obstructs my view.
                  Using Kubuntu Linux since March 23, 2007.
                  "It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data." - Sherlock Holmes

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: MS ranks as the 15th largest contributor to Linux kernel 3.0

                    Ditto
                    "A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
                    – John F. Kennedy, February 26, 1962.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: MS ranks as the 15th largest contributor to Linux kernel 3.0

                      VB released an update yesterday. It is now 4.0.12. I have a Win XP VM, and the Kubuntu Natty VM in VB. But, contrary to the claimed feature, it would NOT import and convert my VMware Win 7 VM. A patch for VMware on kernel 2.6.39 came out about a month ago, so I'm back to running my Win 7 VM on VMware. For about 4 months before that, I was forced to use VB and the procedure to extend the Win 7 trial license to a total of 120 days.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: MS ranks as the 15th largest contributor to Linux kernel 3.0

                        After you mentioned the VB update I loaded it again and got the same msg. After I installed it my XP loaded up nicely. So did Oneiric, except that kate, kwrite and other KDE packages that depend on kdeinit fail to function properly.
                        "A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
                        – John F. Kennedy, February 26, 1962.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: MS ranks as the 15th largest contributor to Linux kernel 3.0

                          Originally posted by GreyGeek
                          The ONLY thing I use VB for these days is to have access to my licensed copy of XP, and that only because of iTunes compatibility for my iPod Touch 4 xmas gift.
                          Doesn't gtkpod on Linux work as well?
                          http://saurav.celestarium.org/

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: MS ranks as the 15th largest contributor to Linux kernel 3.0

                            No
                            "A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
                            – John F. Kennedy, February 26, 1962.

                            Comment

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