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Date:      Thu, 01 Aug 2002 02:55:26 -0700
From:      Terry Lambert <tlambert2@mindspring.com>
To:        Sergey Lyubka <devnull@asitatech.ie>, freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: Assembly, Kernels and Bootstraps
Message-ID:  <3D49058E.3AD0B0E@mindspring.com>
References:  <20020731161322.O5057-100000@boise.neuroflux.com> <20020801102424.GC97092@yoda.asitatech.ie> <3D490353.8A5A07D4@mindspring.com>

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Terry Lambert wrote:
> Sergey Lyubka wrote:
[ ... ]
> > Linux community has an excellent 'Linux Device Drivers',
> > 'Understanding The Linux Kernel' etc;
[ ... ]
> It's just not possible to hit a moving target (or in this case,
> to document code that won't at least sit still at the interfaces).

Note also that Linux has made a positive commitment to a stable
DDI/DKI, so it's possible to write a device driver's book (and
I will agree that the Linux Device Drivers book is an *excellent*
book).

They've also made a positive commitment to not changing kernel
interface gratuitously; it's at least possible to start a book
on the -stable branch of Linux, and then only need to "fact
check" it against the most recent -stable version of Linux,
before publishing with the most recent release CDROM in the
jacket envelope.

Part of this maturity no doubt arises because of their need to
support many platforms simultaneously, rather than having a
single "reference platform" that drags the other platforms,
screaming, into unfamiliar and non-generic APIs.  But part of
it is just their commitment to provide a stable platform on
which work not related to the developement of Linux itself can
be based.

-- Terry

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