Apple Is Looking For Linux Kernel Developers

[starshipeleven]

They won't drop Mach. The entire dynamic messaging system is at the core of their frameworks, even with Swift.

Well, that's not something that would be hard to add to the Linux kernel though. They don't need to mainline it so they can do whatever.

[starshipeleven]

I have a feeling that there aren't that many experienced embedded BSD or Darwin/iOS/tvOS/watchOS developers out there looking for a job, so if Apple wants people who can do embedded OS work for iOS and it's watchOS and and tvOS forks, embedded Linux kernel developers are a good place to start.

Nonsense, the job listings specifically state "As part of the silicon validation team, develop Linux device drivers and user-land tests for exercising and testing the various subsystems in complex SoCs."

[k1e0x]

.....

[starshipeleven]

Don't they [Apple] now completely develop their own SoCs - including graphics core?

Maybe they plan to sell/license some of them to competitors and need provide drivers for Linux/Android?

Given that the job listings state "As part of the silicon validation team, develop Linux device drivers and user-land tests for exercising and testing the various subsystems in complex SoCs." and that it also states "Familiarity with ARM architecture a plus", it would make sense.

Apple is also working on a self-driving car (project titan), and most HPC or embedded AI devices, like the "brain" of self-driving cars, usually run Linux.

[starshipeleven]

It's is the biggest use case.

Still does not mean that other use-cases are getting abandoned, or that are uncompetitive.

Naturally they tailor to it.

It's also tailored for high-core-count servers, for servers that may have multiple TBs of RAM, and so on and so forth. Embedded is just the place where Linux has near 0 competition (as long as you don't need realtime and such).

[dungeon]

... either way it is disturbing.

Someone out there probably thinking of optimal dividing of all these markets, Linux is these these days most used for nearly anything beside Desktop.

Imagine that Linux take Desktop also, that would be very disturbing as would be pretty much utter monopol

Linux is basically abandoning is server roots in favor of being an embedded OS.

Ask Linus, where his kernel roots are... he wanted it for Desktop, but it became anything else just not that

[PackRat]

22 years ago apple combined linux and mach it's called MKLInux. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MkLinux
"MkLinux started as a project sponsored by Apple Computer and OSF Research Institute, to get "Linux on Mach" ported to the Macintosh computer and for Apple to explore alternative kernel technologies on the Mac"

[k1e0x]

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[ThoreauHD]

It does sound like the car thing. Not enough hires to be terribly useful if migrating from freebsd/mach was their goal. Although they didn't post a head count at each location... Eh.. Probably just the titan deal.

[starshipeleven]

Ya, it's ironic that Unix has more desktop share than Linux though due to Apple. Sure it's commercial but it might be the paragon of the *nix desktop example being that you still have a shell and all the power at your fingertips + a nice gui to boot.. Sucks it costs so much..

And that its performance is subpar at best, and that the hardware it runs on will cook itself out in years if you use it for anything serious, and that the "updates" might also degrade performance because of planned obsolescence.

No thanks. Apple stuff might be Unix but there are other downsides that make it a far worse choice than Linux or FreeBSD.