2008: A year of the Linux Distillery in review

David M Williams
Wednesday, 31 December 2008 12:23

Opinion and Analysis

Hard-core tech
The Linux Distillery isn’t afraid of a bit of a hard-core tech now and then too. I explained how the Linux process scheduler works, how the kernel keeps track of time, the lifetime of a process and how new processes are made.

Get through that lot and you deserve credit for a Computer Science course!

Festive fun
Now, we Linux types aren’t a completely serious type. A bit of periodic jesting helps the world turn. With that, I brought forth not one but seven ways Linux can spice up your love life - this was specifically for Valentine’s Day but, hey, these tips will work any day of the week. Just watch the geek guys and gals flock to you if you put these in motion!

I tried my hand at a spot of sci-fi but I think I’d rather pretend I didn’t write that dreck now!

I cited my top five Linux references in pop-culture and happily readers gave more, including appearances in Buffy the Vampire Slayer amongst others. Linux sure gets around!

I quoted Linus Torvalds himself who demonstrates great wit and wisdom in his public utterances, and ended the year with a geeky Christmas Carol, suggesting how Jingle Bells may have gone if it were a Linux shell script.

To 2009 and beyond!
Well, that’s 2008. What’s 2009 hold for us? I’m expecting two new versions of Ubuntu – but that’s a no-brainer.

More seriously, I’m expecting to see much more in the way of virtualisation. I think hardware vendors and mobile phone vendors will provide bare-metal support for virtualised environments. With these will come new methods of software distribution; packages will be released as “black box” virtual machines – replete with Linux distros and applications to perform their wizardry.

I’m also expecting to see a custom version of Linux make its way into NSW high schools.
No matter what happens, be sure to tune into the Linux Distillery for all the news and opinion!

Happy new year!