Linux

48090 readers

698 users here now

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

Rules

Posts must be relevant to operating systems running the Linux kernel. GNU/Linux or otherwise.
No misinformation
No NSFW content
No hate speech, bigotry, etc

Related Communities

Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0

founded 5 years ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

Punctuality Matters: Using Linux to Manage Time-Critical Situations (www.kdab.com)

submitted 8 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

10 comments fedilink hide all child comments

The robustness of Linux is widely acknowledged, but it can’t quite match the microsecond management of a real-time operating system (RTOS) for time critical situations such as CNC machine instructions, vehicular control, or health sensor collection. If your software must record, manage, or control events within a narrow and precise time window and you’re invested in Linux for core development, you can consider some of these strategies for handling time-critical tasks without abandoning your familiar environment.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I remember hearing about this in the context of space missions, Linux just isn't a good fit for critical systems

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago

The new mars helicoptor, ingenuity, runs linux.

https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/19/22291324/linux-perseverance-mars-curiosity-ingenuity

Their solution is to hold two copies of memory and double check operations as much as possible, and if any difference is detected they simply reboot. Ingenuity will start to fall out of the sky, but it can go through a full reboot and come back online in a few hundred milliseconds to continue flying.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26181763

Dunno if future one's will run linux though, since this is just an experiment.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Yeah, space software is crazy restrictive. I read they don't allow you to allocate ANYTHING on the heap. It's all static stack-based all the way.

A 10 year long memory leak on the way to Pluto isn't a good thing I guess...