Linux

The next version of Microsoft’s open source, cross-platform version of the .Net software platform, .Net Core 2.0, will bring profile-guided optimization (PGO) to Linux x64. PGO is native compilation technology used by the C++ compiler to generate faster-running code. 

PGO features a two-step process, including a training run that records information about execution and a build step that uses the results of the training run to generate better optimized code, Microsoft’s Bertrand Le Roy and Daniel Podder explained in a blog post. The .Net Core 2.0 upgrade will add PGO optimizations to .Net Core on both the Windows x86 and Linux x64 platforms. PGO began working with Windows x64 in the .Net Core 1.1 release and it has been used in the Windows-based .Net Framework for years.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

KDAB, a German consulting firm that develops graphics and visualization tools, has released Hotspot 1.0, a GUI too for visualizing performance data generated by the Linux perf tool.

Perf analyzes system and application behaviors in Linux and generates a detailed report showing which calls, programs, disk I/O operations, or network events (just to name a few possibilities) are eating up most of the system’s time. Because Perf is a command-line tool, most of its output is static, and it can be a multi-step process to produce an interactive, explorable report from data provided by Perf.

Hotspot—not to be confused with the Java virtual machine project — was developed by one of Perf’s contributors, Milian Wolff, as a partial replacement for Perf’s existing reporting system. It provides an interactive GUI for performance data compiled by Perf, built using the Qt interface library. A tabbed interface provides various views of perf data: basic top-down or bottom-up lists, caller/callee lists, and a flame graph view normally generated with Perf data by way of third-party software.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

From the launch of the Free Software Movement in 1983, to the growing popularity of Java today, open source software is fast becoming a serious threat to proprietary software everywhere. By its very essence, open source fuels enterprising organizations, because unlike cookie-cutter solutions available from proprietary systems, it enables greater innovation and differentiation, helping companies stand apart and encouraging healthy competition at a lower cost.

Low cost and differentiation

It’s no wonder that many of today’s business and government organizations rely on open source software, such as Linux, as a low-cost alternative that can be customized to suit particular needs pretty quickly. In fact, it’s estimated that more than half of software acquired over the next several years will be open source. And we’re not only talking about operating systems and productivity tools, but also about smart software application tools like machine learning.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The Raspberry Pi's most famous feature is its adaptability. It can be used for thousands of electronic applications (See: "How to build a Raspberry Pi retrogaming emulation console"). This book, Exploring Raspberry Pi, is the innovators guide to bringing Raspberry Pi to life. The book favors engineering principles over a 'recipe' approach to give you the skills you need to design and build your own projects. You'll understand the fundamental principles in a way that transfers to any type of electronics, electronic modules, or external peripherals, using a "learning by doing" approach that caters to both beginners and experts. The book begins with basic Linux and programming skills, and helps you stock your inventory with common parts and supplies. Next, you'll learn how to make parts work together to achieve the goals of your project, no matter what type of components you use. The companion website provides a full repository that structures all of the code and scripts, along with links to video tutorials and supplementary content that takes you deeper into your project. The list price has been reduced 39% on Amazon, from $35 to $21.40. See this deal now on Amazon. A complete Raspberry Pi starter kit can be purchased here for $89.99. 

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Yesterday, I sat in a coffeeshop and installed two Linux distributions on my Windows development PC. They weren’t virtual machines or dual-boot systems, and I didn’t have to go through the usual route of finding download pages and uncompressing installer files. Instead, I went to the Windows Store, searched for Linux, picked the distros I wanted, and clicked Install for each. Once they’d downloaded, all I needed to do was open a terminal window and add a username and password; I was ready to go.

It was all possible because I’m running the latest preview build of the upcoming Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, which has added new features to the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). Introduced in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update (version 1609) and significantly updated in the recently released Windows 10 Creators Update (version 1703), WSL is part of Microsoft’s answer to the question “How do we get developers using Windows again?”

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Like FreeBSD Jails and Solaris Zones, Linux containers are self-contained execution environments—with their own, isolated CPU, memory, block I/O, and network resources—that share the kernel of the host operating system. The result is something that feels like a virtual machine, but sheds all the weight and startup overhead of a guest operating system.

In a large-scale system, running VMs would mean you are probably running many duplicate instances of the same OS and many redundant boot volumes. Because containers are more streamlined and lightweight compared to VMs, you may be able to run six to eight times as many containers as VMs on the same hardware.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here