Smolt was a
computer program
A computer program is a sequence or set of instructions in a programming language for a computer to execute. Computer programs are one component of software, which also includes documentation and other intangible components.
A computer program ...
used to gather
hardware information from computers running
Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...
, and submit them to a central server for statistical purposes, quality assurance and support. It was initiated by
Fedora
A fedora () is a hat with a soft brim and indented crown.Kilgour, Ruth Edwards (1958). ''A Pageant of Hats Ancient and Modern''. R. M. McBride Company. It is typically creased lengthwise down the crown and "pinched" near the front on both sides ...
, with the release of Fedora 7, and soon after it was a combined effort of various
Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...
projects. Information collection was voluntary (opt-in) and anonymous. Smolt did not run automatically. It requested permission before uploading new data to the Smolt server. On October 10, 2012, it was announced that smolt would be discontinued on November 1, 2013. That is now in effect. The Smolt webpage is no longer available.
The project is superseded by Hardware probe.
General
Before Smolt there was no widely accepted system for assembling Linux statistics in one place. Smolt was not the first nor the only attempt, but it is the first accepted by major Linux distributions.
Collecting this kind of data across distributions can:
* aid developers in detecting hardware that is poorly supported
* focus efforts on popular hardware
* provide workaround and fix tips
* help users to choose the best distribution for their hardware
* convince hardware vendors to support
Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...
Use
Smolt was included in:
*
Fedora
A fedora () is a hat with a soft brim and indented crown.Kilgour, Ruth Edwards (1958). ''A Pageant of Hats Ancient and Modern''. R. M. McBride Company. It is typically creased lengthwise down the crown and "pinched" near the front on both sides ...
*
openSUSE, releases from 11.1 to 12.2;
*
RHEL and
CentOS
CentOS (, from Community Enterprise Operating System; also known as CentOS Linux) is a Linux distribution that provides a free and open-source community-supported computing platform, functionally compatible with its upstream source, Red Hat En ...
see https://web.archive.org/web/20090109010205/http://download.fedora.redhat.com/pub/epel/ (retired link)
*
Gentoo see https://web.archive.org/web/20090207100254/http://packages.gentoo.org/package/app-admin/smolt
*
MythTV see http://smolt.mythtv.org/
Smolt server
The Smolt server stored all collected data.
See also
*
Linux Counter
The Linux Counter was a website that attempted to estimate the number of people and machines using the Linux operating system. It ran from 1993 until December 2018. The last available estimate of Linux users was 91.9 million, as of August 2017.
...
References
{{reflist
External links
Smolt wikiSmolt retirementopenSUSE about Smolt
Linux
Discontinued software
Internet properties disestablished in 2013