The Code & Kernel

The Code

Linux is also unique from other operating systems in that it has no single owner. Torvalds still manages the development of the Linux kernel, but commercial and private developers contribute other software to make the whole Linux operating system.

The Kernel

All operating systems have kernels, built around the architectural metaphor that there must be a central set of instructions to direct device hardware, surrounded by various modular layers of functionality. The Linux kernel is unique and flexible because it is also modular in nature.

Modularity is desirable because it allows developers to shed parts of the kernel they don't need to use. Typically a smaller kernel is a faster kernel, because it isn't running processes it does not need. If a device developer wants a version of Linux to run on a cell phone, she does not need the kernel functionality that deals with disk drives, Ethernet devices, or big monitor screens. She can pull out those pieces (and others), leaving just the optimized kernel to use for the phone.

The kernel of the Window operating system (which few people outside of Microsoft are allowed to look at without paying for the privilege) is a solidly connected piece of code, unable to be easily broken up into pieces. It is difficult (if not impossible) to pare down the Windows kernel to fit on a phone.

This modularity is significant to the success of Linux. The ability to scale down (or up) to meet the needs of a specific platform is a big advantage over other operating systems constrained to just a few possible platforms.

Modularity also effects stability and security as well. If one piece of the kernel code happens to fail, the rest of the kernel will not crash. Similarly, an illicit attack on one part of the kernel (or the rest of the operating system) might hamper that part of the code, but should not compromise the security of the whole device.