Linux turns 25 – “just a hobby” now powers the Internet

Linus Torvalds at LinuxCon Europe 2014
Credit: Wikipedia

Linus Torvalds^1,2 was a student at the University of Helsinki when this appeared on a mail list:

From: torvalds@klaava.Helsinki.FI (Linus Benedict Torvalds)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: What would you like to see most in minix?
Summary: small poll for my new operating system
Message-ID: <1991Aug25.205708.9541@klaava.Helsinki.FI>
Date: 25 Aug 91 20:57:08 GMT
Organization: University of Helsinki

Hello everybody out there using minix —

I’m doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won’t be big and professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones. This has been brewing since april, and is starting to get ready. I’d like any feedback on things people like/dislike in minix, as my OS resembles it somewhat (same physical layout of the file-system (due to practical reasons) among other things).

I’ve currently ported bash(1.08) and gcc(1.40), and things seem to work. This implies that I’ll get something practical within a few months, and I’d like to know what features most people would want. Any suggestions are welcome, but I won’t promise I’ll implement them :-)

Linus (torv…@kruuna.helsinki.fi)

PS. Yes — it’s free of any minix code, and it has a multi-threaded fs. It is NOT protable (uses 386 task switching etc), and it probably never will support anything other than AT-harddisks, as that’s all I have :-(.

Recently, the operating system that emerged from that casual announcement turned 25. In those years, 41,000 person-years of development effort (equivalent to about $5 billion in developer salary) has produced 115 million lines of code which largely powers the Internet (serving this page too), Android, Chrome OS & others.

But you're probably not pronouncing it correctly


Business Insider – A conversation with Linus Torvalds, who built the world's most robust operating system & gave it away for free
http://www.businessinsider.com.au/linus-torvalds-qa-2014-6

FreeCodeCamp
https://medium.freecodecamp.com/linux-is-25-yay-lets-celebrate-with-25-rad-facts-about-linux-c8d8ac30076d#.61ddow952

Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/08/on-linuxs-25th-anniversary-development-has-gone-corporate/

The Register
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/08/26/linux_at_25/

Dice
http://insights.dice.com/2016/09/01/linux-turns-25-years-old/

The Hacker News
http://thehackernews.com/2016/08/happy-birthday-linux.html
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¹ The Linux Information Project: “Linus Torvalds: A Very Brief & Completely Unauthorized Biography”, http://www.linfo.org/linus.html

² Wikipedia: “Linus Torvalds”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_Torvalds / Hello everybody out there using minix free operating system hobby big and professional like gnu 386 486 AT clones features implement 22-year old Finnish computer programmer Linus Torvalds released operating system Linux fans posted source code online contributed abilities improve Linux is everywhere powers your Android smartphone sorts mail for the US Postal Service runs the controls for CERN world’s largest particle physics laboratory steers nuclear submarines powers 95% world’s 500 fastest supercomputers Linux free open incredibly capable Torvalds brand name guy work started just for fun development Linux non-profit Linux Foundation outspoken guy well-informed opinions intellectual property law computer science education how far Linux has come programming is fun community kernel project has to be relevant too patent system fundamentally flawed not all patents are crap systemic incentives out of whack patent application granting side litigation side no regrets over making Linux open source make a business around Linux total disaster the kind of community around Linux instrumental in making Linux what it is today family computers largely Linux-based we’re a Linux household originally come with Windows or OS X pre-installed they all run Linux in the end computer programming is not for everyone specialised it’s not like knowing how to read and write and do basic maths key in powering all kinds of things today phones stock exchanges purely technical side Linux used very wide set different areas important for development being used in different niches makes the system much more balanced input from many different use cases technologies developed for one area really important in another one servers became very important for Linux pushed SMP development SMP became very important in the embedded area power management code developed for mobile devices server people became very aware of power use everybody wants to do something that matters Linux has had a huge impact on the tech market used virtually everywhere very personally satisfying I think programming is fun community around the kernel is great project has to be relevant major software companies intellectual property nowadays mixes things up that shouldn’t be mixed up the main black spot tends to be patents US patents are just a horribly broken system you inevitably see companies gaming it most egregious patent trolls patents themselves are crap Patent and Trademark Office isn’t seriously able to say no to them examiners skilled in the art really wanted to say no to something just generates more work for them applying company just amend application try to push it through again companies actually prefer vague over-broad patents hard to judge apply them in wildly inappropriate situations not like the threat is the patent itself it’s the litigation insane licensing cross-licensing agreements aren’t even about the worth of the patent itself about the cost of litigating it vested interest everybody knows it’s all horribly broken you’ll certainly find shills from the legal side helps innovation and innovators bullshit US patent system help US companies not about the law not about the patent neither the judge lawyers nor the jury will understand anyway honest people who are trying their best to do what they really think is right not all patents are crap Copyrights have much fewer problems some of the same issues on the litigation side companies like Microsoft or Apple development box for pre-production Intel hardware MacBook Air laptop right form-factor correct form factor for a laptop obviously 12 inch and 2 lbs 11 inch Sony Vaio Pro lighter than my 2 lbs target weight has a reasonable screen Android phones tablets Chromebooks MakerBot Replicator 3D printer /

Yes you can charge your iPhone 7 & listen to lightning headphones at the same time*

Belkin Lightning Audio + Charge RockStar
Credit: Belkin/Steve Garfield/Off On A Tangent

* from 10 October

So the iPhone 7 has no 3.5mm earphone socket.

Why? – the major parameter of smartphone design is skinny jeans compatibility – that means small & above all, slim. For the internals of a phone this means make everything smaller (nano SIM) or eliminate it altogether – what happened to the 3.5mm earphone socket in the iPhone 7.

One widely canvassed concern is that it is not possible to connect headphones, speakers, etc. to an iPhone 7 & charge at the same time. There was never any doubt that solutions would be quick to appear. First out of the gate is Belkin's Lightning Audio + Charge RockStar – although not until October.

Macworld
http://www.macworld.com.au/news/charge-and-listen-at-the-same-time-belkin-lightning-audio-charge-rockstar-143706/#.V9udG5N95E4

Cnet
http://www.cnet.com/au/products/belkin-lightning-audio-plus-charge-rockstar/preview/

Belkin
http://www.belkin.com/us/p/P-F8J198/ / Two female Lightning ports 2 female Lightning ports male lightning plug lightning socket lightning plug connector port Belkin new Lightning Audio + Charge RockStar adapter iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus developed closely with Apple paid licensing fee officially brand genuine MiFi certification Made for iPhone Lightning Audio + Charge RockStar plugs into Lightning connector socket Lightning Audio headphones Apple Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter charge your iPhone at the same time charging adapter connected connect iPhone battery Belkin Lightning Audio + Charge RockStar dual functionality charging listening charge in the car Belkin adapter ecosystem Lightning Audio headphones compatible Lightning Audio headphones Apple Lightning 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter Apple iPhone 7 Smart Battery Case battery packs available mid-October Belkin Apple retail stores /

Chevrolet Bolt – Wired gets 240+ miles from one charge

Wired staff drove a pre-production Chevrolet Bold electric vehicle down the California coast from Monterey to Santa Barbera. When they had racked up 240 miles (386 kilometres) the range estimator still showed 20 miles (32 kilometres) remaining.

/ Chevy Bolt electric car electric vehicle EV cell battery charge recharge charger fast charger Supercharger lithium ion LiIon LiFeO4 lithium iron phosphate Tesla 60 kWh kilo Watt hour battery 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car 240 miles single charge lowest range achieved driving four Bolt EVs along the California coast same trip 32 miles remaining car’s display 2017 Chevy Bolt EV electric car 238 mile EPA range rating 119 MPGe combined Bolt EV EPA range rating 238 miles combined real-world use six-hour drive route 235 miles Monterey California south Santa Barbara scenic coastal Route 1 one of the most frustrating routes in the world Chevrolet team member comparatively free slow-moving rented motorhomes gawking tourists half the drive route covered speeds 40 to 60 mph country roads highway toward the end trip keep up with traffic 70 to 75 mph crested 2,000-foot pass over coastal mountains descending sea level our destination air conditioning low counter temperatures more than 90 degrees Fahrenheit miles before final grade Bolt replaced miles-remaining number instrument cluster orange Low Range warning halfway up the grade warning began flash insistently GM passenger it’ll be fine warning comes up based variety factors kicked in on the early side some battery capacity remaining traveling up to 75 mph before starting the steep climb 60-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack motor rated up to 150 kilowatts 200 horsepower relatively light Bolt EV remaining range inescapable physics energy used overcome aerodynamic drag increases exponentially with speed mix of speeds Bolt EV delivered 4.1 miles per kilowatt-hour 240 miles used 58.7 kwh 97.8 percent total stated pack capacity of 60 kwh less aggressive driver achieved 4.8 mi/kwh 4.5 mi/kwh remaining range price half average Tesla sold today electric car market second-generation Nissan Leaf Tesla Model 3 electric BMW crossover utility compact-sized electric car Volkswagen other vehicles 200 or more miles of range Bolt EV pre-production Bolt EV may not quite correspond final vehicles hit dealer floors before the end of the year Bolt EV’s shape short length tall height boxy bigger car substantially larger Chevy Spark Mitsubishi i-MiEV interior wide remarkably spacious four tall adults can sit easily inside unlike Volt flat floor center position rear real seat seating position perched on a hump Bolt’s interior large crisp displays central touchscreen touch screen fully digital instrument cluster size resolution brightness easier to read information simple speed range remaining energy cluster total energy consumption other data central display thin seats comfortable room in the back full-sized adults normal Drive mode gear selector lever just like automatic transmission idle creep keep foot on the brakes alternative Low range increases regenerative braking considerably smoothly slow the car complete stop without using brakes one-pedal driving Tesla Bolt EV regen Chevy electric cars mimic automatic-transmission driving experience various modes that increase regen one-pedal driving conventional mode Bolt EV genuine one-pedal driving conventional feel idle creep entirely absent in Low hill-hold function mode Sport mode remaps accelerator deliver power more quickly weight 3,580 pounds relatively light 60-kwh battery size 94-cubic-foot interior volume handling and roadholding predictable 200-hp motor more than enough performance keep up with traffic acceleration is good too looks considerably smaller than it actually is tall wagon small minivan interior volume 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV more interior volume than you'd expect superb instrumentation electric-range cars costing twice as much enjoyable performance electric vehicle Bolt EV usual test route recharge speed winter 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV pricing features trim levels options released car on-sale /

Timeline of Earth’s average temperature

20,000 BC – much of the Earth was still covered by the glaciers of the last ice age. Temperatures were cooler than today – around 5 Celsius degrees on average.


Credit: xkcd

More wisdom at https://xkcd.com/ / climate change climate change evidence climate change global warming carbon dioxide CO2 greenhouse gas industrial revolution glacier proof evidence human cause empirical evidence element climate change global problem absolute consensus human action leading increase average temperatures try to argue with that but you can't global warming warming depends how you measure Richard Feynman scientist believes empirical evidence quoting consensus graph draw a slightly straighter trend line on there misunderstanding misrepresentation NASA conspiracy Tony Jones interpretation highly qualified scientist I don't believe that data has been corrupted manipulated NASA audience began to laugh Steve Goddard 1930s were warmer recent decades Bureau of Meteorology Greg Hunt squashed investigation BoM Bureau of Metrology moon landing NASA Australian Academy of Science adversarial report is superb accusation NASA Australian Bureau of Meteorology Met Office UK collaborating manipulate global temperature data model answer question making projections based on models providing models validated proven accurate models have already been proven inaccurate IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change empirical data that's flat out wrong deception flat out incorrect snapshot evidence 2015 global upper ocean heat content highest record 2015 global sea level highest on record in 2015 70mm higher than that observed in 1993 global surface temperature highest on record El Nino 10-40 per cent contribution tropical cyclones well above average overall key point is if you don't accept that the only way to try to formulate policy what we do with emissions build models predict the future tarot cards tea leaves anthropogenic climate change /

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 – fires continue – simple solution

Fire in a Jeep Grand Cherokee has been attributed to a Note 7 charging on the dashboard
Credit: Fox News/news.com.au

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phablets continue to catch fire – most spectacularly as shown above. If garaged, its hard to imagine such a fire not consuming the garage + any connected house. There are many other examples on the ‘Net.


Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphone reportedly burst into flames while charging, causing $1800 damage to a hotel room.
Credit: news.com.au

Fires seem to have occurred only in phones which are charging – as in both images above – but if you have one of these phones:

● turn it off
● place it in a fireproof area
● contact Samsung for a replacement

Fires are a potential problem with all devices fitted with the type of lithium ion battery currently in use in laptops & phones. While researching this article, I was told by a representative of another phone manufacturer, “If it starts to puff up, or the screen starts to push out, bring it in to us.”

How phone manufacturers can prevent this happening again. / fire Jeep Grand Cherokee Note 7 charging on dashboard Samsung Galaxy Note 7 halt sales Galaxy Note 7 exploding battery retailers stop selling phones Samsung halt sales Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones prepare replacement devices phones already sold multiple reports exploding batteries Australia's biggest phone retailers stopped selling phone reported problems were being investigated Samsung take about two weeks prepare replacement devices phones already sold high-end gadget launched just weeks ago users have complained battery fault caused phones explode catch fire while being charged 35 cases of problems smartphone concerned customers return the phone outlet where they purchased it JB Hi-Fi Optus Telstra remove phones unclear how many phones been affected telecommunications provider paused sales Samsung Galaxy Note 7 investigation by Samsung customers concerns Samsung Galaxy Note 7 handset visit nearest Optus store discuss their options Telstra investigating problem Galaxy Note 7 phones Samsung precaution paused Galaxy Note 7 sales Telstra spokesperson contact existing owners directly issue affecting their phones unclear how many phones have been affected problem nip it in the bud right now analysts expect the Note 7 problems to be resolved quickly ongoing major problems derail Samsung's mobile recovery string of product successes reversed the smartphone leader's declining market share South Korean firm maintain strong sales momentum stiffening competition Apple Inc release its latest iPhone Samsung name exploding battery injury Investors stripped about $7 billion off Samsung Electronics' market value shipment delays on Thursday /

New drug clears malaria from mice in a single dose

Credit: World Health Organization/David Darling

Malaria is a major disease world-wide from both a public health & financial perspective. Last year, there were over 200 million new cases, & nearly half a million deaths.

The situation is deteriorating:

● malaria parasite is developing resistance to current treatments

● global warming is extending the range of the Anopheles mosquito which transmits the disease

● Anopheles mosquito is developing resistance to control measures

It is timely then, that a new drug has been developed. Mouse trials only so far, but very promising:

http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/09/new-drug-clears-malaria-from-mice-in-a-single-dose/ / New drug clears malaria mice single dose hasn't been tested in humans yet looks very promising drug chemist pharmacologist last year over 200 million cases malaria nearly half a million deaths efforts control disease limited success mosquitos carry rapidly evolved resistance insecticides DDT parasite causes disease resistant most effective treatment develop new drugs malarial parasite plasmodium eukaryote shares basic biochemistry find drug targets parasite human cells plasmodium complex life cycle stages makes generating vaccines difficult treatment new approaches screening drugs success Nature drug targets Plasmodium protein drug tests on mice drug clear infection single dose report huge international collaboration screened approximately 100,000 new chemicals activity against malaria designed adopt three-dimensional structures similar known biomolecules more likely chemicals tested stick to protein occupying site protein chemical found inside cells binding of the drug disrupt normal activity protein drugs tested ability slow down parasite growth cultured red blood cells related chemicals bound to proteins targets known drugs being useful not anything new entirely new structure of the chemical provide many clues Plasmodium evolve resistance parasite survived the drug sequenced its genome changes associated with the resistance gene encodes protein attach amino acids RNA incorporated into proteins protein helped attach phenylalanine RNA phenylalanine amino acid ring structure explain how drug interfere with its metabolism drug originally isolated water soluble half-life blood single dose persist for several days revised chemical tested mice side effects single dose drug completely clear any sign of infection effective ingested orally drug appeared several different stages parasite's life cycle clearing infections blood liver effectiveness limit spread parasite mosquitos researchers single dose malaria drug-resistant varieties medical facilities sparse nonexistent evolution of drug resistance clear the parasite with a single dose human testing results promising testing /

Chrome OS – the great leap forward

Acer Chromebook R13 convertible Chromebook
Credit: Google/Wired

Chrome OS is secure, simple, & boots in under 10 seconds. But its, “just a browser”. Android on the other hand has millions of apps.¹ The strengths of those two operating systems are about to come together.



And Chromebooks recently outsold Macs for the first time
http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/19/11711714/chromebooks-outsold-macs-us-idc-figures

How Chromebooks are about to totally transform laptop design
https://www.wired.com/2016/09/chromebooks-totally-transform-laptop-design/?mbid=nl_9916_p3&CNDID=

Attention, college students: Chromebooks are about to get awesome
http://www.wired.com/2016/08/attention-poor-students-chromebooks-get-awesome/?mbid=nl_81216_p3
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¹Statista: “Number of available applications in the Google Play Store from December 2009 to February 2016”,
http://www.statista.com/statistics/266210/number-of-available-applications-in-the-google-play-store/ / college students Chromebooks are about to get awesome back-to-school advice don’t buy a laptop wait a couple of months Apple release new MacBook Pro Windows PCs a few made by Microsoft itself new breed of Chromebooks on their way lots of good Chromebooks cheap ones ridiculously expensive ones straightforward laptops Google Play Store Chrome OS millions of Android apps on your Chromebook change Chromebooks completely touchscreens will be more important new sensors processors integrated detachable hybrid laptop-tablet things buy a recent Chromebook support Android app integration when it launches full app-y experience HP Chromebook 13, for instance great laptop more versatile device from Asus Chromebook Pixel has a touchscreen timeframe you should seriously consider buying a Chromebook ChromeOS secure and simple lose or break your device all your settings and data restored in a few minutes Chromebooks have great battery life don’t require much power pretty portable too Chromebook is plenty of computer for reading Wikipedia and writing your papers what’s great about ChromeOS how little setup it requires you just log in. tweak and fiddle Chrome Web Store full of extensions apps Plex torrented get JSTorrent downloading LastPass 1Password keep all your logins in order Line Google Hangouts Chrome apps Facebook Messenger WhatsApp have decent web apps Evernote for taking notes download New Tab Draft notepad every time you open a new tab Word and Excel Chrome Google Docs Sheets work offline great apps learning math reviewing flashcards reading textbooks Android app a few tweaks Chromebook Android Google Pushbullet links files photos device OneTab many tabs dock at the bottom of the screen right-click icons enable OK Google start a search biggest change Chromebook Mac Windows PC ChromeOS device powerful feature-rich a Chromebook’s exactly what most people browser Android biggest ecosystem apps laptop laptop /