TutorialsTutorials
Cross-Compile the Linux Kernel for ARM64 and Boot It in QEMU
Cross-compile the Linux kernel for ARM64, build a BusyBox initramfs, and boot the system in QEMU using exact, reproducible commands and expected…
RB Sep 11 · 7 min
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Field notes from the Linux trenches
Deep dives, debugging war-stories and career guidance for engineers who work where the kernel meets real hardware.
Tutorials
Debug StoriesDebug Stories
Debug Story: A Spurious Interrupt Storm That Disabled a Shared IRQ
A shared, level-triggered interrupt line was disabled after a "nobody cared" spurious interrupt storm. Here is how the kernel detects it and…
RB Sep 11 · 9 min
System DesignSystem Design
The Hidden Cost of Out-of-Tree Drivers and Private Kernel Patches
Private kernel patches and out-of-tree drivers are recurring maintenance costs, not one-time work. How to classify, measure and bound your downstream delta.
RB Sep 3 · 18 min
TutorialsTutorials
Real-Time Linux with PREEMPT_RT — Part 4: Writing RT-Safe User-Space Code
RT-safe user-space code for PREEMPT_RT: lock memory with mlockall, create SCHED_FIFO threads correctly, and use PTHREAD_PRIO_INHERIT mutexes.
RB Aug 28 · 12 min
Debug StoriesDebug Stories
Debug Story: A Circular Locking Dependency in a Driver
A lockdep circular locking dependency warning appeared with no hang. Here is how the AB-BA lock inversion between two driver mutexes was…
RB Aug 24 · 8 min
Deep DivesDeep Dives
The Linux DMA API: Coherent and Streaming Mappings Explained
A working guide to the Linux DMA API: coherent vs streaming mappings, cache sync rules, the dma-coherent property, and debugging with CONFIG_DMA_API_DEBUG.
RB Aug 21 · 15 min
Edge AIEdge AI
Operator Fallback: Why Your Accelerated Model Still Runs on the CPU
Operator fallback pushes unsupported ops back to the CPU and fragments the graph. What it costs on real devices, and how to…
RB Aug 18 · 10 min
TutorialsTutorials
The regmap Subsystem: One Register API Across I2C, SPI and MMIO
Build a Linux I2C driver with the regmap subsystem: regmap_config, probe, the register cache, suspend and resume, and debugfs. Complete buildable code.
RB Aug 16 · 11 min
TutorialsTutorials
Kernel Dynamic Debug: Turning On pr_debug at Runtime
Kernel dynamic debug turns pr_debug and dev_dbg messages on at runtime, per file, function or module, with no kernel rebuild. A hands-on…
RB Aug 9 · 11 min
CareerCareer
The Mindset Behind Hard Debugging
Hard debugging is rarely defeated by a lack of tools. It is defeated by three quiet habits: assuming the fault is where…
RB Aug 6 · 6 min
CareerCareer
You Don’t Speak to Look Smart. You Speak to Find Out What You Know.
Staying silent in a class or review feels safe, but speaking forces a half-formed idea into a sentence — and that act…
RB Jul 24 · 6 min
Edge AIEdge AI
TinyML vs Edge AI on Linux: How to Choose the Right Machine
TinyML vs Edge AI on Linux is not a TOPS comparison. It is a choice of machine. A decision guide, the measured…
RB Jul 20 · 14 min
CareerCareer
Deep Work Is Getting Rarer Just as It Becomes More Valuable
Cal Newport argues deep, distraction-free concentration is becoming rare exactly as it becomes valuable. In the AI age, deep work produces the…
RB Jul 19 · 8 min
Kernel SecurityKernel Security
Linux Kernel CVEs: What to Patch by Device (11 – 18 Jul 2026)
Three Linux kernel CVEs published 11-18 July 2026. The IPv4 fix CVE-2026-53366 is highest priority. What matters for mobile, embedded, cloud and…
RB Jul 18 · 10 min
CareerCareer
Kernel Patch Review Is the Scarce Skill Now, Not Code
Linux 7.1 merged 15,849 commits, but Reviewed-by fell to 51% and Tested-by to 8%. Kernel patch review is the scarce skill now,…
RB Jul 17 · 8 min
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