When Linus Torvalds posted his now-legendary 1991 announcement about a “hobby” operating system kernel, no one would have predicted that Linux would become the backbone of modern computing. In a speech at the Open-Source Summit, North America, Jonathan Corbet, executive editor of LWN and longtime kernel developer, recounted the Linux kernel’s remarkable journey, highlighting its disruptive beginnings, its unique development model, and the challenges that have shaped its evolution.
Linux just keeps growing
Today, as Corbet said, “We are up to just over 40 million lines of code at this point. It’s fair to say that, indeed, Linux has become big and professional.” The first thing he noted was that, no matter what else was happening in the world, Linux had just kept growing.
Also: 7 things every Linux beginner should know – before downloading their first distro
In a graph of Linux kernel growth, Corbet observed, “If you look at this line, it’s really monotonically upward. It’s always increasing. We’re always building on the kernel, despite the fact that a lot of things were happening in the world over these three decades. We had the dotcom crash in 2000. We had the SCO lawsuit. In 2008, there was the global economic crisis. And of course, we had the COVID pandemic. But you don’t really see an effect on the development speed of Linux from any of these events. We have somehow managed to sustain everything we can do despite all the stuff that has happened in the world.”
How has Linux managed this?
Corbet believed that what has set Linux apart is its radical openness.
Unlike the centralized, exclusive development of other Unix-like systems, now largely forgotten, Linux welcomed contributions from anyone willing to submit code. This openness, combined with the GNU General Public License (GPL) 2.0, fostered a unified codebase and prevented fragmentation. “Anybody could be a part of it,” Corbet emphasized, “and as a result, Linux developed a community that you didn’t find in other open projects at that time.” You really won’t find it anywhere else, even now.
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Of course, for years, no one took Linux seriously. It was dismissed as a toy in an era when Unix fragmentation and the rise of Windows NT dominated industry thinking. The prevailing wisdom held that only large corporations could build operating system kernels, leaving little attention for a community-driven initiative. Yet, as Corbet noted, Linux exemplified Clayton Christensen’s concept of disruptive innovation: a technology dismissed as inferior that quietly matures until it overtakes established players.
Another factor, Corbet explained, was that in the early 1990s, the BSD Unix systems were much more mature than Linux; they were capable of doing more and were more usable. Still, their permissive BSD license model led to a whole bunch of forks. None of them gained the critical mass in terms of either the development community or adoption to dominate Linux.
Instead, the Linux kernel stayed one thing. It stayed together, in part because its GPLv2 copyright policy meant everybody retains their copyright under the same license. It means that nobody owns Linux, or everybody owns Linux. It is not a company project. It’s not something somebody can pull out from under you, and that makes a huge difference.
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Linux was also successful, Corbet believes, because “Linus had no pride. He threw open the door to everybody, and anybody who could send him a patch could participate. And so we’d take it; we’d throw away a lot of stuff. It didn’t work. It seemed wasteful in ways, but there were no boundaries. Anybody could be a part of it. It was a lot more fun, and it was a lot more open.”
You can see how that approach was successful, he added, after the late 1990s when “Linux caught the attention of industry giants. IBM’s 2001 billion-dollar investment marked a turning point, shifting perceptions from skepticism to serious engagement. The dot-com boom fueled a Linux bubble, with startups and venture capital flooding the ecosystem. Yet, when the bubble burst, kernel development continued unabated, underscoring Linux’s independence from any single corporate patron.”
Corbet continued, “Much of the commercial structure around Linux self-destructed over the course of about a month in 2000, but development of the Linux kernel did not slow down. Nothing really changed there, which was perhaps the first object lesson that Linux is truly independent of its corporate patrons.”
Linux’s modular approach
Another reason Linux has been successful is its modular approach. By focusing solely on the kernel while leaving user-space utilities and distributions to others, it accelerated innovation and allowed parallel experimentation. Corbet cited the emergence of Beowulf clusters in the late 1990s. By stringing together commodity PCs running Linux to create supercomputers, Linux began its rise as the only supercomputer operating system and the dominant operating system of today’s data centers and clouds.
Also: I put Linux on this 8-inch mini laptop, and unlocked a new way of computing
Corbet remembered, “I worked in a supercomputing center when this was happening, and I went to them and I said, ‘Hey, we should really be looking at this.’ And they said, “No, no, we have these Crays over here, and that’s all that we’re ever going to need.” That really didn’t age very well. Now, people don’t really talk about Beowulf clusters anymore, for a simple reason. We just call them data centers.”
All of this development was happening over e-mail lists. Today, almost all of Linux’s key development occurs over the Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML). Sometimes old technology is the best technology.
Beginning with the first Linux Kernel Summit in San Jose, California, on March 30 to March 31, 2001, developers began meeting face-to-face. That was when it became clear that while mailing lists are invaluable, personal connections are still vital. However, Corbet worries that current US visa policies will hamper such gatherings going forward.
A major shift
Corbet then turned his attention to the technical side of the Linux kernel. The Linux kernel’s development model underwent a major shift. “At the 2004 Kernel Summit. We adopted what was called, what we called the new kernel development model. Now it’s just the kernel development model where the first two weeks of every development cycle are what’s called the merge window, where all the new code, new features go in, then for the following weeks we fix the problems. This works well enough at this point that every release takes nine or 10 weeks in total. You can set your clock by the last 15 years; there have been exactly two exceptions.”
Also: The Linux 6.15 kernel arrives – and it’s big a victory for Rust fans
As Linux scaled, its development process faced bottlenecks. The biggest was the reliance on Torvalds to manually apply every patch. The adoption of BitKeeper, a proprietary source code management tool, temporarily alleviated these issues but introduced new dependencies.
Then, in April 2005, things went badly wrong. The “BitKeeper license was abruptly withdrawn, and overnight, we found ourselves without the software tool on which we had built the entire development process. So this brought everything to a halt. We were all kind of sitting there looking at each other, saying, ‘Now what?’ So Torvalds responded by creating Git in 10 days. Today this free and open source version control manager has revolutionized not only Linux development but software collaboration worldwide.
Also: I’ve used virtually every Linux distro, but this one has a fresh perspective
This approach, now used by many projects, enables rapid innovation without sacrificing reliability. Each year, 4,000 to 5,000 developers contribute over 80,000 commits, supported by a diverse array of companies, none of which dominate the project.
Corbet also highlighted the importance of embracing new technologies, such as the Rust programming language, to ensure the kernel’s long-term health and attract new contributors. “If you come back in five or ten years,” he predicted, “you’re going to see a very different looking kernel source base, and I think that’s really important for our sustainability.”
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Microsoft Intune administrators may face a few days of stress after Redmond acknowledged a problem with security baseline customizations.
The problem? Those customizations might not be saved during the update process, and the current workaround is to manually reapply customizations after updating baseline policies.
Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based endpoint management service that allows organizations to manage fleets of devices, including configuration and updates. Many admins use Intune for patch and policy management as an alternative to on-premises tools like Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), which was noted as being “no longer in development” with the release of Windows Server 2025.
The biz also has Microsoft Configuration Manager, which has its roots in the venerable Systems Management Server of the 1990s and is an on-premises product to manage a wide variety of products, including servers. The two are sometimes used together.
A security baseline in Intune is a template consisting of configuration settings. Microsoft generally issues a default baseline with recommended values, and an administrator can then tweak those values (or not) depending on the needs of their organization. However, those values not being maintained during the update process is less than ideal, particularly if there are a lot of customizations.
The new problem occurs if an administrator customizes the security baseline, and “affects customers who are updating their baseline version to a more recent version. For example, updating the security baseline from version 23H2 to version 24H2.” Microsoft, it appears, knows best, and the changes will be discarded in favor of the Microsoft-recommended defaults. This is fine for administrators who are happy to blithely accept whatever Microsoft sets as a default, but it is not so good for organizations that want to make their own tweaks.
The current workaround is also a pain – “While we work on the fix,” said the Redmond gang, “we recommend that admins manually reapply their customizations after updating their baseline policies.”
Reports of administrators rolling their eyes so hard that the Earth has shifted slightly on its axis are likely exaggerated. ®
But wait, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is an interactive experience packed with trivia, design secrets, and minigames that show off the new system features. If you’re the type of person who is curious about technology, product design, and all the little details that go into making something, this might be a tour for you!
Go over the system’s features…literally
Welcome to the exhibition hall…which happens to look like a GIANT Nintendo Switch 2 system. As your character walks on top of the system (and eventually inside it), you can access fun little facts and secrets. For example, did you know:
That the rumble in your controller is created when magnets and electromagnets shift a little weight around? This is similar to how some trains use magnets to levitate, allowing them to move at extremely high speeds.
The mouse sensor is a black-and-white camera with a resolution of a handful of pixels…which is even fewer than the old Game Boy™ Camera! These sensors check the surface they’re on to see the direction and distance they’ve moved. This is then translated into mouse movement.
Some Nintendo Switch 2 games support a process called super resolution. This is when the Nintendo Switch 2 console’s main computer performs machine-learning calculations and predicts what kind of detailed picture it should draw. This results in a clearer, more detailed picture.
The Nintendo Switch 2 dock has rounded edges for a reason! It’s so the release buttons on the Joy-Con 2™ controllers are easier to reach.
If you enjoy reading these little nuggets of knowledge, there are plenty more facts like these in the full game.
Minigames and experiences
Sometimes the best way of learning is by doing, err, playing. There are several minigames that relate to the tech that you explore in the exhibits. These minigames include guiding a UFO through spiked balls with mouse controls, trying to guess shapes by using HD rumble 2, and more. And if you’re not one to back down from a challenge, some minigames have multiple difficulties that change up the conditions. Think you can guide a UFO through spiked balls while catching stars? It’s gonna take some quick reflexes!
Finally, there are other experiences called tech demos. For example, you can test out the noise reduction features of the system microphone or experience 3D spatial sound capabilities. There’s even one demo where you gently shake the Joy-Con 2 controllers like maracas and have the rumble feature simulate the feeling of beads inside. You’re never quite sure what you’ll find next!
Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is out now—if you’d like to learn more about the game, please visit the link below to learn more.
The nights surrounding the first quarter moon phase on June 2 present a good opportunity to spot colossal ‘X’ and ‘V’ features emblazoned on the lunar surface.
This month’s first quarter phase occurs at 11:41 p.m. EDT on June 2 (0341 GMT on June 3), at which time the right side of the half-lit lunar disk will be illuminated by direct sunlight from the perspective of viewers in the northern hemisphere on Earth.
At this time, the sun shines at such an angle to make it appear as if there is a gigantic ‘V’ and ‘X’ marking the barren lunar surface. This kind of phenomenon is referred to as a ‘clair-obscur’ effect and occurs when the interplay between light and shadow leads to the chance formation of familiar shapes on the moon’s craggy terrain.
How to spot the letters ‘X’ and ‘V’ marking the lunar surface
The lunar letters are visible for roughly four hours in the run-up to each first quarter moon phase and are at their most impressive when seen just on the ‘night’ side of the terminator, with their upper reaches kissed by the sun’s light. Try and find the lunar ‘X’ and ‘V’ on the lunar disk at sunset on June 2 and be sure to keep checking back to see how these shapes evolve over time.
If you miss the letters on the night side of the terminator, there’s no need to lose hope, as they’ll continue to be visible for a brief period after they pass to the ‘day side’ of the moon.
The lunar ‘X’ becomes visible for a brief period around the moon’s first quarter phase. (Image credit: Photo by Ding Yi/VCG via Getty Images, annotations by Anthony Wood)
The lunar X is an optical effect formed when sunlight strikes elevated rim sections of the Bianchini, Purbach and La Caille Craters around the first quarter moon phase, according to stargazing website EarthSky.org. The feature can be found around 25 degrees south of the lunar equator close to the terminator, which is the line separating the dayside and nightside of the moon, close to the prominent Werner and Aliacensis Craters.
The lunar ‘X’ and ‘V’ are briefly visible in the hours preceding the moon’s first quarter phase. (Image credit: Photo by: Alan Dyer/VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images, annotations by Anthony Wood)
To find the lunar ‘V’, moongazers must follow the line of the terminator up to a point less than 10 degrees above the lunar equator to find the partially shadowed form of the Ukert Crater. Both objects can be spotted through a small backyard telescope with a 6-inch aperture, though a larger scope will help resolve detail in the myriad craters and broken terrain dotting the surrounding moonscapes.
Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!
TOP TELESCOPE PICK
(Image credit: Amazon)
Want to see the lunar X and V? The Celestron NexStar 4SE is ideal for beginners wanting quality, reliable and quick views of celestial objects. For a more in-depth look at our Celestron NexStar 4SE review.
Stargazers interested in exploring the lunar surface should check out our guides to the best telescopes and binoculars available in 2025. Photographers interested in capturing the moon’s surface should also read our roundup of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography.
Editor’s Note: If you capture a picture of the letters on the moon and want to share it with Space.com’s readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
If you listen to audio using Beats or AirPods when going to bed, iOS 26 has a useful new feature for you. The update adds a “Pause Media When Falling Asleep” option that is designed to shut off your earbuds when you’re no longer awake to listen.
Apple mentioned the feature during its Worldwide Developers Conference, but it was highlighted as an AirPods feature. Code discovered by MacRumors contributor Steve Moser suggests that the option is also available for Beats headphones.
The option to pause audio when asleep will save your spot in an audiobook or a podcast, but it should also preserve battery life by preventing your earbuds from staying on all night.
Pausing audio should be on by default when you install iOS 26, but it can be enabled by connecting your headphones to your iPhone and then tapping on them in the Settings app. Apple has not explained how the Beats or AirPods detect that you’ve fallen asleep.
You’ll need iOS 26 to use the option, plus updated firmware that Apple is beta testing. iOS 26 is limited to developers, but a public beta is coming soon. The update will launch this September.
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After a false start in April, Google has rolled out the latest firmware update for the Nest Wifi Pro on July 1st.
Software update 3.76.479819 for the Google Nest Wifi Pro is dated July 1, 2025 with two entries:
Improved and more reliable whole-home coverage with Thread support
Stability and security vulnerability fixes
For owners of the new Yale Smart Lock with Matter, this update addresses set-up issues.
This is the same changelog as an update that was listed in April (3.75.467368), alongside the Nest Wifi, but never actually rolled out. (That entry was later removed.) As such, the last update was 3.74.447573 from December.
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We’re already seeing version 3.76 installed on our Nest Wifi Pro, with updates happening automatically in the background overnight. If you don’t have it yet, try restarting the router.
To check, open the Google Home app and go to the Devices tab. After selecting your Nest Wifi Pro, tap the gear icon in the top-right corner for Device settings.
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Earlier this year, Sonos permanently dropped the price of its Era 100 speaker to $199, making it more affordable for people looking to build a multiroom wireless speaker setup. Now, the small-but-mighty speaker is even cheaper to kick off summer. Sonos is offering the refurbished Era 100 for just $119 ($40 off), the lowest price we’ve seen on the smart speaker. Sonos Certified Refurbished products are thoroughly inspected, cleaned, and tested by the brand’s in-house team, and you get the same one-year warranty as new Sonos products.
The Sonos Era 100 is the brand’s mainstream home speaker, offering stereo sound, line-in and Bluetooth audio support, and more intuitive physical controls. For instance, there are dedicated track controls — no need for swipe gestures — and a separate indented bar for volume. The speaker features two tweeters, enabling proper left and right channel reproduction. Additionally, the Era 100 comes with a larger midwoofer compared to its predecessor, Sonos One, for more booming bass.
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London-based smartphone maker Nothing has launched its first over-the-ear headphones, the Headphone (1). The new device follows Nothing’s first step into audio hardware with last year’s debut of the Ear 2 open-ear headphones.
The new Headphone (1) headphones were designed in collaboration with British audio brand KEF and feature the sleek, transparent design that Nothing has become known for. The device itself is a bit bulky, even for an over-the-ear headphone, but it provides adequate adaptive noise cancelling and transparent modes.
This model also offers adaptive bass enhancement, which came across when listening to a variety of music genres.
In addition, the headphones offer immersive spatial audio. This creates a 3-D listening experience that, paired with the dynamic head tracking, creates a more lifelike audio experience.
A highlight is the tactile buttons. Nothing stepped away from sensors in favor of a simple button to trigger your AI assistant or ChatGPT, if you have the Nothing X app, and a volume roller that can also be pressed to play, pause, and turn on and off noise canceling.
Plus, the roller has a very satisfying click when you turn it up or down.
The headphones were a bit heavy and tended to slide around while wearing them to do some household chores, but were otherwise perfectly comfortable for a long wear time.
The company claims a long battery life with up to 80 hours of listening, 35 hours if you have noise cancelling turned on, and a quick charge time.
The Headphone (1) will be available for preorder in the U.S., U.K., and elsewhere starting on July 4, 2025, for $299.
Stephanie McMahon is a name closely associated to WWE. She is an American businessman and is the daughter of former WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and Linda McMahon. Stephanie also happens to be the wife of WWE Chief Content Officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque. From championship gold to executive goals, the duo has been instrumental in shaping the modern WWE landscape. They are WWE’s ultimate power couple, a real-life tag team ruling from both the ring and the C-suite.Stephanie has also been a part of the wrestling industry and has proven herself as one of the finest players of WWE. She started off in the industry as a model at the age of 13, and then made her debut inside the ring in 1998 when she was only 21 years old. After 20 years as a pro wrestler, she bade adieu to the ring. Following her exit, McMahon became a WWE board member in 2013, holding various positions in the company. Over the years, the former WWE legend has amassed a humongous wealth from the company and her multiple ventures. Let’s take a look at her net worth in 2025, source of income, WWE relations, and more.
Net worth of Stephanie McMahon in 2025
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Stephanie McMahon’s 2025 net worth is estimated at $250 million, all thanks to her WWE stakes, executive roles, and strategic business ventures. Reports suggest that most of their wealth comes from Stephanie’s significant investments in WWE’s common stock. When WME bought WWE, Stephanie had about 2.5 million shares of WWE’s common stock. The value of those shares fluctuated between $40 million and $225 million. WWE was sold for $106 a share, which meant her shares were valued at $265 million.
The current source of income of Stephanie McMahon
Stephanie McMahon’s primary source of income in 2025 is her role as a board member of WWE and her ongoing involvement in various business ventures. The current salary is expected to be around $2.5 million. Besides, being the board member of WWE, the former WWE star also hosts a talk show named ‘Stephanie’s Places’ on ESPN+, where she interviews professional wrestlers about their journeys into WWE.
Personal life
Stephanie has been married to WWE superstar and executive Paul “Triple H” Levesque. The couple started dating in 2000, when they were involved in a scripted storyline together. After dating each other for 3 years, they got engaged on Valentine’s Day in 2003 and tied the knot that October in Sleepy Hollow, New York. After their wedding, Stephanie adopted her husband’s last name and changed her middle name to McMahon. The couple has three daughters: Aurora Rose Levesque, Murphy Claire Levesque, and Vaughn Evelyn Levesque.
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Business ventures
Stephanie has made quite a name for herself in the wrestling world, having held the title of Women’s Champion and even stepping in as the SmackDown General Manager. Over the years, McMahon has worn many hats, starting as an Account Executive and Receptionist from 1998 to 2002, to becoming the Director of Creative Television from 2002 to 2006.She later went on to become the Senior Vice-President of Creative Writing from 2006 to 2007, followed by her role as Executive Vice-President of Creative Development and Operations from 2007 to 2013. Later, she took on the title of Chief Brand Officer in 2013.In May 2022, she announced she would be taking a leave of absence from her responsibilities. However, when Vince retired in July, Stephanie was named the new chairwoman, alongside Nick Khan. Also Read: Drew McIntyre graces former WWE star Jinder Mahal’s wedding ceremony in traditional Indian attireIn January 2023, she made headlines again by resigning from WWE after her father’s return as chairman. Throughout her career, McMahon has earned two Slammy Awards and the prestigious Vincent J. McMahon Legacy of Excellence Award.
