Preface

Technology in general and computers in specific have a magical allure that seems to consume those who would approach them. Developments in technology push established boundaries and force the re-evaluation of troublesome concepts previously laid to rest. The Linux operating system has been a large contributor to a torrent of notable shifts in industry and the way business is done. By its adoption of the GNU Public License and its interactions with GNU software, it has served as a cornerstone to the various debates that surround open source, free software, and the concept of the development community. Linux is an extremely successful example of how powerful an open source operating system can be, and how the magic of its underpinnings can hold programmers from all corners of the world spellbound.

The use of Linux is something that is increasingly accessible to most computer users. With multiple distributions, community support, and industry backing, the use of Linux has also found safe harbor in universities, industrial applications, and the homes of millions of users.

Increased need in support and for new functionality follow at the heels of this upsurge in use. In turn, more and more programmers are finding themselves interested in the internals of the Linux kernel as the number of architectures and devices that demand support are added to the already vast (and rapidly growing) arsenal.

The porting of the Linux kernel to the Power architecture has contributed to the operating system's blossoming among high-end servers and embedded systems. The need for understanding how Linux runs on the Power architecture has grown, with companies now purchasing PowerPC-based systems intended to run Linux.