A Time Series Analysis of Assertions in the Linux Kernel

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Author: Ruohonen, Jukka
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Ruohonen, Jukka
author_facet Ruohonen, Jukka
contents 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.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2412_19465
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A Time Series Analysis of Assertions in the Linux Kernel
Ruohonen, Jukka
Software Engineering
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.
title A Time Series Analysis of Assertions in the Linux Kernel
topic Software Engineering
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.19465