2024/12/27 by Jukka Ruohonen, Ruohonen, Jukka · 3 citations
Computer Science · Mathematics · #Computer science #Discrete mathematics #Distributed and Parallel Computing Systems #FOS: Computer and information sciences #Geology #Kernel (algebra) #Mathematics #Operating system #Parallel Computing and Optimization Techniques #Parallel computing #Series (stratigraphy) #Software Engineering (cs.SE) #Time Series Analysis and Forecasting
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2412.19465
openalex publication_date 2024/12/27 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Assertions are a classical and typical software development technique. These are extensively used also in operating systems and their kernels, including the Linux kernel. The paper fills a gap in existing knowledge by empirically examining the longitudinal evolution of assertion use in the Linux kernel. According to the results, the use of assertions that cause a kernel panic has slightly but not substantially decreased from the kernel's third to the sixth release series. At the same time, the use of softer assertion variants has increased; these do not cause a panic by default but instead produce warnings. With these time series results, the paper contributes to the existing but limited empirical knowledge base about operating system kernels and their long-term evolution.