Linus Torvalds is "fed up" with making kernel changes to address faulty hardware

A basking potato: Linus Torvalds is sick and tired of trying to "fix" Linux to activity connected Intel's faulty processors. In his view, Linux isn't broken, truthful why should he (and different FOSS developers) hole anything? Intel is nan 1 pinch nan problems. He vented his ire successful a thread recently.

Linux Creator Linus Torvalds precocious expressed vexation pinch alteration proposals to nan Linux kernel that are only "required" owed to faulty hardware. Phoronix notes that Torvalds ranted connected nan Linux kernel mailing database complete nan past week, saying that buggy hardware should not beryllium Linux's problem, suggesting kernel developers conscionable opportunity "no" and spot what nan "hardware people" say.

"I deliberation this clip we push backmost connected nan hardware group and show them it's *THEIR* damn problem, and if they can't moreover beryllium bothered to opportunity yay-or-nay, we conscionable beryllium tight," Torvalds said. "Because dammit, let's put nan onus connected wherever nan blasted lies, and not conscionable return immoderate random crap from bad hardware and opportunity 'oh, but it *might* beryllium a problem' [sic]."

He's besides unhappy astir kernel commits that reside theoretical vulnerabilities, particularly those that are difficult to instrumentality and person ne'er been seen successful nan wild.

"Honestly, I'm beautiful damn fed up pinch buggy hardware and wholly theoretical attacks that person ne'er really shown themselves to beryllium utilized successful practice," he said.

Linus Torvalds Growing Frustrated By Buggy Hardware & Theoretical CPU Attackshttps://t.co/2rvIc14F4D

Part of nan problem is that addressing hardware faults astatine nan OS level complicates matters for developers and creates imaginable compatibility problems pinch different fault-free hardware. An illustration would beryllium projected kernel changes that will not activity pinch Linear Address Masking (LAM) connected Arrow Lake and Lunar Lake processors, which is what sewage Torvalds fired up successful nan first place. This characteristic allows personification abstraction to shop metadata successful immoderate bits of pointers.

According to Intel Engineer Kirill Shitemov, Intel is replacing LAM pinch LASS (Linear Address Space Separation), which is much unafraid arsenic it prevents hackers from accessing virtual reside spaces crossed user/kernel mode. Shitemov indicated that location was expected to beryllium a spot that abnormal LAM until LASS was fresh for implementation, but nan hole "never sewage applied for immoderate reason."

Since earlier this year, Intel's 13th and 14th-gen issues person caused headaches connected galore levels pinch consumers, developers, and wrong Intel. The institution has addressed nan problems pinch recommended BIOS settings and microcode to varying degrees of success. Couple that pinch nan long-running rumor of Spectre/Meltdown vulnerabilities, which support making headlines moreover six years aft their discovery.

The problem, arsenic Torvalds sees it, is that Intel tin spend to salary its engineers to reside its hardware issues. Meanwhile, FOSS developers are unpaid volunteers who are nether expanding unit to get Linux moving connected bad hardware while keeping it bug-free connected bully hardware. So, his vexation is understandable. Of course, Torvalds has ne'er shied distant from telling hardware OEMs wherever they tin go.