📖 Overview
Linux Weekly News collects key articles from the Linux Weekly News website into a print volume chronicling major developments in the Linux operating system ecosystem. Published in collaboration with O'Reilly Media, it serves as a historical record of Linux kernel development and open source software advancements.
The book presents technical coverage of Linux kernel patches, driver updates, security fixes, and distribution releases. Articles are organized chronologically and include commentary from kernel developers, maintainers and other prominent figures in the Linux community.
The week-by-week format provides insight into how Linux development happened in real-time, capturing both technical details and community dynamics. The articles retain their original form from when they were first published on the Linux Weekly News website.
This compilation illustrates the collaborative and iterative nature of open source software development, while documenting a pivotal period in Linux history. Its detailed technical reporting and preservation of community discourse make it a valuable resource for understanding Linux's evolution.
👀 Reviews
There are not enough internet reviews to create a summary of this book. Instead, here is a summary of reviews of Jonathan Corbet's overall work:
Readers praise Jonathan Corbet's clear technical writing style and ability to explain complex Linux kernel concepts to developers. His book "Linux Device Drivers" receives particular recognition from kernel programmers for its practical examples and thorough coverage.
What readers liked:
- Detailed technical accuracy while remaining accessible
- Regular kernel development analysis through LWN.net articles
- Step-by-step code examples in "Linux Device Drivers"
- Responsive to reader questions/comments on LWN
What readers disliked:
- Some found the device drivers book too focused on older kernel versions
- Technical depth can be challenging for beginners
- LWN.net articles sometimes assume significant background knowledge
Ratings:
- "Linux Device Drivers" (3rd Edition):
- Amazon: 4.5/5 (127 reviews)
- Goodreads: 4.3/5 (289 ratings)
Reader quote: "Corbet explains intricate kernel mechanisms with remarkable clarity - this book saved me countless hours of frustration while writing my first driver." - Amazon reviewer
Note: Limited review data available as most of his work appears as technical articles rather than books.
📚 Similar books
Understanding the Linux Kernel by Daniel P. Bovet.
This book dissects Linux kernel internals through technical explanations and code examples for developers who need to understand low-level system operations.
Linux Kernel Development by Robert Love. The text covers kernel architecture, memory management, process scheduling, and device drivers with code samples from actual kernel source.
UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook by Evi Nemeth, Garth Snyder, Trent R. Hein, Ben Whaley. This guide provides practical knowledge for managing Linux systems, covering installation, configuration, maintenance, networking, and security.
The Linux Programming Interface by Michael Kerrisk. The book details system programming on Linux through examination of system calls, library functions, and kernel features.
Linux Device Drivers by Jonathan Corbet, Alessandro Rubini, Greg Kroah-Hartman. This text explains Linux device driver development through step-by-step instructions and real-world examples from the kernel source code.
Linux Kernel Development by Robert Love. The text covers kernel architecture, memory management, process scheduling, and device drivers with code samples from actual kernel source.
UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook by Evi Nemeth, Garth Snyder, Trent R. Hein, Ben Whaley. This guide provides practical knowledge for managing Linux systems, covering installation, configuration, maintenance, networking, and security.
The Linux Programming Interface by Michael Kerrisk. The book details system programming on Linux through examination of system calls, library functions, and kernel features.
Linux Device Drivers by Jonathan Corbet, Alessandro Rubini, Greg Kroah-Hartman. This text explains Linux device driver development through step-by-step instructions and real-world examples from the kernel source code.
🤔 Interesting facts
🐧 "Linux Weekly News" (LWN) began as an online publication in 1998 and continues to be a respected source for Linux kernel development news and technical discussions.
⚡ Jonathan Corbet is not just an author but also a Linux kernel developer himself, having contributed patches to the kernel and maintained several subsystems.
🔍 The publication covers deep technical details of kernel development that aren't typically found in mainstream tech media, including detailed explanations of new features before they're released.
💻 Corbet is known for creating the "Who Writes Linux" report, which provides detailed statistics about Linux kernel development and the companies that contribute to it.
🌐 The content from LWN has become required reading for many kernel developers and is frequently cited in academic papers about operating system development and open source communities.