Moving the Linux ABI to Userspace

Explore the potential of moving the Linux Application Binary Interface (ABI) to userspace in this 43-minute conference talk from the Linux Plumbers Conference. Dive into the current challenges of evolving the Linux ABI due to its tight coupling with the user/privileged boundary. Discover the benefits of relocating kernel functionality to userspace, including easier ABI evolution, deprecation of obsolete syscalls, and enhanced userspace ABI refinement. Learn about approaches for reflecting syscalls back to userspace, their feasibility, and potential mechanisms. Examine the costs, challenges, and overhead associated with implementing all syscalls through a virtual dynamic shared object (vDSO) or similar method. Gain insights into the future of Linux ABI design and its implications for system performance and flexibility.