linux-kernel - Re: How the heck do I get started?

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Message-ID: <4C703B78.6080005@gmail.com>
Date:	Sat, 21 Aug 2010 22:47:52 +0200
From:	Jiri Slaby <jirislaby@...il.com>
To:	Someone Something <fordhaivat@...il.com>
CC:	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: How the heck do I get started?

On 08/21/2010 07:56 PM, Someone Something wrote:
> How should
> I get started hacking on it? Writing modules, or just browsing through
> the code and trying to understand it? Any books you guys recommend?

Go through
Documentation/kernel-docs.txt
and
http://kernelnewbies.org/KernelJanitors

> 1) Does the linux kernel use pages AND segments? Or just one of them?

Speaking of x86 32-bit, both. Segments are a whole space 0-4G though, so
fairly unused except some small kind of protection. x86 64-bit removed
segmenting support.

> If its pages, how does it deal with the wasted memory at the end of
> each page? Very small pages?

Which wasted memory? No memory is wasted. If code needs memory <
PAGE_SIZE, one of slab allocator is used.

> 2) I looked at the 0.01 kernel and it has this weird mix of nasm and
> gas syntax for its assembly. Why's that?

0.01 is the ancient history, who cares?

> 3) Is there some kind of tracker for the kernel where it lists bugs and stuff?

bugzilla.kernel.org
And some reports are reported solely to this (or other) ML.

> 4) If I do have a patch I'd like to submit, how would I do this?

See
Documentation/SubmittingPatches

And Documentation/00-INDEX is of interest usually.

hth,
-- 
js
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