Innovation in the Linux environment

The Linux operating system kernel will celebrate its 25th birthday this coming summer. During its lifetime, a fantastic variety of digital ecosystems have developed around both the kernel and the GNU software suite. In the meantime, developers continue to work carefully and in well-defined increments on the kernel itself. There are no huge leaps forward. Instead, steady improvement done in manageable steps is preferred.

The term "Linux" has taken on various meanings in popular usage. In this article, however, the term refers to the Linux kernel and the surrounding distributions. Here, I will look at the question of who has set the technology and idealogical standards for development in the past, and who will continue to do so in the future.

What Worked Before

The development occurring over the past few years reflects the adage that it's not always necessary to reinvent the wheel. Developers are using and extending older technologies in new ways. An example of this is systemd, a tool that has become established in the kernel, using functions like namespaces and Cgroups as its essential components (Figure 1).

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