The nucleus of an operating system. It is the closest part to the machine level and may activate the hardware directly or interface to another software layer that drives the hardware. The kernel orchestrates the entire operation of the computer by slicing time for each system function and each application as well as managing all the computer's resources. It typically resides in memory at all times. See microkernel, monolithic kernel, kernel space and kernel panic.
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2008 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- Tough love: Linux needs more haters
- [The opinions expressed here are mine alone, and not those of Google, Inc. my current employer.] I've been spending far too much time reading a blog recently. Normally I dislike reading blogs, or as my friend from the IT News site "the Register" Andrew Orlowski calls them;...
- Blog posts 2008-07-18
- Torvalds attacks IT industry 'security circus'
- Torvalds attacks IT industry 'security circus'Torvalds attacks IT industry 'security circus'So Linus admits that there are security flaws in linux as well as other bugs? I've been saying that for a long time but the fanboys wouldn't believe me. Now that their leader finally admits to it perhaps...
- Discussion threads 2008-07-17
- Torvalds attacks IT industry 'security circus'
- The Linux creator has some harsh words for creators of the OpenBSD operating system, as part of a wider critique of what he sees as self-centered behavior in the IT security industry Linux creator Linus Thorvalds has labeled makers of the OpenBSD operating system a "bunch of masturbating monkeys",...
- News items 2008-07-17
- MKN PerformanceMonitor (exe)
- MKN PerformanceMonitor shows detailed information about system, I/O, and processor performance. It creates performance graphs for each installed processor, and the system I/O history. MKN PerformanceMonitor shows information about each processor core in the system, including the CPU usage, the KERNEL mode time, hardware processor usage, and the processor's current...
- Software downloads 2008-07-17
- How good is open source support?
- How good is open source support?This why I do not want open source.I can never get help when I need it, and those that try to help have a very snobbish attitude, and like to say you are not learning because you do not want to learn.Well I can only...
- Discussion threads 2008-07-16
- Psystar's Thermopylae won't end Apple's clone nightmare
- Apple may win the battle, but they'll lose the war, eventually. Well, that was predictable, really. A small startup in Florida decides to go make Mac clones, and surprise, surprise, Apple starts legal proceedings and unleashes the might of...
- Blog posts 2008-07-16
- News to know: Apple vs. Psystar; Intel; Microsoft and multicore; Linux kernel
- Notable headlines: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: Apple sues Psystar Sam Diaz: Complaint: 'Invaluable good is being eroded' Larry Dignan: The end of the Mac clones? Jason D. O'Grady: Apple: See you in court Larry Dignan:Â Intel's second quarter delivers; Cheap laptop demand...
- Blog posts 2008-07-16
- Linux 2.6.26 kernel update released
- Linux 2.6.26 kernel update releasedevery week there's a kernel update followed by a machine reboot!every week there's a kernel update followed by a machine reboot! In a month you have to reboot 4 times, that's very annoying!
- Discussion threads 2008-07-16
- Linux 2.6.26 kernel update released
-  Linus Torvalds quietly released another update to the Linux kernel over the weekend that offers better support for kernel-based virtual machines, a kernel debugger, improved webcam support and new support for the One Laptop Per Child architecture. Version 2.6.26 was released on Sunday, July 13. What's most...
- Blog posts 2008-07-15
- Windows Update versus Ubuntu Update
- Windows Update versus Ubuntu UpdateAnd you will find some reason why Linux is worse.Just watch and enjoy the spin.They'll find some reason why Windows is worse.Just watch and enjoy their spin.RE: Windows Update versus Ubuntu UpdateI always did find it amusing at how the Ubuntu crowd simultaneously defend the sudo...
- Discussion threads 2008-07-15
- Tahiti: Microsoft's ultimate many-core destination
- Tahiti: Microsoft's ultimate many-core destinationmulticoreinfo.comCheck out http://multicoreinfo.com for multicore related news and programming resources.Tired of CoresI'm tired of the core nonsense. How about we use the existing cores more effectively?Anyone stick a scratched CD/DVD into a Vista machine and enjoy the explorer freeze-up while some blocking i/o is going on?...
- Discussion threads 2008-07-15
- The Kübler-Ross of iPhone
- The Kübler-Ross of iPhoneI think Kubler-Ross missed oneActually, there is one that should be added: Apathy. I guess it would start at the same stage as Denial, but never progresses beyond the simple "who cares" level.I won't ever buy an iPhone...why not? Because I don't care about having...
- Discussion threads 2008-07-15
- In the information age, IT innovation means everything
- In the information age, IT innovation means everythingInteresting.I think many IT failures are due to misundersyanding the company's business model. The nuances if you will. This is another reason to develop internally. To take it one step further. There are many good IT personnel that only understand IT. They don't...
- Discussion threads 2008-07-14
- Kernel for PST to NSF (exe)
- Kernel for PST to NSF - PST to NSF Conversion software to migrate from MS Outlook to Lotus Notes. Convert emails, inbox, sent items, drafts, journals, calendar, appointments, attachments, images, email properties, folders with sub-folders etc. Save the converted emails in new .NSF file or an existing .NSF file. This...
- Software downloads 2008-07-14
- We don't want you to talk, Mr. Ballmer
- We don't want you to talk, Mr. BallmerThe ghost of Mr. Ballmerwill be forced to bear the clippy's that he has forged in this life.Oh, the eternal wailing.Well, hey, it IS fun to watch them squirm. But, it probably DOES help themshort term at least to create FUD around open...
- Discussion threads 2008-07-12
- Apple ships (long overdue) iPhone security patches
- Finally, after months of waiting, iPhone users finally get security fixes for a batch of known software vulnerabilities. The latest iPhone 2.0 and iPod Touch 2.0 update patches at least 13 documented vulnerabilities, including several code execution holes in the Safari mobile Web browser. The...
- Blog posts 2008-07-11
- Reiser leads police to wife's body, gets 15 years
- Hans Reiser was sentenced to 15 years to life in jail for strangling his wife to death in 2006. As part of a deal reached with the Alameda County DA, Reiser received a reduced prison sentence and conviction on a lesser charge -- second degree murder --...
- Blog posts 2008-07-09
- VMWare: Time to Pay the Open Source Piper
- VMWare: Time to Pay the Open Source PiperOn the other hand ...... if all the hypervisors and their attendant management suites become free ... then will I choose to serve:1. Basic software via increasingly powerful cloud computing or open source freebies (e.g. Firefox, Open Office)2. MyCompanysSoftware via *IX (I have...
- Discussion threads 2008-07-09
- Geek Sheet: Configuring Synergy2 to Share Keyboard, Video and Mouse
- Geek Sheet: Configuring Synergy2 to Share Keyboard, Video and MouseVery nice utility, but ...... in a world where virtualization seems to be the new trend does this project have a future?A request for future Geek Sheets: bare-metal multibootI know you're a virtualization fan, but can I request a Geek Sheet...
- Discussion threads 2008-07-08
- Did open source make Green go at VMWare?
- Did open source make Green go at VMWare?No such thing as a free lunch....While I don't lay all the blame on open source, I do blame open source for many of the problems with VMWare’s business model. It is very difficult to plan when you have “free” products in the...
- Discussion threads 2008-07-08
Neighboring Terms
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