Kernel: OpenBSD and Linux
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amd64 execute-only committed to -current
Support for execute-only (xonly) code (on which we reported earlier) has been committed to -current by Theo de Raadt (deraadt@).
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An instruction oddity in the ppc64 (PowerPC 64-bit) architecture
The answer is kind of interesting and shows how intricate things can get in modern code. Go, like a lot of modern languages, wants to support stack tracebacks from right within its compiled code, without the aid of an external debugger. In order to do that, the Go runtime needs to be able to unwind the stack. Unwinding the stack is a very intricate thing on modern CPUs, and you can't necessarily do it past arbitrary code. Go has a special annotation for 'you can't unwind past here', which is automatically applied when the Go toolchain detects that some code (including assembly code) is manipulating the stack pointer in a way that it doesn't understand: [...]
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Kernel Podcast: S2E1 – 2023/01/21
This is the pilot episode for what will become season 2 of the Linux Kernel Podcast. Back in 2008-2009 I recorded a daily “kernel podcast” that summarized the happenings of the Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML). Eventually, daily became a little too much, and the podcast went weekly, followed by…not. This time around, I’m not committing to any specific cadence – let’s call it “periodic” (every few weeks). In each episode, I will aim to broadly summarize the latest happenings in the “plumbing” of the Linux kernel, and occasionally related bits of userspace “plumbing” (glibc, systemd, etc.), as well as impactful toolchain changes that enable new features or rebaseline requirements. I welcome your feedback. Please let me know what you think about the format, as well as what you would like to see covered in future episodes. I’m going to play with some ideas over time. These may include “deep diving” into topics of interest to a broader audience. Keep in mind that this podcast is not intended to editorialize, but only to report on what is happening. Both this author, and others, have their own personal opinions, but this podcast aims to focus only on the facts, regardless of who is involved, or their motives.”