• Linus Torvalds's avatar
    [PATCH] Linux-0.96b (June 21, 1992) · 0b098c16
    Linus Torvalds authored
    First cut at core-dumping.  Also, do more dynamic boottime memory
    allocation, rather than allocating data structures statically.
    
    Allocate task structures at run-time rather than having a big array of
    them.
    
    First "obsolete" system call.  The old "stat()" system call was too
    limited, due to "struct stat" having various 16-bit fields etc (notably
    inode numbers).  We make a new stat() function, and keep the old one
    around as "old_stat()" for binary compatibility.
    
    We also need a bigger "utsname" to hold real node names.
    
    Whoo! NR_OPEN is now 32 rather than 20.
    
    itimer() support driven by X11 adoption (Darren Senn).
    
    gcc starts using fsqrt, so that gets added to the FP emulation.  We're
    still basing that on my trivial code.
    
    [Original changelog below]
    
    0.96b is not a new major release: it's pretty close to 0.96a with all my
    patches (1-4).  However, as there has been 4 patches already, I decided
    it would be time for a full kernel release along with a bootimage, so
    that people who don't feel confident with patching can use the new
    features.
    
    If you already have 0.96a patchlevel 4, 0.96b will offer you these new
    features:
    
     - the math-emulation now handles fsqrt, as gcc-2.2.2 generates that
       inline.  I haven't tested the kernel code at all: I tested the
       algorithm in user space, but I'm lazy, so I never turned off my 387
       to do real testing.  I hope it works.
     - better vt100 terminal emulation thanks to Mika Liljeberg.
     - I removed a possible race-condition in the buffer-cache code.
     - minor fixes
    
    The vt100 emulation should now be complete enough for almost everything
    (including vt100 test suites): as a result the setterm utility had to be
    changed (as the old setterm codes aren't compatible with the full vt100
    codes).  setterm-0.96b.tar.Z contains the new setterm.
    
    The soon-to-be-released gcc-2.2.2 will need the 0.96b kernel: (a) due to
    the fsqrt emulation and (b) it uses the new stat() system call.  So
    upgrading is a good idea.  (If you have a co-processor, (a) isn't used,
    but (b) still stands)
    
    If you have an unpatched 0.96a, the differences to 0.96b are roughly
    (not counting the above-mentioned new things):
    
     - corrected the disk-buffer-list bug with read/write-errors
     - fixed read-ahead warning messages at end of disk
     - better support for text-mode restoration after running MGR and X
     - full core-dumping, attach/detach etc debugging features
     - 16550A support
     - less low 1MB memory used for kernel structures
     - various minor fixes
    
    Note that the fact that new versions (pl4 and above) use more memory in
    the 1M+ area means that linux will report less free memory (it's used
    for buffer-cache instead).  This could concievably be a problem on 2MB
    machines.  The standard kernel comes with only 4 pty's though, and if
    you use the standard 80x25 text modes instead of svga modes, the VC
    buffers will be smaller.  Please contact me if there are problems even
    with this minimal setup.
    
    0.96b does /not/ contain: the new scsi drivers, new filesystems or some
    other patches I have gotten (ibm character set mode, loop-devices etc).
    If you have sent me any other patch, you might want to remind me about
    it.
    
                    Linus
    0b098c16
vt.c 4.31 KB