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diff --git a/news/2024-q1.mdwm b/news/2024-q1.mdwm new file mode 100644 index 00000000..eb756283 --- /dev/null +++ b/news/2024-q1.mdwm @@ -0,0 +1,203 @@ +[[!meta copyright="Copyright © 2013 Free Software Foundation, Inc."]] + +[[!meta license="""[[!toggle id="license" text="GFDL 1.2+"]][[!toggleable +id="license" text="Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this +document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or +any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant +Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license +is included in the section entitled [[GNU Free Documentation +License|/fdl]]."]]"""]] + +[[!meta date="2024-04-05 11:07 UTC"]] + +Hello! Welcome to a new qoth. This qoth covers new and interesting GNU/Hurd +developments in Q1 of 2024! +[[!if test="included()" then="""[[!toggle id=full_news +text="Details."]][[!toggleable id=full_news text="[[!paste id=full_news]]"]]""" +else=" +[[!paste id=full_news]]"]] + +[[!cut id="full_news" text=""" + +Etienne Brateau modified console-client to use [xkbcommon instead of x11 for xkb +extended +support](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-03/msg00060.html), +which improves keyboard layout coverage a lot! + +Flavio Cruz also worked on [porting GDB to the 64-bit +Hurd](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-02/msg00147.html), +implemented `setcontext/getcontext/makecontext/swapcontex ()` in +[glibc](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-02/msg00106.html), and [implemented child process resource +accounting](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-02/msg00098.html). +The latter implements`getrusage(RUSAGE_CHILDREN, )` and populates child related +data in `times()`. + +He fixed the [perl testsuite for the +Hurd](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-03/msg00021.html), and he +also posted a [RFC to enhance tracing +utilities](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-03/msg00034.html), +which he used to port the RPC format to 64 bit. + +Flavio also had a smattering of fixes +[here](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-01/msg00219.html), +[here](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-02/msg00091.html), +[here](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-02/msg00151.html), +[here](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-03/msg00008.html), and +[here](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-03/msg00068.html). + +Damien Zammit had some fixes including [fixing the console with APIC +enabled](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-01/msg00277.html), +[patching GNU Mach to support ACPI +v2](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-01/msg00278.html), [fixing +baud rate on com +ports](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-01/msg00176.html), +[porting the Hurd to some AMD +CPUs](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-01/msg00220.html) (WIP), +[adding HPET (high precision +timers)](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-02/msg00039.html). He +also worked on making `ext2fs` [use xattr by default to store +translators](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-03/msg00012.html). + +Damien also worked on more SMP fixes +[here](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-02/msg00016.html), +[here](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-02/msg00021.html), +[here](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-02/msg00051.html), +[here](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-02/msg00063.html), +[here](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-02/msg00079.html), and +[here](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-02/msg00124.html). +Hurd currently boots in SMP mode on the BSP. Damien wrote a test program that lets you run a [task on the APs](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-02/msg00088.html). + +Sergey Bugaev [patched binutils to support the GNU/Hurd on +AArch64](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-01/msg00000.html), and +he wrote some patches to make the Hurd easier to port +[here](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-01/msg00002.html), +[here](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-01/msg00063.html), and +[here](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-03/msg00100.html), + +Sergey also posted a fairly large [RFC patch series for his AArch64 +port](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-01/msg00022.html). He +writes: + + MIG seems to just work (thanks to all of Flávio's work!). I'm using + the same message ABI as on x86_64, and haven't seen any issues so far + — neither compiler errors / failed static assertions (about struct + sizes and such), nor hardware errors from misaligned accesses. + + +He also mentions that "the hardware hardening features (BTI, MTE, PAC) are +currently 'not really supported', but I do want to support them in the future." +Samuel merged +[many](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-01/msg00050.html) +[of](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-01/msg00051.html) +[the](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-01/msg00052.html) +[patches](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-01/msg00062.html). + +In Sergey's later glibc patch series, he wrote about the [AArch64 port +progress](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-03/msg00114.html). He +wrote: + + Last time, there was no AArch64 port of GNU Mach, and so the only testing + I have done was running a simple statically-linked executable on Linux under + GDB, which, nevertheless, helped me identify and fix a number of issues. + + Since then, however, I have been (some may say, relentlessly) working on + filling in the missing piece, namely porting GNU Mach (with important help & + contributions by Luca D.). I am happy to report that we now have an + experimental port of GNU Mach that builds and works on AArch64! While that may + sound impressive, note that various things about it are in an extremely basic, + proof-of-concept state rather than being seriously production-ready; and also + that Mach is a small kernel (indeed, a microkernel), and it was designed from + the start (back in the 80s) to be portable, so most of the "buisness logic" + functionality (virtual memory, IPC, tasks/threads/scheduler) is explicitly + arch-independent. + + Despite the scary "WIP proof-of-concept" status, there is enough + functionality in Mach to run userland code, handle exceptions and + syscalls, interact with the MMU to implement all the expected virtual + memory semantics, schedule/switch tasks and threads, and so on. + Moreover, all of GNU Mach's userspace self-tests pass! + + This meant there was enough things in place for me to try running + glibc on it, and the amazing thing is my simple test executable, the + same one I previously tested on Linux with GDB, just worked on real + Mach without me having to make any additional changes to the glibc + side, or even recompile it. + + But I did not stop there, and I got several of the core Hurd servers + working! Namely, these are ext2fs, exec, startup, auth, and proc + servers. All of them but ext2fs are dynamically linked; ld + aarch64.so.1 sucessfully locates and maps the programs themselves + and their required dependencies, and Mach pages in code and data + pages from ext2fs as they are accessed, transparently to the + program, just as one would expect it to. + + +Be sure to read more from his announcement +[email](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-03/msg00114.html). + +Sergey also announced [a new Alpine distro based on Hurd](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-01/msg00180.html) (it +currently does not have a name). His goal is to add another Hurd distribution, +which will force the Hurd to work with different software and hopefully fix more +bugs. Alpine Linux also usually runs the latest software, so this new Hurd +distribution will be for those who like living on the bleeding edge. He writes: + + + I have ported many Alpine packages to build with (i386, for now) GNU + Mach, the Hurd, and glibc, replacing Linux and musl. If you want a + specific number: as of yesterday, I have 299 installable packages; the + number of source packages is of course several times less than that. + Still, this includes things like curl, ncurses, nano, native binutils + & gcc & mig, libffi, openrc, openssl, util-linux, busybox, apk-tools, + ... and of course gnumach, hurd (with dependencies like libdaemon, + parted, ...), and glibc. Importantly, all this cleanly bootstraps + using the scripts/bootstrap.sh script that they provide; this is too + somewhat like Flávio's scripts, but it uses the real full Alpine + package definitions for e.g. GCC (patched by me for glibc / Hurd + support). + + Above the kernel and libc, things remain much as they were in upstream + Alpine: the system boots (will boot — I haven't tried it yet) with + busybox init & OpenRC, and uses busybox as its basic userland. GNU + software such as Bash is installable, too. + + +This new Hurd distribution currently does not have a mailing list, irc room, or +website. If you are interesting +in helping Sergei to develop it further, then please email bug-hurd@gnu.org. + +Luca Dariz added [userspace +tests](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-01/msg00125.html), which +work with qemu. We currently test the Hurd in qemu on a GNU/Linux host. He also described how [he currently uses the 64-bit +Hurd](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-01/msg00047.html). +Perhaps you should follow that advice if you want to try running a 64-bit Hurd +on qemu. + +Manolo de Medici made a WIP patch series that gets [qemu +to run on the +Hurd](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2024-01/msg00153.html). + +I organized a belated GNU/Hurd Christmas party. We had 6 or 7 +attenders, which was pretty awesome! I was not able to record the event, so +perhaps we should try for another meet perhaps at the end of Q2. If you would +like to help me plan/organize/join such a party, then please email +bug-hurd@gnu.org. + +If you want to test if your favorite packages work on the Hurd and +contribute towards making the full GNU system usable for a wider range +of people, please [[check the contributing page|contributing]]. + +--- + +The **GNU Hurd** is the GNU project's replacement for the Unix kernel. It is a +collection of servers that run on the Mach microkernel to implement file +systems, network protocols, file access control, and other features that are +implemented by the Unix kernel or similar kernels (such as Linux). [[More +detailed|hurd/documentation]]. + +**GNU Mach** is the microkernel upon which a GNU Hurd system is based. It +provides an Inter Process Communication (IPC) mechanism that the Hurd uses to +define interfaces for implementing in a distributed multi-server fashion the +services a traditional operating system kernel provides. [[More +detailed|microkernel/mach/gnumach]]. + +"""]] |