devfs removed from Linux

Tux kerneltrap

Well, the flexible devfs (device filesystem in kernel mode) which saw light since 2.4.x have been removed from the the main kernel tree. The removal of devfs have been discussed for more than a year, mainly because it was deprecrated by udev (which does the devfs job but in user-level), and partly because devfs is no longer maintained by it’s developers.

However this led into a lengthy discussion debating the merits of using devfs with embedded systems. 2.6 maintainer Andrew Morton suggested that the fate of devfs is still undecided,

“I don’t have enough info to know whether the world would be a better place if we keep devfs, remove devfs or remove devfs even later on. I don’t think anyone knows, which is why we’re taking this little disable-it-and-see-who-shouts approach.”

devfs is reportedly still being use by embedded system (especially with ones that deals with readonly file system) to ease of system setup.

Another feature planned to be removed from the kernel is the PCI name database, which bloat the kernel (about 82KB in size) and hard to maintain (to sync the the latest pci devices with kernel’s database).

Debian Developers criticised Firefox Policy

Mozilla Firefox browser which is developed by Mozilla Foundation faced criticism by Debian Developers because of its official trademark policy is seen by them as excessively prohibitive.
Get Firefox!

This have still being debated in the Debian Community.

Most of the concerns came around whether Mozilla’s trademark policy allows them to modify the software for updates and security patches, and still distribute it using its original name. There are a lot of other projects too that recompile Mozilla Foundation source code and make additional changes and still release the resulting binary with Mozilla’s trademark.

Although Mozilla Foundation however, have given Debian explicit permission to use the Firefox logo and brand name, the issue still rise because it contradict with the clause of the social contract which stipulates software licenses must not be specific to Debian.

Mozilla previously have several problems with trademark issues regarding it’s Firefox browser which was change from Phoenix to Firebird and finally to Firefox.

Fedora Core 4 is (finally) released!

Fedora Core Logo

The much anticipated Fedora Core 4 (Stentz) have been made available to public as promised. Users can now download the Fedora Core 4 iso from Red Hat Servers or by using torrent.

FC4 Screenshot

Previously, Fedora Core 4 release date have been postponed for a week because of the difficulty in securing the legal permission for the software’s code-name. In this latest release, Linux users can expect friendlier and easier installations procedure offered by Fedora Core 4.

This may be the final release of Fedora Core 4 with Red Hat, which after this, the development of Fedora Core Linux will be handed over to the Fedora Core Foundation.

Playstation 3 can run Linux !

Great news for Linux Gamers geeks out there, there have been confirmation that the latest Sony Playstation 3 will be able to run Linux! The rumours itself have been confirmed by Sony Entertainment Presiden, Ken Kutaragi.

Playstation 3 Concept Pix

However, Playstation 3 owners will still have to add hard drive to their console as the PS3 won’t ships with HDD by default. To quote Kutaragi on that matter,

“We’re not going to equip [the PS3 with] a HDD by default, because no matter how much [capacity] we put in it, it won’t be enough.”

He acknowledged that, by running Linux, the Playstation can be used for other applications than gaming console, such as video editing and photo retouching.

Playstation 3 Game Console

To summarize that, Sony apparently wants to position their Playstation 3 as more than a game console, citing it as “supercomputer”.

Seems that Sony acknowledgement about the usefulness of Linux as an OS for it’s Playstation may be a good sign for the free OS platform. Let’s hope this trend continues in the future….

References :
1. The Inquirer
2. Tech Spot

Annoucing the Nexusbox Linux Project

Hello everybody…

Today i’m annoucing that i’ve started another blog! The Nexusbox Project blog concentrates on the latest news about the the on-going Linux Embedded Firewall project which denan and I are working on. The distro is currently based on Crux Linux 2.0, hence the name Cruxwall. This project however is still in embryonic stage.

All releases will be made available to public under GNU General Public License or other Open Source compatible license. You can get Cruxwall and krazhbox releases at Nexusbox Sourceforge.net project page.

Any sort of contributions for this project are welcomed, please check the blog regularly for latest updates…

GeeXboX – Embedded Linux Media Player

Today I want to discuss about GeeXBoX, a linux distribution geared up to be a stand alone Media Player. GeeXBoX is a free linux distribution which aims to bring digital home entertainment with Linux to the next level. With GeeXBoX, you can happily play DVD, VCD, streaming video, MPEG-4 videos, picture slideshows, listen to MP3/Ogg music and many more without the need of hard disk.


GeeXBooX boot Screenshot

Built with embedded system architecture in mind, the GeeXBoX can run on even a lower end machine with a minimum requirements of Pentium-II/Celeron class PC (333MHz) and at least 64MB RAM, no harddisk or network connection required!


GeeXBooX Menu Screenshot

As a bonus, GeeXBoX also supports remote control via LIRC-backend interface, now you can control your media box just like you are controlling your own tv set-tops!


In-play Menu

You can download GeeXBoX ISO from the GeeXBoX Project Website and burn it right into your CD to test it. You might be wondering how large is the ISO will be with those functionality and cute graphics? 400MB? 250MB? 50MB? No, no and no… GeeXBoX is only 6MB in size! Couldn’t believe it? Why dont you download and try GeeXBoX now, you won’t regret it…

References :
GeeXBoX Website