Linux Kernel Architecture Book / News: Recent posts

Yes, it has been a long long time since the last glimmer of activity on the Kernelbook project, but I'm happy to announce a new hope for rekindling the project: As of today, the project keys will be handed over to Utkarsh Sinha.

Utkarsh is a long-time Linux tech and programmer and really understands the value and necessity for detailed architectural documentation of the Linux kernel. I hope you will all welcome and support him in this mammoth task, and I look forward to seeing the Kernelbook grow into the standard open reference it was meant to be.

This is really quite amazing: I just browsed the stats page for the kernelbook, and I don't know what happened in April 2001, but this site has seen a consistent 400 page views a day ever since, giving it a SourceForge rating above 60%.

What's a little frustrating about this is that the authorship of the kernelbook is stalled. We own the copyright now, we can freely release it under whatever open source license we choose, but while I still get two or three inquiries a week asking about the project status, we don't see any offers to write.... read more

I have received a release from Macmillan formalizing their departure from the project and releasing the copyright of the work to me. This means I am free to do as I wish with the work, and my immediate wish is to convert the kernelbook to a pure free license.

As of May 12, 2001, the Kernelbook will be governed by the pure, no-options Open Publishing License and the copyright will fall to Teledynamics Communications Inc (my company). This is an interim assignment until I have the documents transfered to a more common open license (such as the GNU Free Document License) and have the copyright transfered to some neutral agency, perhaps the FSF, or the LDP (probably the latter).

I have just added the Kernel Documentation WikiWiki to the Kernelbook website. For those who have not used a WikiWiki before (WikiWiki is the Hawaiian word for "quick") it is an ultra-fast method for compiling knowledge into a dialog. It's somewhat like a FAQ-o-matic, only it is so simple, real people can actually use it.

So please do ;)

http://kernelbook.sourceforge.net/wiki

There's not much meat on it, but I had to start somewhere; The current map uses the KernelBook TOC as a rough framework to organize contributions. This is only a starting point: Being a Wiki, it can go any way it needs to go.... read more

The initial review drafts for the introduction to Linux, installing and configuring the kernel and the Plug and Play subsystem are now available for public view through our FTP site. These files are distributed in PDF format and can be reached through the kernelbook website at http://kernelbook.sourceforge.net

The kernelbook project is looking for a contributing author to describe the Linux 2.4 V4L and the sound subsystems. If you are interested in taking on these chapters, please contact garym@linux.ca

The project website (http://kernelbook.sourceforge.net) now sports a revised TOC which includes some of the proposed 2.3.99 changes ... I'm not 100% happy with the placement of some items, and there are other new services which didn't fit anywhere (an example is exec-binary) but its a start; comments are welcome. I have also updated the tools and contrib chapters (although Bug-Reporting and Oops Tracing are not finished) ... read more

After many months of planning and lots of explanations, the Linux Kernel Architecture Book project now has a place on the SourceForge, we have some contracts signed, over a dozen contributors, and we are working hard towards our first set milestone to have a chapter and a table of contents before Easter Monday. This book will be an experiment in many ways: It is a collaboration between a major publisher, and open source and industrial kernel programmers using the facilities of the SourceForge to manage a large book project in DocBook DTD. It is not our intention to produce another kernel API book; as the book unfolds, everyone is invited and encouraged to participate in the technical review: If you don't see what you would want in a kernel book, now is the time to say so --- our aim is to document the structure and interactions in the 2.4 kernel and to have a reference book ready for the shelves in time to be a stocking stuffer.