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I have only used linux for a while, but I am wondering how I would be able to edit or modify the kernel. I read in another post that it is in C, but I am wondering what tools I need, where the files are, and if there are any editors that are a little more graphical than the one that comes with linux.
let me first say that i have never modified a kernel. i have compiled one though...
you need:
1) to read, read, read. There's a lot of info on compiling kernels on the internet.
2) to know a lot about C and how linux works in general
2) a C compiler
3) the source code. this comes with every distrobution. make sure you have it installed. if you do, it's probably in the directory /src ...
as for a more "graphical editor", look at KDevelop for an IDE for gcc. it's okay, and it probably came with your distro. if you're are looking for a way to easily manage several files within a project it's pretty decent. it's similar to the more popular IDE's. I haven't used it much though. if you ask me vim is the way to go...
in X (as root) what you're looking for is "make xconfig", but you can also run something similar in console, "make menuconfig." "make config" inquires about every kernel option one at a time.
Of course this is presuming that you want to edit your kernel's configuration. You can, of course, edit the source code directly, but few are that brave/foolish.
starX
www.axisoftime.com
Download the source from kernel.org, and then modify it as you would modify any other code.