“In this interview, Jens talks about how he got interested in Linux, how he became the maintainer of the block layer and other block devices, and what’s involved in being a maintainer. He describes his work on IO schedulers, offering an indepth look at the design and current status of the CFQ scheduler, including a peek at what’s in store for the future. He conveys his excitement about the new splice IO model, explaining how it came about and how it works. And he discusses the current 2.6 kernel development process, the impact of git, and why the GPL is important to him.”
If only more people were real technofiles and realized the sense of accomplishment and understanding that comes from learning kernel development early on, along with the incredible financial opportunities, instead of spending their time as the youth often does in senseless and never-ending diatribes, such as one often finds here and on Slashdot.
It’s time to go back to basics, kids.
I second this! Even a high-level understanding (block diagrams and flowcharts, not necessarily C structures and algorithms) of the kernel is extraordinarily helpful in figuring out how to operate your system and get the most out of it.
People who don’t know what’s going on tend to try to outsmart the system, when they’re really outsmarting themselves. “Oh… so that’s why setting nice 19 on emerge was making my desktop less snappy!”
Very informative high-level overview of managing Linux block device and I/O.
Wish we have more articles like this on osnews.